Charter Awards enter round two

Top-notch jury, competitive field for top honor in New Urbanism. Following the success of the 2001 Charter Awards, nominations are open for the highest honor in New Urbanism. Unlike traditional architecture awards, Charter Awards are given to many types of projects, ranging from individual development parcels to large regional plans. Municipal policies and neighborhood development efforts are also eligible. The awards also differ from conventional architecture awards in that they reward a project’s context-responsiveness more highly than design innovations. In short, these awards recognize projects that take part in the world and make things better for real people on the ground, rather than rewarding lofty ideas. Entry forms were mailed out in early November. They must be returned to the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) by December 14, 2001. CNU will send out submission kits, which must be postmarked for return to CNU by February 15, 2002. This year's awards jury consists of seven top professionals. Jury Chair Jonathan Barnett teaches at the University of Pennsylvania and runs Jonathan Barnett, FAIA, AICP. Elinor Bacon heads the National Capital Revitalization Corporation. Bonnie Fisher is principal of ROMA Design Group. Ken Greenberg heads Greenberg Consultants Ltd. Alex Krieger is principal of Chan Krieger and Associates and chairs the Department of Urban Planning and Design at Harvard. John Norquist is mayor of Milwaukee. Richard Rosan is president of the Urban Land Institute. Award recipients will be notified during the spring and honored during CNU X, to be held in Miami Beach, June 13 to 16, 2002. Copies of the Charter Awards 2001 booklet featuring the 15 winners of last year’s awards program are available from CNU for $14.95, plus $3.50 for shipping and handling (a total of $18.45). For more information contact Laura Otis at CNU, (415) 495-4588, or e-mail lotis@cnu.org.