RBA finalist Buffalo Bayou Park Courtesy Jonnu Singleton
While there seem to be no shortage of architecture and design awards, there are decidedly fewer accolades that honor the urban realm. Since giving its first prize in 1987, the Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence (RBA) has been doing just that. The biennial prize, which is organized by the Bruner Foundation, is broad in scope and includes adaptive reuse projects, housing, landscaping, transit/infrastructure, and public art, just to name a few categories of past winners.
This year, as in the past, there are five finalists. Four will take home a Silver Medal (which includes $10,000) while one will earn Gold (which includes $50,000). “The range of issues addressed in this year’s submissions reflect the evolution of our understanding of placemaking in cities,” said RBA founder Simeon Bruner in a press release. “The five finalists illustrate the shifting role of design in response to the imperatives of social inclusivity and environmental resilience.”
The 2019 RBA jury included Libby Schaaf, the mayor of Oakland, California; Adrian Benepe, senior vice president and director of national programs at the Trust for Public Land in New York City; Brenda Breaux, executive director for the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority (NORA); Carol Coletta, president and CEO of the Memphis River Parks Partnership; Marc Norman, associate professor of practice at the University of Michigan’s Taubman School of Architecture and Urban Planning; and Carol Ross Barney, principal designer at Ross Barney Architects in Chicago and a Metropolis Game Changer.
The jury will begin visiting the five finalist sites next month, with the Gold/Silver Medal announcement slated for sometime in June. From March to May, Metropolis will be publishing additional coverage of each finalist on our website. Until then, you can read about each of the projects below.
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Beyond Walls, Lynn, Massachusetts
This
creative placemaking-focused nonprofit collaborates with local government, community groups, and stakeholders to deploy public art and other experiences in marginal or little-used spaces. Its projects have included a murals festival—which attracted international artists—and the restoration of vintage neon signs.
Courtesy Warren Jagger
Beyond Walls, Lynn, Massachusetts
This
creative placemaking-focused nonprofit collaborates with local government, community groups, and stakeholders to deploy public art and other experiences in marginal or little-used spaces. Its projects have included a murals festival—which attracted international artists—and the restoration of vintage neon signs.
Courtesy Warren Jagger
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Parisite Skatepark, New Orleans, Louisiana
Initially a DIY skatepark begun in 2010,
Parisite became a collaboration between its skaters, Tulane School of Architecture’s Albert and Tina Small Center for Collaborative Design, and the nonprofit Transitional Spaces. Working together, the team grew the park and earned it official city recognition.
Courtesy Michael Wong
Parisite Skatepark, New Orleans, Louisiana
Initially a DIY skatepark begun in 2010,
Parisite became a collaboration between its skaters, Tulane School of Architecture’s Albert and Tina Small Center for Collaborative Design, and the nonprofit Transitional Spaces. Working together, the team grew the park and earned it official city recognition.
Courtesy Michael Wong
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Crosstown Concourse, Memphis, Tennessee
This Sears, Roebuck & Co distribution center was built in 1927 but, after closing in 1994, the building became a symbol of blight for the city. The nonprofit
Crosstown Arts rehabbed the structure, which now includes eateries, bars, stores, residences, art galleries, medical offices, and other diverse programming.
Courtesy Chad Mellon
Crosstown Concourse, Memphis, Tennessee
This Sears, Roebuck & Co distribution center was built in 1927 but, after closing in 1994, the building became a symbol of blight for the city. The nonprofit
Crosstown Arts rehabbed the structure, which now includes eateries, bars, stores, residences, art galleries, medical offices, and other diverse programming.
Courtesy Chad Mellon
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Sulphur Springs Downtown, Sulphur Springs, Texas
With a population of around 16,000, the rural town of
Sulphur Springs set out to revitalize its town square, converting it from a parking lot to a public park that would host events and gatherings. Toole Design Group, which submitted the project to RBA, was the firm behind the town’s numerous urban design and landscaping improvements.
Courtesy Cindy Roller
Sulphur Springs Downtown, Sulphur Springs, Texas
With a population of around 16,000, the rural town of
Sulphur Springs set out to revitalize its town square, converting it from a parking lot to a public park that would host events and gatherings. Toole Design Group, which submitted the project to RBA, was the firm behind the town’s numerous urban design and landscaping improvements.
Courtesy Cindy Roller
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Buffalo Bayou Park, Houston, Texas
Submitted for consideration to the RBA by its master planner SWA Group,
this 2.3-mile-long urban park turned the under-used land underneath highway overpasses into a lush, diversely-programmed public space.
Courtesy Jonnu Singleton
Buffalo Bayou Park, Houston, Texas
Submitted for consideration to the RBA by its master planner SWA Group,
this 2.3-mile-long urban park turned the under-used land underneath highway overpasses into a lush, diversely-programmed public space.
Courtesy Jonnu Singleton
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