SEASIDE Institute Honors Janette Sadik-Khan as 2027 Seaside Prize Recipient

The SEASIDE Institute has announced Janette Sadik-Khan as the recipient of the prestigious 2027 SEASIDE Prize.

Awarded annually, the prize celebrates individuals who have made significant contributions to the fields of architecture, urban planning, and community development.

The 33rd SEASIDE Prize Celebration will take place the weekend of February 5 through February 7, 2027, with a variety of events and symposia focused on multi-modal transportation, street art, and urban transformation. The weekend is curated by Seaside Institute Executive Director Christy Milliken and supported by the institute’s Board of Fellows, Board of Governors, Sponsor Partners, and Community Partners.

Signature experiences will take place in Seaside, Florida, with additional tours in Seaside’s neighboring New Urbanism communities, Rosemary Beach and Alys Beach.

Sadik-Khan is one of the world’s foremost authorities on transportation and urban transformation. She served as New York City’s transportation commissioner from 2007 to 2013 under Mayor Michael Bloomberg, overseeing historic changes to the city’s streets, including pedestrianizing Broadway in Times Square, building nearly 400 miles of bike lanes, launching Citi Bike, the world’s largest bike share system outside of Asia, and creating seven rapid bus lines and more than 60 plazas citywide.

As a founding principal with Bloomberg Associates, she works with mayors around the world to reimagine and redesign their cities. She chairs the National Association of Transportation Officials and Global Designing Cities Initiative, implementing new people-focused street design standards that have been adopted in more than 150 cities across the United States and around the world. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from Occidental College and a J.D. from Columbia University School of Law.

Sadik-Khan is also the author of Street Fight: Handbook for an Urban Revolution, a practical guide to how New York City’s streets were transformed into safer spaces for pedestrians and cyclists through innovative urban design and strategic space relocation techniques. The book serves as a road map for city leaders, planners, and engineers to rethink, reinvigorate, and redesign cities.

She is also featured in the 2025 documentary film Changing Lanes, directed by Ben Wolf. The 73-minute film explores the grassroots struggle to redesign McGuinnes Boulevard in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, into a safer, street-level space following a hit-and-run. The documentary features Sadik-Khan alongside musician David Byrne as they discuss the impact of street transformations on communities and the future of urban mobility.

Sadik-Khan’s earlier awards include the Jane Jacobs Medal for New Ideas and Activism from the Rockefeller Foundation, the Edmund N. Bacon Memorial Award from the Philadelphia Center for Architecture, the Rachel Carson Award from the National Audubon Society, the George S. Lewis Award from the American Institute of Architects, the Smart Solution Spotlight Award from ITS America, the Lawrence M. Orton Award from the American Planning Association, and the Design Patron Award from the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum.

The Seaside Prize is a testament to the tremendous impact Sadik-Khan has had on the built environment. Her work continues to inspire architects, planners, urban designers, developers, traffic engineers, and community leaders to think about safer and more efficient pedestrian outcomes.

Sadik-Khan will be presented the award at the awards ceremony on Saturday, February 6, 2027, by Seaside, Florida, founders Robert and Daryl Davis. The ceremony will be held at The Chapel at Seaside and promises to be an evening of celebration, reflection, and inspiration.

Registration opens for the 2027 Seaside Prize on October 1, 2026. For more information about the Seaside Prize and the Seaside Institute, visit SeasideInstitute.org.

The Seaside Prize is an annual award presented by the Seaside Institute to individuals who have made significant contributions to the fields of architecture, urban planning, and community development.

Recipients are selected for their exceptional achievements, commitment to design excellence, and positive impact on communities worldwide.

Founded in 1982, the Seaside Institute is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the ideas of community, education, and design. Through research, programs, and events, the institute strives to create sustainable, resilient, and livable communities. Rooted in the iconic town of Seaside, Florida, the Seaside Institute serves as a collaborative hub for architects, urban planners, and community leaders.

Since its earliest honorees in 1993, the Seaside Prize has celebrated many of the most influential voices in New Urbanism, architecture, planning, and community design. With past recipients including Andrés Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, Vincent Scully, Donald Shoup, Victor Dover and Joseph Kohl, and Ellen Dunham-Jones and June Williamson, the award continues to honor those whose ideas and built work have helped shape more thoughtful, livable communities.

Seaside, Florida, was founded in 1981 by Robert and Daryl Davis. Later, the architectural influence of Andrés Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk explored traditional town design before sprawl became the new normal. Considered the birthplace of New Urbanism, Seaside helped influence a return to walkable, sustainable, mixed-use town planning. What began as a place people sought out as a retreat has grown into a movement, with communities around the world influenced by the core principles Seaside embodies.

For info, registration, and to learn more about the 2027 Seaside Prize, visit SeasideInstitute.org.