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2027 The Streets Challenge - Call for Entries
Deadline: January 18, 2027, 11:59 PM
The SHIFT Architecture Challenge is a biennial program from the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA), created to highlight the distinct contribution the architectural profession can bring to addressing key societal issues. It aims to showcase the belief that good design and architectural thinking can bring about positive change.
The program invites those with OAA status, and their collaborative teams, to respond to an identified area of concern using their skills and insights. Each edition of this program has a specific theme, having begun with the SHIFT 2019 Infrastructure/Architecture Challenge. The theme for the SHIFT2027 Challenge is The Streets. THE 2027 CHALLENGE - THE STREETS
The built environment is an integral part of human life. The spaces we inhabit can shape our moods, our sense of safety, our health, and our collective well-being. Equally essential to this vital network of spaces are the connections—the system of pathways between places that allow us to get where we want to go.
These “streets”—whether urban main streets, pedestrian paths, suburban arteries, rural roads, or more figurative avenues—are more than liminal spaces or mere backdrops as we go from here to there. The streets can be different things to different people, with formal and informal uses, all overlapping and intersecting in communities across Ontario and beyond. Streets can be places of celebration and gathering, but they can also be places of hardship and isolation. And design is central to how we experience our streets.
The SHIFT2027 Challenge invites those in the profession to bring their unique design sensibilities to envision Ontario streets that are inclusive, versatile, sustainable, safe, welcoming, and enjoyable places to be for everyone, including the most vulnerable members of our communities.
From dense cities to quiet towns, how can streets be adaptable to meet the needs of today, while considering the needs of future generations? What does it mean to design for a truly great street?
Note: As a profession-wide regulator, the OAA strives to remain apolitical and non-partisan in matters local and international. While SHIFT submissions may draw on specifics related to topics both within and outside the province, the goal is to present inclusive ideas for improving people’s experiences in a variety of scales and contexts.
Those SHIFT2027 submissions selected by a jury comprising Architects and other experts will then become the basis of a broader conversation on the issue promoted by the OAA, including a book publication, media outreach, and various SHIFT events. Our special jury will be announced soon!
Visit ShiftChallenge.ca for more information.
Don’t miss your chance to participate in this exciting program! Submit your idea, including text (up to 5,000 words), supporting images, and a short video.
New Users: Click "Join Now" to begin a submission.
Already a User? Enter your email address or click "Lost your access key" to retrieve your login information.
Submission Deadline: January 18, 2027, 11:59 PM
The program invites those with OAA status, and their collaborative teams, to respond to an identified area of concern using their skills and insights. Each edition of this program has a specific theme, having begun with the SHIFT 2019 Infrastructure/Architecture Challenge. The theme for the SHIFT2027 Challenge is The Streets. THE 2027 CHALLENGE - THE STREETS
The built environment is an integral part of human life. The spaces we inhabit can shape our moods, our sense of safety, our health, and our collective well-being. Equally essential to this vital network of spaces are the connections—the system of pathways between places that allow us to get where we want to go.
These “streets”—whether urban main streets, pedestrian paths, suburban arteries, rural roads, or more figurative avenues—are more than liminal spaces or mere backdrops as we go from here to there. The streets can be different things to different people, with formal and informal uses, all overlapping and intersecting in communities across Ontario and beyond. Streets can be places of celebration and gathering, but they can also be places of hardship and isolation. And design is central to how we experience our streets.
The SHIFT2027 Challenge invites those in the profession to bring their unique design sensibilities to envision Ontario streets that are inclusive, versatile, sustainable, safe, welcoming, and enjoyable places to be for everyone, including the most vulnerable members of our communities.
From dense cities to quiet towns, how can streets be adaptable to meet the needs of today, while considering the needs of future generations? What does it mean to design for a truly great street?
Note: As a profession-wide regulator, the OAA strives to remain apolitical and non-partisan in matters local and international. While SHIFT submissions may draw on specifics related to topics both within and outside the province, the goal is to present inclusive ideas for improving people’s experiences in a variety of scales and contexts.
Those SHIFT2027 submissions selected by a jury comprising Architects and other experts will then become the basis of a broader conversation on the issue promoted by the OAA, including a book publication, media outreach, and various SHIFT events. Our special jury will be announced soon!
Visit ShiftChallenge.ca for more information.
Don’t miss your chance to participate in this exciting program! Submit your idea, including text (up to 5,000 words), supporting images, and a short video.
New Users: Click "Join Now" to begin a submission.
Already a User? Enter your email address or click "Lost your access key" to retrieve your login information.
Submission Deadline: January 18, 2027, 11:59 PM
Log in to the Online Submission Form
New Users
Click 'Join Now' to begin your first submission.
Join Now