Sixty delegates from eight different universities across Abu Dhabi competed in the second annual Sila Connection conference from Nov. 22 to 23. The event brings teams of students together to create viable and marketable solutions to issues in the local community, based on a predetermined theme. In line with Plan Abu Dhabi 2030, this year’s conference was concentrated on urban design, culture and identity.

Sophomore Dóri Pálfi, an organizer of the event, explained that the teams are encouraged to create small-scale projects in order for the initiatives to be more implementable.

“There is this idea of urban acupuncture, where you do little things all around the city and so they improve the overall picture of the city,” said Pálfi. “If a lot of people are involved and active in the community, then in the end it actually has an effect on the whole city.”

The conference included team brainstorming sessions, meetings with professors and experts who offered critique and time to put together the projects and practice delivering the proposals. Each team presented their finalized project to a panel of judges at the InterContinental hotel in Abu Dhabi on Saturday evening.

This year’s winning project was created by NYU Abu Dhabi sophomore Layan Abu-Yassin and freshman Rita Akroush, lberto Crespo Iniesta from Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, Mathilde Panneau from Paris Sorbonne Abu Dhabi and Ali Al Afeefi from the Higher Colleges of Technology. Their urban trail project, titled “Once Upon a Time,” seeks to promote pedestrianism in Abu Dhabi through a walkable narrative of the city’s past.

“Our idea suggests drawing a colored line on the sidewalk that connects landmarks that were famous in the past but were changed or replaced by the process of renovating the city,” said winner Abu-Yassin. “At each landmark, we suggested having a sign that states its story and a bench that is designed with calligraphy carvings of interesting facts about the Emirate. The trail goes within the large blocks of Abu Dhabi, offering pedestrians a chance to go on an adventure and discover a different spirit of the city.”

The winning team will receive $5,000 USD from the NYU Abu Dhabi Institute to implement their proposed plan in the coming year.