2013 Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence - Winning Projects

Gold and Silver Medalists of the 2013 Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence have been announced this week, marking twenty-five years of honoring innovative urban placemaking.

Founded in 1987, the biennial award celebrates urban places distinguished by quality design and contributions to the social, economic, and communal vitality of our nation's cities. A selection committee of six urban experts determined the winners from among five finalists, naming Inspiration Kitchens—Garfield Park (Chicago) the Gold Medalist and recipient of $50,000 to support the project.

Gold Medalist: Inspiration Kitchens—Garfield Park; Chicago, IL
submitted by Inspiration Corporation

An entrepreneurial, nonprofit initiative on Chicago’s west side that includes an 80-seat restaurant. The LEED Gold certified facility serves free and affordable healthy meals in an economically challenged neighborhood and offers a thirteen-week training program that helps individuals gain skills and experience leading to food service industry employment. “We are honored to have been chosen from the outstanding finalists to receive this award,” says Shannon Stewart, executive director and CEO, Inspiration Corporation. “We are proud of our success in creating meaningful connections in Garfield Park and are grateful that the award will help us continue to engage with members of this underserved community.”

The four 2013 RBA Silver Medalists each receive $10,000 to support their projects:

Silver Medalist: Congo Street Initiative; Dallas, TX
submitted by buildingcommunityWORKSHOP

The LEED Gold or Platinum-certified rehabilitation of five houses and the construction of a sixth for transitional housing, as well as a green street designed in collaboration with residents.

Silver Medalist: Louisville Waterfront Park; Louisville, KY
submitted by Louisville Waterfront Development Corporation 

An 85-acre urban park developed over more than two decades that repurposed abandoned industrial land and reconnected the city with the Ohio River.

Silver Medalist: The Steel Yard; Providence, RI
submitted by Klopfer Martin Design Group 

A 3.5-acre historic steel fabrication facility transformed into an environmentally responsible campus for arts education, workforce training, and small-scale manufacturing.

Silver Medalist: Via Verde; Bronx, NY
submitted by Jonathan Rose Companies and Phipps Houses 

A 222-unit, LEED Gold certified, affordable housing development in the Bronx designed as a model for healthy and sustainable urban living.

“Our twenty-fifth anniversary Rudy Bruner Award winners highlight the diversity of innovation in our cities today,” says Simeon Bruner, founder of RBA. “They show us urban excellence at all scales and inspire us with their optimism.”

The 2013 RBA selection committee included Mayor Mick Cornett, Oklahoma City; Ann Coulter - Owner, A. Coulter Consulting, Chattanooga, TN; Walter Hood - Principal, Hood Design, Oakland, CA; Cathy Simon - Design Principal, Perkins+Will, San Francisco, CA; Susan Szenasy - Editor-in-Chief, Metropolis, New York, NY; and Jane Werner - Executive Director, Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh (2007 RBA Gold Medal), Pittsburgh, PA.

Later this year, the Bruner Foundation will publish a book of detailed case studies about the awarded projects including highlights from the selection committee’s discussions.