Almost 200 students from across Ontario participated in the 10th annual 1UP Conference in Toronto on March 30 to design solutions to make transit safer and more inclusive.

The conference, hosted by Urban Minds over two days, focused on youth-driven solutions for pressing urban challenges and welcomed its largest cohort to date. It brought together a range of industry professionals from across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) to share their insights and inspire students.

In partnership with the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), the students participated in a “Design Jam” to design bus stops, streetcar platforms, and subway platforms. Teams developed concepts that responded to real-world conditions and considered a wide range of users, from daily commuters to families and new Canadians.

The teams pitched their concepts to a panel of judges, including TTC staff and industry leaders. The team of Jonathan Lee, Lucas Klemmer, Alice Tulloch, Benjamin Gray, Filip Simonovski, and Isaac Osei was named this year’s winner for their concept “Platform of the Future.” The winning team reimagined the subway station experience through cost-effective retrofits that use existing Canadian technologies. The judges praised the proposal for its blend of practicality and user-focused design.

“This was by far our largest and most exciting conference to date, and we’re really grateful to everyone who made it happen,” says Ryan Lo, co-executive director of Urban Minds.

“It’s great to see so much enthusiasm for transit innovation–we truly value the perspective of our young customers,” says Josh Colle, TTC chief strategy and customer experience officer.