Five finalists have been unveiled for the 2017 Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence (RBA) prize. Celebrating its third decade running, the RBA seeks to recognize transformative places that positively impact the economic, environmental, and social make-up of American cities.
Since starting, the biennial competition has rewarded 78 projects across 27 states. This year, $50,000 is up for grabs, with this sum being awarded to the Gold medal winner. A Silver medal will also be given to the four runners-up, who will take home $10,000. The money will be used to enhance the projects and take them further.
The finalists were selected by a committee of urban experts (see list below) who conducted site visits and interviews with project participants and community members. Further site visits and interviews will be undertaken to decide on the eventual medal winners which are due to be announced in June.
Bruce C. Bolling Municipal Building
Boston, MA
A complex integrating public school headquarters, community meeting space, retail, and transit. (Submitted by City of Boston).
Chicago Riverwalk Phases 2 and 3
Chicago, IL
A pedestrian park providing access to the river and new waterfront amenities. (Submitted by Sasaki).
Iberville Offsite Rehabs 1 & 2
New Orleans, LA
The rehabilitation of 46 scattered site historic homes for homeless women and children. (Submitted by Kronberg Wall Architects/Planners).
La Kretz Innovation Campus + Arts District Park
Los Angeles, CA
A demonstration facility promoting clean technologies and the city’s green economy. (Submitted by Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator and John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects).
SteelStacks Arts and Cultural Campus
Bethlehem, PA
Transformation of an abandoned steel plant into a mixed-use cultural and entertainment district. (Submitted by Redevelopment Authority of the City of Bethlehem).
The 2017 selection committee:
- Knox White – Mayor, Greenville, SC
- Kimberly Driggins – Director of Strategic Planning, City of Detroit Planning and Development Department, Detroit, MI
- David Lee, FAIA – President, Stull and Lee Incorporated, Architects, Boston, MA
- Willett Moss – Principal, CMG Landscape Architecture, San Francisco, CA
- Deidre Schmidt – President & CEO, CommonBond Communities, Minneapolis, MN
- Scot Spencer – Associate Director for Advocacy and Influence, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Baltimore, MD
“Over the past thirty years, the Rudy Bruner Award has honored a diversity of pivotal places, from Seattle’s Pike Place Market to Project Row Houses in Houston to New York’s Brooklyn Bridge Park, bringing to light their contributions to improving the quality of life in America,” said RBA Founder Simeon Bruner in a press release. “After three decades, we’re still discovering and recognizing new ways that public and private ingenuity and design can make our cities more accessible, inclusive, and beautiful for everyone.”
