Times Square should be extra thronged this fall due to The Urban Forest Project, a two-part occasion highlighting some of the world’s best designers, artists, photographers, and illustrators.

First, 185 banners designed by these artists will be hung around Times Square. The banners each use the form of a tree as the basis for their design, and create, according to the project’s website, “a forest of thought-provoking images at one of the world’s busiest, most energetic, and emphatically urban intersections.” The banners will be on display from September 1 – October 31, 2006.

Next, each banner will be taken down and made into a tote bag that will sold at auction. Proceeds will go towards scholarships for visual art students.

Small thumbnails of each banner are available for viewing at the project’s website, but we recommend you get up to New York and see the real thing for yourself.