Designing the 21st Century Street

The street designs of the past are not adequate to meet challenges of the 21st Century.

“Designing the 21st Century Street” is an open design competition sponsored by Transportation Alternatives. We are looking for new conceptual and physical approaches to the planning of public streets by asking participants to redesign the intersection of 9th Street and 4th Avenue. The street will be re-imagined as a healthy, safe, and sustainable 21st Century street.

The competition is open to the entire public: we hope that community members without any design training as well as design professionals and students will submit their ideas for street design improvements at this intersection.

In rethinking the way city streets work, the competition will explore ways to make our city more environmentally sustainable and reestablish the importance of the street as a tool to promote positive social and economic interactions. We believe achieving these goals will benefit all communities in New York, regardless of location or socio-economic class.

The deadline for registration is July 18, 2008. The deadline for submissions is August 18, 2008.

In September 2008, the jury will select three top designs, which will be awarded cash prizes of $6000, $4000 and $2000. The competition will conclude with a public exhibit in December 2008. A publication will also be produced to highlight entries with significant merit that may not have been included in the exhibition and all submissions will be available for public review on this web site once awards have been announced.

All questions and communication regarding participation in the competition should be directed to [email protected].

http://21stcenturystreet.org