Abstract: A hydrogel composition comprising an alginate polymer and a hyaluronic acid polymer is a useful polymer scaffold for mammalian tissue engineering. To enable cell adhesion, adhesion peptides may be covalently linked to a portion of the alginate and/or hyaluronic acid. This alginate-hyaluronic acid-adhesion peptide hydrogel composition localizes cells and other biological constituents to promote tissue repair at a site of tissue defect, while controlling the speed of gelation and resorption time.