Great Parks/Great Cities Awards

New York, May 23, 2001 - This summer, Project for Public Spaces (PPS) will inaugurate three new annual awards to recognize the role of urban parks in revitalizing North American cities. The awards - based on a pool of candidates nominated by the public - will be presented on the final day of "Great Parks/Great Cities", PPS' seventh annual conference on urban parks. The Great Parks/Great Cities Awards acknowledge that an active, well-functioning park can jumpstart the comeback of a community - from a small suburban or rural town to a highly urbanized city. They are designed to encourage the creation of environments where the many functions of community life can take place, in which people feel ownership and pride, and where public space acts as a true common ground. In short, Project for Public Spaces is recognizing those places where people want to be.

Great Parks/Great Cities Award - for a major park or square in North America that that has added significantly to the social, economic and environmental health and well-being of that city. Nominate a Park

Great Community Place Award - for a smaller park that, although not necessarily well-known nationally, has become a nucleus of social activity and revitalization in its community or neighborhood. Nominate a Park

Catalyst Award for Urban Park Leadership - for a person or organization that has successfully evolved a park or other public space to meet the needs of today's users, by involving the community, building stewardship and making a park the setting for diverse community activities. Nominate a Person or Organization

Policy and Criteria

• The Great Parks/Great Cities Award and Great Community Place Award are based on Project for Public Spaces' " Place Diagram" and "Place Evaluation." Those who nominate a park - or plaza, central square, greenway, etc. - should visit it to judge its success. Nominated spaces must satisfy most if not all of the key elements of place as described by the Place Diagram and the nomination form
.
• Award winners will be selected from the nominees by the Great Parks/Great Cities selection committee. The committee consists of people who have a national perspective about parks and downtown revitalization, along with selected PPS board members and executive staff.
• A person may make one nomination per category.
• Deadline for award nominations is July 10, 2001.
• Park nominees that meet the initial criteria will be further evaluated by the selection committee based on whether the park:
1. Builds and supports the local economy (such as promoting entrepreneurship, raising real estate values, increasing home ownership)
2. Nurtures and defines community identity (such as spurring neighbors to organize themselves, increasing volunteerism, building consensus)
3. Foster more frequent and meaningful interaction (including crossing of ethnic and cultural boundaries, increases in park use, identification of community assets)
4. Promotes public health and comfort (such as improving security, environmental quality, and sense of security)
5. Draws a diverse population
• Award winners will be highlighted on the web at Urban Parks Online and Project for Public Spaces, and in the press. Winner(s) of the Catalyst Award will be featured on Urban Parks Online's Ask the Expert feature and in their local press, and will be presented with a small yet symbolic gift at the awards ceremony.