San Francisco’s Market Street, once the city’s main artery of commerce and transit, faces a new challenge: how to thrive in a world transformed by remote work and shifting urban patterns. Unlike traditional design competitions that aim to produce a specific plan, the Market Street Reimagined open ideas competition invited a wide range of voices to imagine new futures for one of San Francisco’s most iconic corridors.

In partnership with the Civic Joy Fund, the competition invited residents, business owners, urbanists, optimists, visionaries, community builders, students, professionals, and others to envision a bold, vibrant future for San Francisco in a post-pandemic world.

A distinguished jury of experts in planning, economics, real estate, architecture, landscape urbanism, civic leadership, and the arts took on the task of reviewing over 150 submissions from around the world. After a day of deliberations, what emerged was a powerful consensus that while other areas of the city are thriving due to neighborhood scale and a mix of uses, Market Street lacks compelling reasons to gather or explore. The six ideas selected as winners all address these challenges in different — but complementary — ways.

Submissions came from design firms, community groups, students, artists, and nonprofits across nine countries. The jury recognized entries that proposed fresh, adaptable ideas—from street greening to asymmetrical layouts that maximize sunlight. The winning concepts aren’t final designs, but bold provocations meant to spark conversation and inspire action.

Winning Submissions

• Flying Colors – Bionic
• The 4 Mile Bench – SITELAB urban studio
• San Francisco’s Living Heart – Multistudio, Studio-MLA, Systematica, and VibeMap
• The Market Street Forest – SUR
• Asymmetry in Balance – SWA Group

Sir Norman Foster Special Innovation Prize

• Yelamu Park on Market Street – Sequoia: Biomimicry Education & Advocacy

The jury also awarded eight honorable mentions for ideas that expand and reinforce the core themes of the winning entries.

All 150+ submissions are now available to view in our online gallery. Join us in person to experience the full exhibition on the second floor of the Ferry Building from July 23 to August 8.

You can also explore photos from the trolley tour, jury deliberations, and the award ceremony in our photo gallery of the various events. To see any press releases please visit here. Come see what’s possible for the future of Market Street.