City Planning and Engagement

The BuildReady Design Competition is intended to inspire innovative ideas and foster meaningful community engagement around the future of Middle Housing in Cincinnati. Winning submissions will help shape future pre-approved housing plans by serving as the foundation for additional public input and discussion. Community feedback gathered through this process will help identify the most desirable design features before a design firm is selected to prepare the final plans. We are excited to see your creativity, explore new possibilities, and showcase what thoughtful Middle Housing design can achieve in Cincinnati.

 

Participating in the BuildReady Design Competition provides multiple incentives for participants and winners, including:

• Participants who provide entries to the BuildReady Design Competition that meet the qualifying submission requirements will receive five (5) points out of a possible 100 on their submission to the subsequent Request for Proposals (RFP) for the procurement of the pre-approved plans.
• Winners of the BuildReady Design Competition will be recognized at an in-person Awards Event held in September 2026 in Cincinnati.
• Winners will have the potential to be featured in a national publication (digital or print) of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Americas (americas.uli.org)
• Participants and their design submissions will be shared with local and national press and news outlets.

 

​​Download the Design Competition Brief to review the project overview, award and selection process, submission requirements, and terms and conditions. Once your concepts are complete, return here to download the submission form and submit your entry. ​The Design Competition closes on Friday, August 14, 2026, at Noon.

 

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

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CLICK TO SUBMIT

 

 

Design Competition Q&A Sessions​

The BuildReady team will host two Q&A sessions to engage potential competitors and answer questions about the Design Competition Brief. Registration for the sessions is below.

• BuildReady Design Competition Q&A Meeting #1

  • Thursday, June 11, 2026 from 12:00-1:00 PM EST

  • Location: Virtual

  • Register: bit.ly/BuildReady-DesignCompetitionMtg-1

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• BuildReady Design Competition Q&A Meeting #2

  • Thursday, July 16, 2026 from 3:00-4:00 PM EST

  • Location: Virtual

  • Register: bit.ly/BuildReady-DesignCompetitionMtg-2

 

Design Competition Judges

The judges for the Design Competition will be released in early- to mid-Summer. The Community Stakeholder Judging Panel will include residents and neighborhood association members from a variety of Cincinnati neighborhoods. The Professional Judging Panel will include renowned professionals from various organizations.

 

Design Competition Awards Event

 The Awards Event will be held Downtown Cincinnati in September. More details will be released in early- to mid-Summer.