Philadelphia, PA, March 3, 2025 – DesignPhiladelphia is proud to announce that Vishaan Chakrabarti, architect, author, and founder of PAU | Practice for Architecture and Urbanism, has been selected as the recipient of the 2025 Edmund N. Bacon Urban Design Award. Vishaan and the student design competition winners will present and be recognized during a ceremony at 1218 Arch Street on March 26, 2025. The VIP Reception begins at 5:30 PM, followed by the main ceremony at 6:45 PM. Registration is required.
Vishaan Chakrabarti is an internationally recognized leader in architecture and urbanism. His work focuses on designing connected physical communities that bridge differences and address societal challenges such as climate change, political division, and public health. As the founder of PAU, he has led projects like Brooklyn's Domino Sugar Refinery, Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and Philadelphia’s Schuylkill Yards. His contributions to urban design extend to his tenure as Manhattan’s director of planning after 9/11, where he played a critical role in reimagining the High Line, rebuilding the World Trade Center, and revitalizing New York’s waterfront.
DesignPhiladelphia’s selection committee chose Vishaan Chakrabarti for this award because of his visionary approach to urbanism, commitment to ecological and equitable design, and leadership in shaping the built environment. His selection aligns with the focus of the 2025 Edmund N. Bacon Urban Design Student Competition, which challenges students to reimagine the neglected space known as "The Disney Hole" at 8th and Market in Center City, Philadelphia.
In addition to hearing from Vishaan Chakrabarti, the ceremony will showcase the winning projects from the aforementioned 2025 Edmund N. Bacon Urban Design Student Competition. This year’s competition invited students to propose visionary urban design solutions that transform the former site of Gimbel’s Department Store—now a surface parking lot—into a vibrant and engaging public space. The winning teams, representing Silesian University of Technology in Poland and the University of Waterloo in Canada, will present their innovative concepts for revitalizing the Disney Hole, offering creative solutions that address the site’s history, urban potential, and the needs of the Philadelphia community.
The Urban Design Awards honor the legacy of Edmund N. Bacon [1910-2005], Philadelphia's ambitious and outspoken City Planner and one of the most significant city planners of the 20th century. As the first Executive Director of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission from 1949-1970, his design concepts shaped the post-World War II city's physical landscape. Bacon's work had such national significance that he was featured on Time magazine's cover in 1964 and brought Philadelphia into the national spotlight as a city that was ambitiously planning for its future. Past awardees include:
•Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP, Hon. ASLA, urban planner and former commissioner for the New York City Parks Department
•Toni L. Griffin, urban designer and Professor of Urban Planning at the Harvard Graduate School of Design
DesignPhiladelphia's vision is that together we will create a Philadelphia that is designed for and by everyone. We foster a vibrant design community from K through Career committed to excellence, inclusivity, and connections. As an invaluable partner in Philadelphia’s progress, we do that through multidisciplinary design education, our annual festival, and public programs. We do this because for students we will open doors and create economic opportunities in underserved communities, providing support and sparking new aspirations, from kindergarten through career. For designers we will support and unify the design industry across the region; make it less siloed, more inclusive, and more consequential in Philadelphia’s progress. And for the Philadelphia region we will ignite the narrative that Philadelphia is a global design hub, charting a new course to make design by and for everyone. Learn more at www.designphiladelphia.org.
About DesignPhiladelphia Community
We foster a vibrant design community from K through Career committed to excellence, inclusivity and connections. As an invaluable partner in Philadelphia’s progress we do that through multidisciplinary design education, our annual festival, and public programs about design.
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- Rebecca Johnson
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Executive Director
AIA Philadelphia | DesignPhiladelphia - rebecca@aiaphila.org
- 2152669235