World Business Chicago Announces Winners of Horizon Lines Design Contest

When the judges finally narrowed down the nearly 200 entries for World Business Chicago’s first‑ever “Horizon Lines” design contest, the result was a surprise: not one, but two winning concepts, each pulling Chicago in a different, yet complementary, direction toward a more verdant city.

In a ceremony held at the City Club of Chicago on Tuesday, the Morton Arboretum’s “Green City Rising” and the design studio MKSK’s “Wonderways!” were each awarded a $5,000 honorarium. More importantly, both teams now sit at a round table with public officials, private investors, and community leaders to figure out how – and if – their ideas can move from sketches to sidewalks.

“Green City Rising” envisions a patchwork of mini‑forests sprouting in neighborhoods across the city. Each pocket of trees would be chosen to echo the cultural and ecological roots of its surrounding community, creating a living map of Chicago’s diversity.

Meanwhile, MKSK’s “Wonderways!” takes the city’s historic 26‑mile boulevard system – a relic from the turn of the 20th century – and reimagines it as a ribbon of restored prairie and forested landscapes that knit together the parks ringing the city.

Phil Clement, CEO of World Business Chicago, summed up the feeling in the room: “When design, civic ambition, and local voices collide, you get a vision of a greener, more connected Chicago for the next generation.” The two projects, he noted, are like two pieces of a puzzle that together could expand the tree canopy, revive natural habitats, and gift residents new public realms.

The competition kicked off in the spring, and by June a panel of ten judges had trimmed the field to six finalists. Their work was displayed at the Chicago Cultural Center, an exhibit now running through Oct. 11, giving the public a chance to wander through the ideas before they’re judged.

Other finalists weren’t shy about dreaming big, either – proposals ranged from turning the city’s 1,900‑mile alley network into vibrant residential streetscapes to capping below‑grade stretches of the Dan Ryan and Eisenhower expressways with new green spaces.

Each of the four runner‑up teams will receive a $1,000 honorarium, a modest nod to the creativity they poured into their submissions. However, winning the contest doesn’t automatically translate into built projects. Both “Green City Rising” and “Wonderways!” still need funding, feasibility studies, and city approvals before any saplings or prairie grasses actually hit the ground.

Andrea Sáenz, president and CEO of the Chicago Community Trust and a jury member, said, “We believe these two concepts can work together, creating fresh opportunities for people to connect with nature, with each other, and with the neighborhoods they call home.” It’s a sentiment that harks back to Daniel Burnham’s 1909 Plan of Chicago – a blueprint that famously urged the city to “make no little plans.”

Jill Koski, president and CEO of The Morton Arboretum, added, “Our goal is to position nature as a key stakeholder in Chicago’s economic and community development.” Whether the city’s leaders choose to seed these ideas remains to be seen, but the conversation about Chicago’s green future has certainly been ignited.