Skid Row 2021 - International Design Competition

Starts:  Aug 2, 2021 12:00 PM (PT)
Ends:  Sep 7, 2021 05:00 PM (PT)
Associated with  Committee on Design

Skid Row 2021

International Design Competition

The focus of this competition, the fifty-block area east of downtown Los Angeles known as Skid Row, contains one of the largest stable homeless populations in the United States. Established in the 1930s during the Great Depression, Skid Row’s population has ranged over the years between 4,000 to 8,000 inhabitants with the 2019 population count being 4,757, an 11% increase over the previous year. Given the impact of Covid-19, the Skid Row population is expected to not only significantly increase in the coming months but to be critically at risk due to health concerns. Lacking the ability to afford personal protection supplies and inability to maintain social distancing, the occupants of Skid Row are one of the most susceptible populations in Los Angeles and southern California.

Competitors are invited to propose architectural solutions that provide space for temporary transitional housing and community services to best address the current critical needs of the urban homeless during the pandemic. At a minimum, proposed designs should consider the following essential needs:

  • Community
  • Security
  • Social interactions
  • Wellness
  • Shelter
  • Protection from the elements
  • Bed
  • Services
  • Food
  • Cleanliness
  • Wellness
Schedule
Registration opens: August 2, 2021
Registration Deadline (early): August 23, 2021
Registration Deadline (late): September 7, 2021, at 5 pm Pacific
Entries Due: October 8, 2021, at 5 pm Pacific
Winners Announced: October 25, 2021

Visit skidrow2021.com/challenge for eligibility, entry fees and more information.
Questions?  Contact skid.row.comp@gmail.com