Omaha Mobile Stage is a placemaking project aimed at reviving social and creative activity in Omaha in the post-pandemic period.
As the pandemic has dragged on, cities have seen a collapse in the cultural and commercial activities that make urban life exciting. The pandemic has created a vacuum in cultural districts and severely impacted employment in the live entertainment industries, which have retreated online. While physical distancing has saved lives, social isolation and loneliness have emerged as serious public health concerns.
Now that a vaccine begins to circulate, the creative and public realms have a unique opportunity to work together to breathe life back into cities. In response to our times, Omaha Mobile Stage is a prototype for a new model of outdoor venue—providing a fun and flexible, but safe and serene, place for Omahans re-engage with each other, reactivate public spaces, and reanimate social, creative and economic life in the city.
As we emerge from the pandemic, parks and schools are positioned as resources for improving public health. As traditional institutions, parks and schools are already embedded in communities and are anchors in the physical setting. They already provide accessible open and green spaces, which are an essential component for combating isolation during a public health crisis.
To learn more, visit omahamobilestage.org or contact Jessica Scheuerman, Executive Director, Partners for Livable Omaha,
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.
Partners for Livable Communities (Partners), a Washington-based nonprofit, announces “Celebrating Champions of Livability,” a national awards program recognizing 23 individuals, four organizations and two communities for their role in shaping a more livable, sustainable and equitable America. Partners hosted all honorees and their guests for a luncheon and awards presentation at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on November 12, 2018.
“Celebrating Champions of Livability” recognizes national leaders who have embodied the time-tested elements that Partners has woven together to define livability since its founding in 1977. Those elements of livability include: concern for older individuals; equal opportunity for all; amenities, arts and culture as assets; innovative economic development strategies; and bold municipal leadership.
“We will pay tribute to the women and men who are creating livable communities for all,” said Robert McNulty, president and founder of Partners. “Their extraordinary work has set the standard by which civic leaders and policymakers in both the public and private sectors can initiate and carry out community improvement strategies.”
For 40 years, Partners has celebrated the leadership of people, institutions and partnerships that have discovered unique assets that communities can build upon to become a more livable place.
“Celebrating Champions of Livability” will be emceed by Peter Harkness, founder and publisher emeritus of Governing magazine, and the Honorable Glenda E. Hood, who served as Florida Secretary of State and was the first female mayor of Orlando.
Hosted by Partners for Livable Communities
National Press Club
Washington, D.C.
November 12, noon - 3 p.m.
America’s Most Livable Community Award
Boise, Idaho
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Bridge Builders Award
World Central Kitchen and José Andrés, Chef/Owner, ThinkFoodGroup, and Founder, World Central Kitchen
Investor in America Award
John Taylor, President and Founder, National Community Reinvestment Coalition
Omaha Public Schools Foundation
Leader for a Livable, Equitable and Sustainable America
Honorable Henry L. Marsh, III, Former Mayor, Richmond, Virginia, Former Virginia Senator, and Civil Rights Activist
Honorable William K. Reilly, Former Administrator of Environmental Protection Agency, and Former President World Wildlife Fund
Ronald Lee Fleming, Urban Planner and Designer, Preservation Advocate, and Environmental Educator and Critic
Robert Grow, CEO, Envision Utah
Daphne Kwok, Asian American and Pacific Islander Advocate
Honorable Parris Glendening, Former Governor, State of Maryland
Honorable Glenda Hood, Former Mayor, Orlando, Florida, and Former Secretary of State, Florida
Carol Bebelle, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Ashé Cultural Arts Center
Neal Peirce, Urban Affairs Journalist
Jeremy Nowak, Founder, The Reinvestment Fund (In Memoriam)
Jane Chu, Former Chair, National Endowment for the Arts
Andrés Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, Principals, DPZ Architects
William Struever, Principal, Cross Street Partners
Entrepreneurial American Leadership Award
Honorable Jacob Day, Mayor of Salisbury, Maryland
Tina Shelvin Bingham, Executive Vice President, McComb-Veazey Neighborhood Coterie
Severine von Tscharner Fleming, Director, Greenhorns
John Parr Award
Tyler Norris, Chief Executive, Well Being Trust
Culture Builds Community Award
EYA LLC and City of Alexandria Archaeology
Rondell Crier, Artist
Ageless America Award
Sandy Markwood, Chief Executive Officer, National Association of Area Agencies on Aging
About Partners for Livable Communities Since its founding in 1977, Partners for Livable Communities (Partners) has helped communities set a common vision for the future, discover and use new resources for community and economic development and build public/private coalitions to further their goals. Partners promotes livable communities through technical assistance, leadership training, workshops, charrettes, research and publications. Partners is a nonprofit focused on improving the quality of life and economic and social wellbeing of low- and moderate-income individuals and communities.
Partners for Livable Communities 1429 21st Street NW Washington, DC 20036 202-887-5990 x 108 www.livable.org
Partners recently gifted to the George Mason University Libraries 30 years of the organization’s materials and resources about restoring and renewing communities. The collected materials represent over three decades of research and documented experience in solving community problems by providing leadership that help communities help themselves.
Over 30 years ago, at a meeting of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the idea of what would become Partners sprang from a question posed by Nancy Hanks, then the chairperson of the NEA. She asked the representatives how could they could all work together and share information to better assist communities. Soon a consortium was created to directly address issues related to livability called the Partners for Livable Places, which was incorporated in August 1977.
“The Partners for Livable Communities Archives will be invaluable in understanding how Partners carried out its mission as well as in understanding many of the projects it has undertaken in the past 33 years,” states Yvonne Carignan, head of Special Collections & Archives (SC&A) at the George Mason University Libraries. “In addition, the materials in this collection will help researchers to understand the development of city planning in the United States, including best practices, standards, and policies that have been advanced by Partners.”
The mission of Partners’ work has always been its multifaceted goals of sustainable community development, local culture building, regional strategies, and national heritage sharing. “The resources in the archives reflect Partners’ goals and commitment to initiating trends, setting standards, identifying workable criteria, and evaluating metrics to determine progress,” states John Zenelis, university librarian. “The new collection is a perfect addition to the University Libraries’ other archives and collections on planned communities, which continue to be used by researchers across the United States and from other countries.”
Over several decades of surveying others and creating their own projects, Partners has improved the quality of life in communities through promoting social equality and economic development. These projects have included Cities in Transition, The New Civics, Celebrate the American Community, and Shaping Growth in America. During the early 1990s, as the broader concept of livability became more civically oriented, the name “Partners for Livable Communities” was adopted. The organization has assisted communities set a shared vision for the future, discover and utilize new sources for culture and economic development, and build public/private collaborations for meeting shared goals.
Its influence nationally is reflected by the Trustees of Partners, which have included leaders in banking, government, philanthropy, and arts and culture. Past and present trustees have included prominent individuals from various sectors, such as:
Donna Shalala, secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Parris Glendening, governor, State of Maryland
Jane Campbell, mayor, City of Cleveland
Vincent Schoemehl, mayor, St. Louis
Vickie Tassan, senior vice president, Strategic Business Development, Bank of America
Mary Widener, president, Neighborhood Housing Services of America
Michael Ainslie, president, National Trust for Historic Preservation
David Macaulay, author and illustrator
Feather Houstoun, President, William Penn Foundation
Sylvia McLaughlin, Founder, Save the San Francisco Bay Association
Harvey Perloff, Urban Innovations Group, University of California, Los Angeles
Jacques Moulinier, vice mayor, Lyon, France
“George Mason University Libraries is particularly well-positioned to be the home of the Partners resource materials created during the last 30 years,” states Robert H. McNulty, president and CEO of Partners for Livable Communities. “For over three decades, both the university and our nonprofit have grown as unique organizations with a similar commitment to public service, innovation, and sustainability.”
“The collection is a significant resource on planning and urban development,” states Roger R. Stough, former vice president for research and economic development, George Mason University. “This is an ongoing area of considerable research interest at Mason and at many other universities, and a focus of study in government at the local, state and federal levels. The Partners for Livable Communities has brought new and inventive approaches to community life and urban places, and has influenced, shaped, and assisted significant projects in the field throughout the country during almost four decades.”
The Partners for Livable Communities Archives contains approximately 65,000 pages of archival and research papers, 3,831 photographs and 123 various audio visual materials. The materials ranges in date form, from 1975 to 2011, and all major resources are detailed in a 152-page prospectus of the programs and projects created by Partners.
“George Mason University is internationally recognized for its strength in sustainability, development, and quality of life,” says Zenelis. He adds, “Because of the national visibility and significance of the Partners, having this collection here at Mason adds to our capacity as a research destinations for both scholars and government officials nationally and internationally.”
Washington, DC—In its ongoing commitment to producing resources for community engagement with the arts, the National Endowment for the Arts has published How to Do Creative Placemaking: An Action-Oriented Guide to Arts in Community Development. The book features 28 essays from thought leaders active in arts-based community development as well as 13 case studies of projects funded through the NEA’s creative placemaking program, Our Town.
Concurrent with the publication of How to Do Creative Placemaking, the NEA, Kresge Foundation, ArtPlace America, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and Partners for Livable Communities, are presenting Creative Placemaking: The Role of Arts in Community Development, a convening hosted by the Wilson Center on Tuesday, December 6, 2016 from 1:00 – 6:00 PM ET.
THE BOOK: How to Do Creative Placemaking: An Action-Oriented Guide to Arts in Community Development
How to Do Creative Placemaking is intended as a primer for those interested in bringing the arts to the community development table as a tool—along with housing, transportation, public health, and other sectors—to advance revitalization efforts in an authentic way.
“The book is meant to help people start working with the arts to make their place better,” says NEA Director of Design and Creative Placemaking Jason Schupbach, “We wanted to create something easy to use and full of options for communities to begin doing this work, or to improve what they have already started.”
The book is divided into six chapters: Inclusive Planning + Equitable Development, Economic Opportunity, Community Identity + Belonging, Arts + Government, Arts + Physical Infrastructure, and Arts + Community Development Organizations.
Among the essays are the following:
“Five Lessons Learned for a Successful Public Art Project,” by Americans for the Arts’ Patricia Walsh
“Can Arts Drive Rural Economic Development?” by USDA Rural Development’s Chris Beck and the International Sonoran Desert Alliance’s Tracy Taft
“Ethics of Development: A Shared Sense of Place,” by the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture’s María Lopez de León
“How Can a Planning Authority Work with an Artist to Improve Public Health Outcomes for Residents?” by the City of Fargo, North Dakota’s Nichole Crutchfield
The book is free and joins other NEA-developed resources that assist practitioners and advance the creative placemaking field such as:
Exploring Our Town, an online collection of more than 70 case studies and lessons learned,
Since 2011, the NEA has awarded more than $30 million to support 389 Our Town projects in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
THE CONVENING: Creative Placemaking: The Role of Arts in Community Development
The launch of How to Do Creative Placemaking offers an opportunity to reflect on the accomplishments, challenges, and future of creative placemaking. To that end, the NEA, Kresge Foundation, ArtPlace America, the Wilson Center, and Partners for Livable Communities are gathering artists, community development experts, and policymakers together to examine the role of the arts in shaping towns and cities.
The convening agenda features Mayor Mitchell Landrieu of New Orleans offering framing remarks followed by a keynote from President and CEO of the Kresge Foundation Rip Rapson. The remainder of the day includes performances and three panels on:
Where Creative Placemaking is Now, a conversation between Maria Rosario Jackson, senior adviser for arts and culture at the Kresge Foundation and Jason Schupbach, NEA director of design and creative placemaking programs
What Creative Placemaking Looks Like, a panel discussion moderated by Laura Zabel, executive director of Springboard for the Arts
Where Creative Placemaking Intersects, a panel discussion moderated by Lyz Crane, deputy director of ArtPlace America
Each of the convening partners is deeply invested in making places better for everyone. Along with the NEA, ArtPlace America and Kresge Foundation provide funding, develop resources, and support field-building. Since 1993, Partners for Livable Communities has managed Culture Builds Communities, a developmental program that places cultural assets in community development efforts.
Follow the Twitter conversation at @NEAarts, @artplaceamerica, @kresgearts, @thewilsoncenter, and #creativeplace.
About the National Endowment for the Arts
Established by Congress in 1965, the NEA is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the NEA supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America.
About Kresge Foundation
The Kresge Foundation is a $3.6 billion private, national foundation that works to expand opportunities in America’s cities through grantmaking and social investing in arts and culture, education, environment, health, human services, and community development in Detroit. For more information, visit kresge.org.
About ArtPlace America
ArtPlace is a ten-year collaboration among a number of foundations, federal agencies, and financial institutions that works to position arts and culture as a core sector of comprehensive community planning and development in order to help strengthen the social, physical, and economic fabric of communities.
About the Wilson Center
The Wilson Center, chartered by Congress as the official memorial to President Woodrow Wilson, is the nation’s key non-partisan policy forum for tackling global issues through independent research and open dialogue to inform actionable ideas for the policy community.
About Partners for Livable Communities
Partners for Livable Communities works to improve the quality of life and economic and social wellbeing of low- and moderate-income individual and communities.
Partners for Livable Communities has selected a class of distinguished honorees—individuals as well as organizations—to honor for civic stewardship and innovation. These prestigious awards will be presented by Washington, D.C.-based Partners for Livable Communities at its Celebration of Vision & Community Building awards program on November 9, 2015 at the Fairfax at Embassy Row Hotel in Washington, D.C.
For the last 40 years, Partners has honored individuals and organizations in recognition of innovative projects and records of achievement that have advanced the principles of livability. This year's honorees represent lifetimes of leadership in their respective fields spanning architecture, academia, civic leadership, real estate development, and arts and culture. Their innovative leadership has made their communities better places to live.
Partners hosts its annual awards ceremony because the efforts of the country's most inspiring civic leaders deserve to be lauded, and their stories and practices spread far and wide.
A Celebration of Vision & Community Building
Honorees, 2015
Investors In America Award
Project for Public Spaces Fred Kent, Founder & President
(Washington, DC) — Partners for Livable Communities honored nine individuals, organizations, and communities from across the country for their stewardship and innovation in the improvement of communities and government. Partners presented the awards at its annual Celebration of Vision and Community Spirit dinner and awards program on Thursday evening, December 11, at The Fairfax at Embassy Row in Washington, D.C.
For nearly 40 years, Partners has celebrated the leadership of people, institutions, and partnerships that have discovered unique assets that communities can build upon to become a more livable place. Formed by a diverse coalition around a principle that quality of life is a key resource to be capitalized upon, Partners believes the powers and skills of individual citizens are prime resources to build a better future, both business and the civic community have a common interest in ensuring equity and livability, beauty and heritage is a unique asset for long term value, and important institutions can become fulcrums of change to reflect the needs of their communities.
Lifetime Achievement Award Jaquelin T. Robertson, FAIA is the cofounder of the renowned architecture firm, Cooper, Robertson & Partners, and is the former dean of the University of Virginia School of Architecture.
Founders Award for Civic Leadership Sam A. Williams, the recently retired President of the Metro Atlanta Chamber. has played an integral role in progressing the Atlanta metropolitan region throughout his 17-year presidency.
Entrepreneurial American Leadership Award Bob Kendrick is the President of the Negro League Baseball Musuem, located at 18th and Vine in Kansas City, and has led a major turnaround in the museum's popularity and fiscal strength since assuming his position in 2010.
Bridge Builders Award Harris Ranch Development Corporation, led by Doug Fowler of LeNir Ltd, is developing Harris Ranch, a 1,300 acre site on a former ranch in east Boise, as a sustainable community that aims to preserve Idaho's country culture in the face of unprecedented growth.
Twenty-Five Years of Excellence Award SPUR (formerly known as the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research) has evolved from its roots in helping San Francisco recover from the ruinous 1906 earthquake into a regional organization that works on issues as diverse as economic development, good government, transportation, and disaster planning.
Entrepreneurial American Community Award St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, located on the banks of Lake Pontchartrain about 30 miles north of New Orleans, has been a model of resilience in the face of disaster as exemplified by its remarkable recovery from the havoc wreaked by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Celebrate America Media Award Neal Peirce is an American writer and journalist who explores the dynamics of state and local government with an emphasis on emerging metropolitan regions at the intersection of their political and economic functions.
William H. Whyte Award M.J. "Jay" Brodie has been a leader in the real estate development field for more than 40 years, leaving his greatest impact throughout Washington, DC and Baltimore, where Jay headed the Baltimore Development Corporation for 16 years.
Ron Littlefield, former Mayor of Chattanooga and Chairman of Partners for Livable Communities' Board of Trustees, was the host of evening's program. Parris Glendening, former Governor of Maryland and current President of Smart Growth America's Leadership Institute, presided as the Master of Ceremonies. Glendening is a former member of the Partners' Board of Trustees.
The Honorable Joseph Riley, Mayor of Charleston, South Carolina, presented the Lifetime Achievement Award. Richard C. D. Fleming, past CEO of the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association, presented the Founders Award for Civic Leadership. Peter Harkness, Founder and Publish Emeritus of Governing magazine and member of Partners' Board of Trustees, presented the Celebrate America Media award. Jay Williams, the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development also joined Partners to recognize the distinguished honorees.
Sam A. Williams, a longtime member of the Board of Trustees for Partners for Livable Communities, has led coalitions of CEOs, government and civic leaders in Atlanta that successfully tackled a multi-state water issue, saved the region’s largest charity hospital from foreclosure, changed the controversial Georgia state flag, developed Latin American trade opportunities and organized five universities to conduct research for private companies, to name a few. Williams has helped business leaders identify the “tipping point” issues where a crisis or lost opportunity could not be ignored and government leaders were unable to fix the problem alone.
This new model of business-led coalitions to advance our cities is not unique to Atlanta — and Williams has researched other cities where CEOs have experienced similar success.
In his book, The CEO as Urban Statesman, Sam uses case studies in five U.S. cities to showcase how Urban Statesmen have applied their leadership skills and community connections to work through societal issues. With their long-term view and the ability to garner support from many sectors, CEOs can often successfully address urban challenges too big for political and bureaucratic leaders to solve alone. The book is available on Amazon at http://amzn.to/1tiOYRK.
While each city’s project is different, they share common themes. Williams explores these cases in detail, distilling best practices as well as cautionary tales for business leaders who want to help their cities thrive.
Case studies include:
Atlanta, Georgia – CEOs Pete Correll, Tom Bell and Michael Russell helped rescue Atlanta’s Grady Hospital, a safety-net institution, from impending financial collapse.
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – CEO Ray Ackerman and part-time mayor and printing company executive Ron Norick redeveloped the city's downtown
Salt Lake City, Utah – Zions Bank CEO Scott Anderson led a Salt Lake City business coalition that backed a successful sales tax referendum to jump-start their region's transportation plan.
Houston, Texas – Former astronaut and entrepreneur Mae Jemison led a task force on natural disasters following the devastation of Hurricane Ike.
Columbus, Georgia – Georgia executive John Turner worked for 14 years to create the longest urban whitewater course in the world on the stretch of the Chattahoochee River that runs through downtown Columbus.
Long-time Partners' Trustee Glenda Hood was recently named a Trustee of the Urban Land Institute (ULI). The former Secretary of State for the State of Florida and Orlando's first female mayor joins a distinguished group of 21 new Trustees supporting this 32,000 member-strong organization of industry leaders. The new Trustees will aide in providing input and guidance on ULI's overall mission to create and sustain thriving urban communities worldwide, while providing leadership in the responsible use of land. Hood also currently serves as an Advisory Board member of the ULI Rose Center for Public Leadership, and received the program's Robernt M. O'Donnell National Award in 2013 in recognition of her leadership on challenging land use issues across the country with ULI's Advisory Services Program.
Partners for Livable Communities has selected eight distinguished awardees—including individuals, organizations, and one community—to honor for civic stewardship and innovation. These prestigious awards will be presented by Washington, D.C.-based Partners for Livable Communities at its Celebration of Vision & Community Spirit awards program on December 11, 2014 at the Fairfax Hotel in Washington.
For the last 35 years, Partners has honored individuals and organizations in recognition of innovative projects and records of achievement that have advanced the principles of livability. This year's honorees represent lifetimes of leadership in their respective fields spanning architecture, civic leadership, real estate development, arts and culture, and journalism. Their innovative leadership has made their communities better places to live.
Partners hosts its annual awards ceremony because the efforts of the country's most inspiring civic leaders deserve to be lauded, and their stories and practices spread far and wide.
Lifetime Achievement Award Jaquelin Robertson is the cofounder of the renowned architecture firm, Cooper, Robertson & Partners, and is the former dean of the University of Virginia School of Architecture.
Founders Award for Civic Leadership Sam A. Williams, the recently retired President of the Metro Atlanta Chamber. has played an integral role in progressing the Atlanta metropolitan region throughout his 17-year presidency.
Entrepreneurial American Leadership Award Bob Kendrick is the President of the Negro League Baseball Musuem, located at 18th and Vine in Kansas City, and has led a major turnaround in the museum’s popularity and fiscal strength since assuming his position in 2010.
Bridge Builders Award Harris Ranch Development Corporation, led by Doug Fowler of LeNir Ltd, is developing Harris Ranch, a 1,300 acre site on a former ranch in east Boise, as a sustainable community that aims to preserve Idaho’s country culture in the face of unprecedented growth.
Twenty-Five Years of Excellence Award SPUR (formerly known as the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research) has evolved from its roots in helping San Francisco recover from the ruinous 1906 earthquake into a regional organization that works on issues as diverse as economic development, good government, transportation, and disaster planning.
Entrepreneurial American Community Award St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, located on the banks of Lake Pontchartrain about 30 miles north of New Orleans, has been a model of resilience in the face of disaster as exemplified by its remarkable recovery from the havoc wreaked by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Celebrate America Media Award Neal Peirce is an American writer and journalist who explores the dynamics of state and local government with an emphasis on emerging metropolitan regions at the intersection of their political and economic functions.
William H. Whyte Award M.J. “Jay” Brodie has been a leader in the real estate development field for more than 40 years, leaving his greatest impact throughout Washington, DC and Baltimore, where Jay headed the Baltimore Development Corporation for 16 years.
(Press Release from ACCE)—The American Chamber of Commerce Executives announced today that Richard C. D. “Dick” Fleming has been selected to receive the 2014 John Parr Award, recognizing a lifetime of outstanding individual leadership in advancing regional stewardship of metropolitan areas. The Parr Award will be formally presented on August 13 at the American Chamber of Commerce Executives’ (ACCE) centennial convention in Cincinnati. Fleming has served on Partners' Board of Trustees since 1993.
The John Parr Award was established in 2008 by the Alliance for Regional Stewardship (ARS) to recognize individuals who have dedicated their professional and personal lives, as well as social and political capital, to advancing regional stewardship. The award commemorates the legacy of the late John Parr (1948--2007), former chief executive of the National Civic League, co-founder of ARS, and one of America’s foremost advisors in the areas of collaborative government, public/private partnerships, and regional governance.
“Frankly, I think of no one in our profession who has done more and been more committed to regionalism than Dick Fleming.” said J. Mac Holladay, CCE, LM, CEO of Market Street Services. “I know John Parr would be glad to see his old neighbor Dick receive this prestigious award.”
For more than 30 years, Dick Fleming has been a civic entrepreneur engaged in private sector and public initiatives to revitalize center cities and metropolitan communities in Atlanta, Denver and St. Louis.
(Washington, DC) — Partners for Livable Communities honored ten individuals, organizations, and communities from across the country for their stewardship and innovation in the improvement of communities and government. Partners presented the awards at its annual Celebration of Vision and Community Spirit dinner and awards program on Thursday evening, February 6th, at The Fairfax at Embassy Row in Washington, D.C.
For thirty years, Partners has celebrated the leadership of people, institutions, and partnerships that have discovered unique assets that communities can build upon to become a more livable place. Formed by a diverse coalition around a principle that quality of life is a key resource to be capitalized upon, Partners believes the powers and skills of individual citizens are prime resources to build a better future, both business and the civic community have a common interest in ensuring equity and livability, beauty and heritage is a unique asset for long term value, and important institutions can become fulcrums of change to reflect the needs of their communities.
Peter Harkness, founder and publisher emeritus of Governing magazine, presided as the Master of Ceremonies. Harkness also serves on Partners’ Board of Trustees. William K. Reilly, former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, presented the Founders Award for Civic Leadership to its three recipients. Reilly received the Founders Award from Partners in 1988.
Neal Peirce, a longtime Partners board member and frequent emcee at the Honors awards ceremony launched Citiscope on Monday. Citicope is an independent, nonprofit media organization founded on the idea that cities from around the world have a lot to learn from each other. Citiscope will seek out innovations in cities around the world and spread the word through quality journalism to the "architects" of the future: mayors, councils, city staffs, and cities' business, civic and neighborhood groups. Citiscope will commission local journalists to tell the stories with the keen local context that only a local can provide.
Citiscope has identified eight primary categories for its reporting:
Economy
Mobility
Place
Inclusivity
Environment
Resilience
Governance
Technology
Every Monday, Citiscope will be updated with weekly innovation stories from cities around the world. Another component of Citiscope.org is CitiSignals, which is a curated collection of leading news, trends, and reports on cities. You can subscribe to Citiscope's weekly email newsletter at http://citiscope.org/subscribe to be keep abreast of new weekly feature articles and updates from CitiSignals.
Longtime Partners board member Jay Williams will face the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works next Tuesday (12/17) as he seeks Senate confirmation to head the Economic Development Administration (EDA), a federal agency institutionally housed within the U.S. Department of Commerce. The EDA is tasked with leading the federal economic development agenda by promoting innovation and collaboration and by helping communities build the foundation for long-term growth.
Partners board member and Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker has been selected to serve on President Obama’s State, Local and Tribal Leaders Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience. The task force will advise President Obama on how to facilitate and remove barriers to resilient investments, modernize federal grant and loan programs in way that better complements local efforts, and develop and distribute the information and tools that local, state, and tribal leaders need to prepare.
“I am honored to be selected by President Obama for this task force,” said Mayor Becker in a press release issued by the National League of Cities. “This is an incredibly important issue that affects communities in all corners of the nation and knows no policy affiliation. These issues of climate change adaptation and building resilient communities will require regional, state and federal efforts. It is great to see President Obama working to coordinate these efforts.”
Using All Assets: Civic Institutions as Fulcrums of Change
Organizations and government agencies all across the nation are working to improve public health. It’s a huge and complex task, and there is much to be done. Partners for Livable Communities, long recognized for its expertise in mobilizing communities to address social challenges, believes that using a community-based approach to health and wellness can create a more caring, compassionate community and a healthier life for all Americans.
So we’re doing just that. In the Spring of 2014 Partners will kick-off a new agenda: Creating the Healthy Community, Using All Assets: Civic Institutions as Fulcrums of Change (“Fulcrums”). Partners and a network of U.S. cities will address public health issues specific to the community at hand, with a focus on three key demographic groups: at-risk youth, the vulnerable elderly including veterans, and distressed communities. To do so, Partners and its network of Healthy Communities will collaborate with and utilize the resources and expertise of a variety of anchor institutions, ranging from schools to zoos to libraries, museums, community gardens, arts and culture organizations, community development corporations, and beyond.
Members of the Fulcrums network will be considered until February of 2014, so inquire with Program Officer Arianna Koudounas (
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
; 202-887-5990 x106) if you are interested in making your community a Healthy Community.
Partners for Livable Communities has selected nine individuals and organizations as well as one city to honor for civic stewardship and innovation. These prestigious awards will be presented by Washington, D.C.-based Partners for Livable Communities at its Partners Honors annual awards program on February 6, 2014.
For the last 34 years, Partners has honored individuals and organizations in recognition of innovative projects and records of achievement that have advanced the principles of livability. This year's honorees represent lifetimes of leadership in their respective fields spanning the arts, historic preservation, architecture, landscape design, environmentalism, social justice, and neighborhood development. Their innovative leadership has made their communities better places to live.
Partners hosts its annual awards ceremony because the efforts of the country's most inspiring civic leaders deserve to be lauded, and their stories and practices spread far and wide.
Partners Honors 2013 Honorees:
The Founders Award for Civic Leadership
Robert L. Lynch
For more than 50 years, Americans for the Arts has worked to advance the arts in schools and communities throughout the United States. Their work has resulted in public policy that recognizes the value of the arts in our society and their successes have promoted and protected access to the arts for the whole population. Robert Lynch is the president and CEO.
Bonnie Burnham
For nearly 50 years, the World Monuments Fund has worked for the preservation of historic architecture and cultural heritage sites around the world through fieldwork, advocacy, grantmaking, education, and training. Bonnie Burnham is the president and CEO.
Dr. Thomas E. Lovejoy
Thomas Lovejoy is an accomplished conservation biologist who is often credited with coining the term “biological diversity.” He is perhaps most famous for bringing the vulnerability of the world’s tropical rainforests to climate change to national attention.
Investors in America Award
David M. Schwarz
David Schwarz and his company, David M. Schwarz Architects, Inc., have constructed some of our country’s most recognizable architectural endeavors in recent years. Mr. Schwarz’ projects are always aesthetically-pleasing, suited to the clients’ needs, and above all, sustainable.
Charles Ansbacher Memorial Award for Culture and Community
Byron Rushing
Byron Rushing, the director of the Museum of Afro-American History and Second Assistant Majority Leader in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, has advocated policies that preserve the history and promote the rights of our society’s most disadvantaged populations, including African-Americans and the LGBT community.
Entrepreneurial American Leadership Award
Sheena Wright
Recently hired as the first female president and CEO of the United Way of New York, Sheena Wright has worked extensively towards improving community livability for the city’s most underserved populations. Prior to joining the United Way, Mrs. Wright spearheaded efforts to revitalize New York’s marginalized communities, as well as help build the first new high school building in Harlem in 50 years.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Henry R. Richmond
Henry R. Richmond co-founded 1000 Friends of Oregon in 1974 with then-Governor Tom McCall to defend Oregon’s new land use law. Local governments opposed enactment of the law, but had authority to say what it meant. 1000 Friends won dozens of court rulings in defense of the law while building a coalition of homebuilders, farmers, timber companies, and high tech companies. That broad support was essential for continued legislative support and implementation in 36 counties and 241 cities. Forty years later, the law remains a success - each city has an urban growth boundary (UGB): inside UGBs, higher densities and mixed uses increase housing affordability, transit feasibility, and reduce carbon emissions. Outside UGBs, 25 million acres of farm and forest land -- four times the area of New Jersey -- are limited to farm and forest use.
Entrepreneurial American Community Award
City of Houston, Texas Accepted by Gordon Quan on behalf of Mayor Annise Parker
Houston has successfully transformed from a city once reliant on the fossil fuel industry into one of America’s boom towns. With a strong economy and high level of diversity, Houston today has set an example for what America should aspire to in the future.
William H. Whyte Award
Oehme, van Sweden & Associates, Inc. Accepted by Lisa Delplace
Wolfgang Oehme and James van Sweden co-founded the landscape architecture firm Oehme, van Sweden & Associates in 1977 and have since created a ‘New American Garden’ style of landscape architecture. Their understanding of the strong sculptural relationship between architecture and landscape has helped promote the greening of cities and the has resulted in numerous public health benefits. Lisa Delplace is the principal and CEO of Oehme, van Sweden & Associates Inc.
Bridge Builders Award
The Inter-American Foundation Accepted by Robert Kaplan
For over 40 years, the Inter-American Foundation has helped fund development projects undertaken by grassroots groups and non-governmental organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean with a focus on the inclusion of the society’s most marginalized communities. Since 1972, the IAF has awarded over $680 million in grants that have benefited hundreds of thousands of families throughout the hemisphere. Robert Kaplan is the president and CEO.
Last month, Partners for Livable Communities convened a series of two workshops for the second annual MetLife City Leaders Institute on Aging in Place. Each of the ten cities that attended arrived in DC with a project that addressed arts, culture, and civic engagement or mobility and transportation issues. Over the course of the two day workshop and with the help of an outside expert and facilitator, each city honed in on their goals and created a concrete action plan for the next year.
Read on to learn more about what each team is working towards:
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria will create a stakeholder group to roll out a replicable, area-by-area approach to creating viable, safe access for pedestrians, with particular emphasis on the older individual and the individual living with disabilities. This “Complete Streets” initiative goes well beyond transportation- it involves looking at aging in place on the whole, recognizing that access to places for seniors results in living healthier, longer, and with dignity.
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville will engage the 50 and older population to determine what makes aging well in Asheville possible. As a result of the assessment, which will be distributed as a survey, Asheville will then create a model for aging in place that goes well beyond transportation, but certainly includes it.
Chicago, Illinois
The City of Chicago will create and implement the first phase of a volunteer drive effort to provide seniors, as well as people who are blind or visually impaired between the ages of 18-64, access to medical treatments such as dialysis and chemotherapy. As the program takes shape, it will expand to include other types of trips.
Kansas City, Kansas/Missouri
Kansas City will engage the senior and youth populations in an intergenerational recorded history program, whereby stories of older adults and histories of neighborhoods will be recorded, preserved, and utilized for the good of the community. Anticipated outcomes include older adults achieving a sense of purpose, and being considered valued assets within the community at-large.
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville will bring the city’s “Complete Streets” policy from concept to action. In the next 12 months the city will engage in a three-pronged effort of engaging, raising awareness, and celebrating successes. This will specifically involve: creating a Photo Voice initiative with older adults, where barriers to access will be identified and documented; identifying and executing at least two (one urban, one suburban) publically visible demonstration projects that respond to such barriers; and sharing these findings through a high-profile, community-wide celebration.
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis will address the needs of older adults in the region whose homes are not currently suited for aging in place. Through the formation of a public-private partnership, the team will: identify viable funding and volunteer sources, develop a set of criteria for determining necessary home modifications, and create an implementation plan for a kickoff event in March 2014. The Memphis team will develop a centralized system that determines the home modification needs of older adults, directs them to these services, and provides funding for those who cannot afford to make such changes themselves.
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City will develop a process to insure that four senior centers set to be constructed in the city will be as inclusive, accessible, and encouraging of quality aging in place for the older individual, as possible. The process will involve asset mapping, utilizing universal design concepts, and incorporating lifelong learning, arts and culture, and health and wellness into the programmatic offerings of the centers.
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix will offer site-specific instruction to assist older adults in accessing reliable transportation options that enhance their capacity to age in place. Some critical steps along the way will include the creation and distribution of “origin and destination” surveys, investigating transit plans to restructure paratransit, researching and developing metrics for cost-benefit analysis of free travel for individuals aged 65 and older, as well as identifying the specific steps and processes required by each pilot program.
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City will utilize the opportunities provided by the creation of the Utah Performing Arts Center and branding of the “Cultural Core” to insure that the spaces and associated programs enrich the lives of older adults. Salt Lake City will also assist arts groups in discovering new audiences by way of the senior population. Structural concepts of universal design and ADA compliance will be factored into the creation of the center, as will programmatic concepts that are inclusive of the diverse population of Salt Lake City.
San Diego, California
San Diego will engage their senior, disabled, and veteran populations in the process of developing a one-stop shop of seamless, intuitive, inviting technology for the older individual to access transportation and other community-wide information. The system, named “OSCAR” (One Stop Community Access Resource), will come to fruition once the following has taken place: needs assessment conducted; design and functionality of system articulated; engagement plan developed; prototype testing done; and data from assessments and testing synthesized.
Launched by the Goldhirsch Foundation, the My LA2050 challenge invites Angelenos to take a hand in solving LA's most difficult problems. Applicants have submitted proposals that address regional quality in one (or more) of eight key areas: arts & cultural vitality, education, environmental quality, health, housing, income & employment, public safety, and social connectness. Voting has now begun and will continue until Wednesday, April 17, when 10 of the 279 submissions will be selected to receive a $100,000 grant for their project.
One of the many outstanding submissions aims to create affordable, flexible, and sustainable housing in LA. cityLAB's Backyard Homes will design and implement a prototype that can be used to spread awareness and demand for the product. These "backyard homes" come packaged and easily transportable, can be customized to fit a family's needs or space constraints, and have the potential to provide a substantial new supply of housing. In a city with over half a million single-family lots, many of which already contain illegal garage rental units, this innovation can improve access to affordable housing and quality of life for many families. The State of California passed a law in 2003 that allows a second unit on single-family lots, and in 2009 the LA City Council acted to make backyard housing more feasible. Clearly the need for these homes already exists, and cityLAB's project promises to address this need while preserving neighborhoods' unique characters.
Partners for Livable Communities Hosts Annual Awards Ceremony
On Thursday, Febraury 21, 2013 Partners for Livable Communities hosted the annual awards ceremony: A Celebration of Vision and Community Spirit.
Recipients honored: Volkswagen Group of America; ROMA Design Group; Louisville, Kentucky’s “55,000 Degrees” Campaign; former mayor of St. Paul, Minnesota, George Latimer; Susan Rodgerson; Jonathan Barnett; and Jeff Cook.
Award presenters: Mayor Ron Littlefield of Chattanooga, Tennessee; former U.S. Ambassador to Austria, Swanee Hunt; former director of the Department of Housing for the City of Pittsburgh, Paul Brophy; Mayor Chris Coleman of Saint Paul, Minnesota; Mayor Greg Fischer of Louisville, Kentucky; Vate Powell of MTV Networks, and former chairman of the City Planning Commission of the City of New York, Donald Elliott.
An additional tribute by Jim Rogers, former recipient of the Bridge Builders Award, was shared.
Syndicated columnist, lead organizer of Citiscope.org, and Citistates Group Chairman, Neal Peirce, was the emcee for the ceremony.
Description of Award Recipients:
Bridge Builders Award
Volkswagen Group of America, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, for their longstanding commitment to sustainable mobility, environmentally responsible manufacturing, and maintaining corporate social responsibility. Volkswagen group has a clear goal: to be the world’s most successful automobile manufacturer and the leading light when it comes to sustainability. Volkswagen is a central partner of Chattanooga, Tennessee’s vision of revitalization with its emphasis on a clean and healthy environment.
Charles Ansbacher Award for Culture and Community
Susan Rodgerson for addressing the need of art education and awareness for youth in America. During her years as a middle school art teacher in Boston, Rodgerson addressed the lack of art experiences in schools, which led her to create Artists for Humanity (AFH). AFH is an entrepreneurial venture that produces and markets paintings that reflects the voice and vision of the diversity of urban communities to the Boston business community.
Investors in America Award
ROMA Design Group for their commitment to beautifying the American landscape and making a positive impact in neighborhoods, communities, and cities around the country. Under the leadership of Boris Dramov and Bonnie Fisher, the ROMA Design Group has been known for its efforts to revitalize urban areas. In 2000, the ROMA Design Group won an international architectural competition, among 1,000 entries, to design the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C.
George Brady Memorial Award
George Latimer for his transformative work in the city of Saint Paul, Minnesota. During his tenure as Mayor of Saint Paul, Latimer created the Riverfront Commission, which led to the cleanup, improvement, and development of the Mississippi Riverfront. Latimer is a national leader in promoting affordable housing, including work as the Director of Special Projects of HUD and sitting on the board of the AFL-CIO Housing Trust.
Entrepreneurial American Community Award
Louisville’s “55,000 Degrees” Campaign for increasing educational attainment possibilities for the citizens of Louisville. A group of local organizations began a campaign to develop programs that decrease high school dropout rates and strengthens college students’ chances of completing their degrees. The main goal of 55,000 Degrees is to add at least 40,000 bachelor’s degrees and 15,000 associate degrees, which will make Louisville a competitive and attractive world city.
Lifetime Achievement Award
John “Jeff” Cook, Jr. for his leadership in educating, training, and guiding the environmental workforce, the non-profit sector and social entrepreneurs. Cook founded the Environmental Interns Project, which grew into The Environmental Careers Organization. ECO has become a respected national leader in the development of new environmental professionals, leaders, and citizens.
William H. Whyte Award
Jonathan Barnett for his contributions to the urban planning and design realm. Barnett’s substantive work in regional planning, urban design, and academia is recognized around the country. He was awarded the Dale Prize for Excellence in Urban Design and Regional Planning as well as the Athena Medal from the Congress for the New Urbanism. Currently, he serves as the director of the urban design program at the University of Pennsylvania, and is a professor of practice in urban and regional planning.
The International Istanbul Initiative on Aging has announced new speakers on their plenary panels; Dr. Linda Fried - Dean, Mailman School of Public Health & Sr. Vice President of Columbia University Medical Center, USA; Dr. Emine Ozmete - Head, Center of Aging Studies, Ankara University, Turkey; Dr. William Reichman - CEO, Baycrest Hospital, Canada; Dr. Hal Kendig - Professor, Center for Research on Health and Well-being, Australian National University, Australia and more.
This is an opportunity to present your findings amongst high-level delegates, industry leaders, NGOs, and civil society. By May 31, 2013, the International Istanbul Initiative on Ageing will receive the submissions for all full papers and abstracts.
Long-time Partners' Trustee Glenda Hood was recently named a Trustee of the Urban Land Institute (ULI). The former Secretary of State for the State of Florida and Orlando's first female mayor joins a distinguished group of 21 new Trustees supporting this 32,000 member-strong organization of industry leaders. The new Trustees will aide in providing input and guidance on ULI's overall mission to create and sustain thriving urban communities worldwide, while providing leadership in the responsible use of land. Hood also currently serves as an Advisory Board member of the ULI Rose Center for Public Leadership, and received the program's Robernt M. O'Donnell National Award in 2013 in recognition of her leadership on challenging land use issues across the country with ULI's Advisory Services Program. 
