2007 CNU New England Awards Call for Entries

* * *  Deadline Extended until February 23, 2007 * * * 

An invitation from the New England Chapter of the Congress for the New Urbanism
to submit entries for the 2007 CNU New England Awards.

INTRODUCTION

New England. The name for our region evokes images of Beacon Hill, Littleton, Litchfield, Nantucket, Newport, Portland, Peacham, Providence, Portsmouth, Camden and Mystic. Quintessential town greens and commons, charming main streets, vibrant city neighborhoods, river walks, and glorious architecture.

New England possesses a great wealth of inspiring places, yet for the last 50 years our region (and the rest of the country) has been growing in ways that are inimical to the forms and patterns of our most loved cities, towns, villages, neighborhoods, and hamlets. However, recent initiatives and developments demonstrate that New England is starting to build on our valuable heritage and creating new communities for our future. Today, we have an unprecedented opportunity to capitalize on increased public awareness of the benefits of mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented planning and design by recognizing the best of smart growth, transit-oriented developments, context sensitive design, open space protection, public realm design and architecture.

In 2006 we inaugurated the CNU New England Awards with great success. From 11 outstanding entries, five award winners were selected: Mashpee Commons (Cape Cod, Massachusetts) submitted by Cornish Associates; Boston’s Newest Smart Growth Corridor (Boston, Massachusetts) submitted by Goody Clancy; Vermont Neighborhoods Project (Addison County, Vermont) submitted by Vermont Forum on Sprawl; Downcity Providence (Rhode Island) submitted by Cornish Associates; and Smith Hill (Providence, Rhode Island) submitted by Donald Powers Architects.

The 2007 CNU New England Awards will recognize the best of new urbanist plans, programs, designs, and projects based upon the principles set forth in the Charter of the New Urbanism. (The term “project” is used throughout this document to include plans, programs, designs, and projects.) This awards program is intended to enhance the overall quality of planning and development and to raise awareness within the region about the role of new urbanism in addressing the region’s challenges.

We are delighted to turn the spotlight on those planners, program administrators, public officials, citizens, designers, architects, landscape architects, engineers, contractors, and developers who are leading the way forward.

CALL FOR ENTRIES

Separate forms and instructions for the 2007 CNU New England Awards are distributed with this email and will also be found shortly at the CNU New England Awards webpage at http://www.cnunewengland.org/Win2007/About/awards.htm

Entries will be evaluated for their success in implementing, realizing, or expressing the principles embodied in the Charter for the New Urbanism. Projects are to be submitted under one of the following three categories reflecting the different scales articulated in the Charter:

I. The Region: Metropolitan, City and Town
Comprehensive plans, regional plans, transportation plans, open space and environmental studies, vision statements, policy documents, and master plans for new cities and towns.

II. Neighborhood, District and Corridor
Master plans, urban designs, codes, and building and landscape designs for specific places or precincts within cities and towns.

III. Block, Street and Building
Detailed urban designs, designs for individual buildings or small groups of buildings, urban codes, revitalization plans, and architectural or landscape designs for individual blocks or public spaces.

Entrants should carefully document, articulate, and/or illustrate the elements or features of the project that have contributed or will contribute to the quality of the place(s) affected.

The awards are open to entrants in two broad categories: (a) Professional Projects; and (b) Academic Projects (both students and faculty).

JUDGING CRITERIA

Each entry will be judged based on:

1. the extent to which the project fulfills and advances the principles of the Charter of the New Urbanism (primary criterion);
2. the quality of the plan, program, design, or project;
3. how successfully the project achieves its objectives;
4. special efforts in implementing or constructing the project, where appropriate;
5. feasibility of, or prospect of, implementation/construction, where appropriate;
6. attention to particular elements, where appropriate: context sensitive infill development, affordable housing, environmental sustainability, public education, profitability; and
7. the quality of the entry package;

It is not required that projects actually be implemented or constructed. This, of course, is assumed in the case of academic projects. Projects may be submitted at any stage provided the project has been fully articulated and completed as a document. It is understood that many projects, particularly large scale or regionally oriented projects, require long periods of time for implementation. The feasibility of unrealized projects, however, will be of interest to the jury.

HOW TO ENTER

Please follow these steps in order to submit an entry:

1. Download the submission materials in PDF or Word format shown above. The file contains additional instructions and all forms necessary to enter the CNU New England Awards.
2. Complete the Entry Form and assemble ONE (1) submission binder as directed for each plan, program, design, or project you are submitting. Include the names of all people and organizations that participated in the project on the second page of the Entry Form.

Attach the Entry Form to your completed submission binder and mail to:

CNU New England
Attention: 2007 CNU New England Awards
8 Winter Street, 3rd Floor
Boston, MA 02108

Entries must be received by 5:00 p.m. on February 15, 2007. We strongly advise using a service such as Federal Express or U.S. Post Express Mail that can guarantee delivery by that date. CNU New England will send a confirmation e-mail after your submission materials have been received.

2007 CNU NEW ENGLAND AWARDS JURY

Darlene Wynne, Vannasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. Watertown, MA
John Tittmann, Albert, Righter & Tittmann Architects, Inc., Boston, MA
Angus Jennings, Concord Square Development, Boston, MA
Felipe Schwarz, Vannasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. Watertown, MA
Evan Mathews, Rhode Island Economic Development Council, Providence, RI
Kurt Gaertner, Mass. Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, Boston, MA
Robert Orr, Robert Orr & Associates, New Haven, CT
Douglas Storrs, Cornish & Associates, Providence, RI
Christopher Parker, City of Dover, NH, Dover, NH

AWARDS PUBLICATION AND CEREMONY

CNU New England will recognize award recipients in a publication that profiles all winning entries and at an awards ceremony to be held at CNU New England’s regional conference on March 30, 2007, in Lowell, MA.

ELIGIBILITY

Developers, project owners, architects, landscape architects, urban designers, civic institutions, government bodies, non-profit agencies, planners, transportation planners and civil engineers are eligible and encouraged to enter the 2007 CNU New England Awards program. The principal manager and the client, where appropriate, must both approve of submission of any entry.

If any member of the 2007 CNU New England Awards Jury, or any member of that person’s firm or organization, is or was part of a project’s professional team or a participant in its implementation process, that involvement must be disclosed in the application, and the project may be ruled ineligible from consideration for this year’s awards.

If you have questions about the submission process or any difficulties downloading, viewing, or printing these materials, please contact CNU New England via email at mail@cnunewengland.org. Please refer to “2007 CNU New England Awards” in the subject line. Thank you for your interest!