The CSF lauded the Riwaq Centre for Architecture for the two decades it's spent documenting Palestinian heritage and restoring the country's built environment. Instead of viewing restoration projects as mainly a means to preserve historically significant buildings for art's sake, the RCA saw it as an avenue to strengthen community identity and create jobs.

Boston-based MASS Design came up with a plan to design health care facilities in resource-challenged areas.

Illac Diaz was recognized for this Liter of Light—a clear plastic bottle filled with water and installed as a skylight for $1, helping to alleviate the unsafe use of kerosene lanterns in makeshift housing in the Philippines.

Artist Jeanne van Heeswijk has dedicated her career to creating vibrant public spaces. Her project to revitalize Rotterdam’s Afrikaandermark garnered praise from the CSF as did a bakery project in Liverpool, England.

New York's Center for Urban Pedagogy works to make the complex policy digestible through design, art, and community workshops. One of its recent projects is a pamphlet that decodes laws for street vendors. CSF commended the CUP's mission to reach out to some of the most under-served groups: immigrants, public-housing residents, and at-risk youth.

Read about last year's winner here.