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Numerous studies have reported generation of cartilage-like tissue from chondrocytes and stem cells, using pellet cultures, bioreactors and various biomaterials, especially hydrogels. However, one of the primary unsolved challenges in the field has been the inability to produce tissue that mimics the highly organized zonal architecture of articular cartilage; specifically its spatially varying mechanical properties and extra-cellular matrix (ECM) composition. Here we show that different combinations of synthetic and natural biopolymers create unique niches that can “direct” a single marrow stem cell (MSC) population to differentiate into the superficial, transitional, or deep zones of articular cartilage. Specifically, incorporating chondroitin sulfate (CS) and matrix metalloproteinase-sensitive peptides (MMP-pep) into PEG hydrogels (PEG:CS:MMP-pep) induced high levels of collagen II and low levels of proteoglycan …