Horizon Lines

The Open Call: Visions for Chicago 2050

Horizon Lines invites architects, designers, planners, community leaders, artists, innovators, and interdisciplinary teams to propose bold ideas that explore how Chicago could grow, evolve and lead over the next 25 years.

This is a vision competition, not a request for development proposals or construction-ready plans. 

Participants are encouraged to submit ambitious, future-facing ideas that explore what Chicago could build, enhance, protect or reimagine by 2050, including: 

• New architectural icons and civic landmarks
• Transformative public spaces
• Mobility, transit, and infrastructure
• Housing and neighborhood vitality
• Climate resilience and environmental innovation
• Economic engines and cultural districts
• Systems that improve safety, connectivity, and equity
• Street-level interventions that enhance daily life
• Bold proposals that challenge assumptions about Chicago’s future

What Participants Receive

Horizon Lines is more than a competition. It is an engine for visibility, coordination and momentum.

Selected visions will receive:

• Public Visibility
  Inclusion in a summer-long exhibit at the Chicago Cultural Center.
• Expert Feedback
  Input from a jury of city government, business and civic leaders.
• Early City Engagement
  Direct attention from City leadership and planning officials.
• Honoraria
  $5,000 to the winner; $1,000 each to five runners-up.