Curbed Poll: Three Ways to Make Construction Sites Less Ugly

Scholars have long sought ways to make Lower Manhattan's construction sites more visually appealing, which some people seem to have a problem with. The latest effort to bless the mess with a bit of creativity is called urbanSHED, an international design competition "to create a new standard of sidewalk shed design that improves the pedestrian experience while maintaining or exceeding the required safety standards in New York City." The 164(!) submissions were narrowed down to three finalists, each of which will receive $5,000 to further develop the design in Stage II of the competition. The winner will be announced in December, and the champ will get $10,000 and a prototype installed on a Lower Manhattan job site. Heck, there are plenty to choose from!

The jury that will decide the winner features some heavy hitters, including DOB boss Robert LiMandri, City Planning bossette Amanda Burden, David Childs, Frank Sciame and SnØhetta's Craig Dykers. Eff 'em! It's the people that will have to stare at this thing, and it's the people that should decide the outcome. Details on the finalists are in the gallery above.