The Urban Land Institute has selected nine projects as winners of its 2026 Americas Awards for Excellence. Chosen from 93 submissions by a 15-member jury, the winning developments span adaptive reuse, transit, affordable housing, public space, waterfront resilience, and social services, highlighting innovative approaches to inclusive and sustainable land use.
Key takeaways
- Nine projects were selected from 93 submissions across the Americas.
- Winners combine strong design with community engagement, financial viability, and measurable public benefit.
- Adaptive reuse, transit-oriented development, resilience, and affordability are recurring themes.
The projects demonstrate how public, private, and nonprofit partnerships can address complex urban challenges while creating places that are financially durable and widely accessible.
Adaptive reuse drives new community value
In Austin, Highland Phase II converted a vacant shopping mall into a 420,000-square-foot flagship campus for Austin Community College, serving approximately 5,000 students. Salvaged structural components, extensive stakeholder input, and a new pedestrian Paseo helped turn an inactive property into a connected community anchor.
The Victor in St. Louis similarly transformed a 735,000-square-foot warehouse into 384 apartments, retail, parking, and resident amenities. Supported by a sophisticated capital stack that included historic tax credits, the $130 million redevelopment reactivated a full city block while preserving the character of the city’s former garment district.
Transit and public spaces reconnect neighborhoods
Toronto’s Line 5 Eglinton represents one of the region’s largest transit expansions in decades. The 11.8-mile line includes 25 stations and links 22 communities with bus, subway, and regional rail connections. The project is expected to serve roughly 123,200 passengers daily by 2027, with station designs tailored to surrounding neighborhoods.
San Francisco’s Presidio Tunnel Tops reclaimed highway infrastructure to create 14 acres of national parkland. The project reconnects the Presidio’s Main Post with the Bay and has attracted nearly 6 million visits, along with hundreds of community organizations and school groups.
In Pittsburgh, Riverlife’s Shore Thing uses a 4,800-square-foot solar-powered floating platform to bring people to the Allegheny riverfront. The $1.3 million project welcomed more than 50,000 visitors during its first year and offers flexible space for performances, recreation, and community programs.
Resilience and inclusion shape development
Mission Rock Phase One in San Francisco raised its buildings to accommodate 66 inches of projected sea-level rise. Built through a long-term public-private partnership, the former industrial site now includes housing, commercial space, retail, and the five-acre China Basin Park.
New York City’s Eliza + Inwood Library combines a public library with 174 affordable homes. The development also includes Universal pre-K, a teaching kitchen, and employment services, reflecting years of input from residents and community groups.
Wadaag Commons in Minneapolis completes the transit-oriented Seward Commons redevelopment with 39 affordable homes designed primarily for East African families. Cultural sensitivity informs features such as adaptable apartment layouts, enhanced air circulation, a sensory-friendly playground, a green roof, and EV charging.
Care and ecology become part of the design
Parrott Creek in Oregon City offers a trauma-informed residential treatment campus for youth and their families. Set on 80 acres, the 22,410-square-foot facility integrates therapeutic and residential spaces with outdoor programming, ecological restoration, and cultural elements developed with Indigenous community members and local partners.
ULI launched the Awards for Excellence in 1979. The program recognizes completed, financially stable projects that demonstrate achievement in design, planning, innovation, sustainability, economic impact, management, and community engagement across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors.