In 2025, the Civic Joy Fund partnered with the Urban Land Institute San Francisco to co-sponsor Market Street Reimagined — an international call for ideas that identify new urban possibilities for downtown San Francisco’s Market Street, responding to the disruptions caused by the pandemic, remote work, and other cultural changes.

Using San Francisco’s Market Street as a subject, we asked competitors “How might a new set of ideas be developed to address the challenges in post-pandemic city cores enabling them to flourish in ways that are economically viable and experientially uplifting?”

We received 173 submissions from urban designers, architects, students, artists, and community builders all around the world, all offering creative visions for the street’s future. Submissions were formatted as 24x36” graphic panels and were displayed for judging by a jury of multi-disciplinary experts hosted by San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie.

Ultimately, six winning ideas plus several honorable mentions were selected to split $100,000 in prize money. You can check out the full competition submission gallery here.