This book comprises a series of case studies by 22 renowned experts and new scholars in the field of competition research. In 2014, it constitutes the most comprehensive survey on questions of organization, judgment, archiving and publishing of architectural, landscape and urban design competitions in the world. These richly documented contributions revolve around a few questions that can be summarized in a two-fold critical interrogation: How can design competitions - these historical democratic devices, both praised and dreaded by designers - be considered laboratories for the production of environmental design quality, and ultimately for the renewing of culture and knowledge?

The guide describes the context and key concepts, provides key elements and guidance and highlights areas where further research is needed, related to the assessment of the social and socio-economic impacts of products life cycle. A social and socio-economic Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) is a social impact (and potential impact) assessment technique that aims to assess the social and socio-economic aspects of products and their potential positive and negative impacts along their life cycle encompassing extraction and processing of raw materials; manufacturing; distribution; use; re-use; maintenance; recycling; and final disposal.

The present book revolves around four key concepts: architectural competition, institution, process and adjustments of contemporary competition structures. They characterise the contemporaneous status of architectural competitions in the second decade of the new millennium. A closer look brings out five typical aspects that describe an on-going process of adjustments that is taking place in contemporary European architectural contemporary competitions in architecture and urban design. The conclusion is that these adjustments in the competition as institution and process reflect new conditions in the structure of architectural competitions that applies design to both clients and architects as a profession. The modern architectural competition is an institution within architecture and urban design going back one hundred and fifty years in Europe that has been recreated in new practice with the help of rules, traditions and organisations. Both organisers and competing architects and their professional organisations contribute to the preservation of the competition as institution and process. The anthology includes selected papers from: Jonas E. Andersson, Gerd Bloxham Zettersten, Carmela Cucuzzella, Silvia Forlati, Michel Geertse, Pedro Guilherme, Antigoni Katsakou, Kristian Kreiner, Beatrice Manzoni, Magnus Rönn, Hedley Smyth, Justas Pipinis, Leentje Volker and Leif Östman.