Tata Center alumna receives award from Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, plans to invest prize money in her “Tracing Public Space” project.

Ana Vargas (S.M. ’14) was one of 11 winners from around the globe feted at the Dubai International Award for Best Practices ceremony on February 24th.

The award, sponsored by the Dubai Municipality and the royal family of Dubai, recognizes outstanding efforts to improve quality of life and a sustainable civilization.

Vargas’ Tata Center project, Tracing Public Space, was cited as creating “effective tools that allow non-technical people and residents of the community, including children, to learn methods of observation, identification, planning and design of public spaces,” in a report by Gulf News. The project was piloted in Boston before being deployed in Mumbai, India.

Currently, Vargas is taking on new public space challenges in her native Venezuela, and plans to invest the $15,000 award into the project.

Vargas enjoyed her trip to Dubai, saying that “the most interesting part [of the ceremony] was meeting the other winners and learning from each other.”

For an in-depth look at Tracing Public Space, see our interview with Vargas.