About the Competition

Since the early 1900’s, multipurpose streets originally designed to accommodate multiple modes of transportation were increasingly reshaped to prioritize motor vehicles. As motor vehicle use increased, more and more street space became designed to maximize vehicle speeds and vehicular parking to the detriment of the safety and comfort of pedestrians and bicyclists. Yet this longstanding philosophy conflicts with today's 21st Century vision of a New York City that is sustainable, healthy and equitable. Clearly there is a need to devise new street designs to meet new challenges and accommodate all users, not just those who drive.

We challenge you to think of our streets in a 21st Century context. Multiple users must be balanced once more and decades of motor vehicle prioritization reversed. We must think of our streets as first serving the basic needs of pedestrians, then bikes, then cars, but towards a balance of providing for all functions.

The purpose of this competition is to generate viable street design options that are more suited to a modern vision of our city. This begins by designing streets that integrate the needs of all users, address the problems of automobile congestion and pollution, and aim for quality of life benefits such as greater sociability, activity and economic development. This is a necessary step towards a greener New York and healthy, sustainable communities.