ULTra - Judging

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Judging

A panel of six judges has been assembled to assess the entries in each category, considering them from a variety of different perspectives to determine which designs best represent an overall solution to incorporating PRT into a historic environment. The judging panel consists of experts from a wide range of backgrounds such as conservation/preservation, transportation, and business. These judges have been chosen not only for their technical expertise, but also for their local knowledge of Bath and its cultural and historic environment.

The judging panel is comprised of the following members:

Henry Brown – As chairman of the Federation of Bath Residents' Associations (the main representative voice for residents in Bath), Henry has extensive local knowledge of the City, and is fully aware of the primary concerns of those who live and work in the area. He can therefore assess the designs both from a general residents point of view, and from his experience as someone who lives in and uses the central area of Bath constantly.
Malcolm Buchanan – As the recently retired chairman of Colin Buchanan, Malcolm has been responsible for a wide range of UK and overseas transportation projects, and has seen the evolution of transport planning from Traffic in Towns to Personal Rapid Transit (PRT). He has a wealth of experience in managing major studies in areas such as land use, highway, bus and rail planning, and with particular interests in the application of economics to transport policy, Malcolm is an expert on PRT and its potential to improve transport in a wide variety of settings.
Andrew Cooper – In his position as Bath City Centre Manager, Andrew works with both the private and public sectors to achieve improvements which will benefit business, residents and visitors, aiming to take advantage of every opportunity to promote civic pride, improve the economy, benefit the environment and evolve new ways of making the most from available resources.
Alan Day – Alan is Professor of Architecture at the University of Bath, and was a founding Director of the University's Centre for Advanced Studies in Architecture. Between 1996 and 2003 he was Head of the Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering, and until 2007 was Dean of the Faculty of Engineering & Design. His research is concerned with the application of computers to historical and urban modelling.
Charles Gerrish – Charles has been a Councillor for Bath and North East Somerset for six years (plus eleven years for a predecessor Authority), and spent 15 years working in Bath in the financial services sector. Being educated in Bath, Councillor Gerrish knows the City well and has a keen interest in geography and how the City has developed over time. He is aware of the key issues and pressures associated with transport and planning from his role as the Executive member for Planning Transport and Highways, and feels that not having a technical background gives him the opportunity to consider the competition from a broad perspective.
Joey Tabone – Senior Advisor for Climate Change at The Prince's Foundation, Joey joined The Prince's Foundation in 2007 from the Australian Greenhouse Office, where in his eight years with the Australian Government he managed a series of domestic climate change programmes affecting the built environment, transport, industry and government. Within The Prince's Foundation he is responsible for assembling the logical and rational case that links a reduced carbon future with a better built environment.

Note that the judges are commenting on the designs in a personal capacity, not as representatives of their respective organisations.

Assessment Criterion & Public Engagement Forum

Entries will be initially judged on the basis of their feasibility, originality, and aesthetics. Several dozen will be selected by the judging panel for presentation at a public engagement forum to be held in the City of Bath, showcasing the entrants' designs and inviting public comments. All contest participants whose work is to be shown at the forum will be invited to attend, and their work will be promulgated in the final outputs of the Bath study, which will be widely disseminated throughout Europe.

The designs will also form the basis of a more detailed public preference study, which will use psychophysical surveys to assess the public's perception of the design alternatives. The objective will be to discover the acceptability of specific design features and relationships to the surrounding environment, based on preference surveys and regression analysis.