SixtyNine Seventy invites design teams from around the world to re-envision the circulation areas and passages of two blocks in Salt Lake City’s downtown. The entrants will prepare comprehensive ideas for these in-between spaces, developing them into the connective tissue linking the area’s cultural amenities.

WHY WE NEED IT

Salt Lake City boasts a stunning natural setting, numerous cultural amenities, a unique history, a vibrant retail core, and a thriving and diverse business community. Currently, it lacks connection between many of these elements. The design competition seeks to harness ideas from around the world that will activate the spaces between with creativity deeply rooted in the city’s rich context. We hope new ideas will act as a catalyst for design-led growth downtown, helping redefine blocks sixty-nine and seventy, and the evolution of Salt Lake City as a whole. We want the fabric, textures, and essence of this city to create an energy that gives back to all who engage it.

HOW IT WORKS

SixtyNine Seventy, The Spaces Between: An Urban Ideas Competition launched on January 10, 2013. Entries will be judged by a panel that includes architects, artists, urban planners, historic experts, and politicians. Two winning projects and fifteen finalists will be eligible for the People’s Choice award. Finalists will be displayed at the Leonardo, around the city of Salt Lake, and online at www.sixtynineseventy.com for public viewing and voting. Winners will be announced in June, 2013. Winners will be published in Architect Magazine.