The AIA Honor Awards Jury for Regional and Urban Design has selected five projects—in Baltimore; Charlottesville, Va.; Washington, D.C.; Portland, Ore.; and Pittsburgh—as recipients of the 2003 AIA Honor Awards for Urban Design. In all, the jury noted that the winners prove that the principles of the New Urbanism are alive and well. “This year’s projects show clearly that good urban design is good business for communities,” the jury said. “They also prove that contemporary architecture is able to incorporate good urban design principles.” And the honorees are:

East Baltimore Comprehensive Physical Redevelopment Plan, Baltimore, by Urban Design Associates, for the City of Baltimore. Drawings courtesy of the architect.

Over the past two years, the design team and the City of Baltimore have created a comprehensive physical redevelopment plan to improve the quality of life for residents in East Baltimore. With support from both the city and the State of Maryland, a new initiative to develop a major biotechnology campus in East Baltimore set the stage for reinvestment and neighborhood revitalization. The jury particularly liked this project’s “good scale. It feels lively,” they said. The plan provides 2 million square feet of research facilities as an extension of Johns Hopkins Medical Center, and 1,200 new and rehabilitated residential units. Key elements include a biotechnology facility, rehabilitated and newly constructed housing, public open space, and recreation facilities. The team carried out the planning process in two major phases. Phase I included a feasibility study of the biotech center and its impact. During Phase II, the team focused on the development of design alternatives and strategies for the East Baltimore neighborhoods and how the biotech center could be used as a catalyst for revitalizing the area. “This is an extremely complex project with sensitive solutions for 40 suffering neighborhoods,” the jury noted.

Charlottesville Commercial Corridor Plan, Charlottesville, Va., by Torti Gallas and Partners-CHK Inc., for City of Charlottesville Office of Economic Development. Photo © Neal I. Payton.

Charlottesville, home to 40,000 residents and the University of Virginia, has seen plenty of urban design solutions but was ready for a vision guided by today’s economic and development realities. The city has faced significant challenges over the past two decades, including employment loss, declining share of regional retail sales, and flight of affluent households to high-growth suburban locations. This redevelopment program identifies and enhances the economic opportunities for the revitalization of 15 diverse commercial corridors and ensures that the realization of these opportunities is consistent with the physical demands of vibrant civic life. The predicted potential for new development opportunities for a variety of land uses include:
• 530,000 square feet of new office space, 320,000 square feet of high-tech space over the next 10 years
• 400,000 square feet of new R&D space
• 240,000 square feet of new industrial and flex space
• 200,000 square feet of new retail space
• 377 new hotel rooms in addition to a 250-room hotel (if a conference center is built)
• 1,055 new housing units, including 625 multifamily units.

“This project illustrated ideas for areas of the city long forgotten and long abandoned, and opened the eyes of residents and officials to a number of new possibilities,” the jury said. “This much-needed plan helps integrate the university-to-town context. The various plans make each mall and corridor more humane and friendly.”

Howard University–LeDroit Park Revitalization Initiative, Washington, D.C., by Sorg and Associates, P.C., for Howard University/Fannie Mae Foundation/Fannie Mae Corporation. Photo © Anice Hoachlander.

This project began with a rich history. Established in 1873, LeDroit Park, a National Historic Landmark District, was developed as a gated community at the edge of downtown Washington, D.C. One block south is the historic Howard Theater, rival to New York City’s famed Apollo. Nearby U Street was the historic commercial and cultural heart of Washington’s African-American community until the late 1960s. And just north is McMillan Reservoir, a tranquil park designed by Frederick Law Olmstead II. Easy access to downtown Washington, broad L’Enfant-designed avenues, a comprehensive medical complex, the presence of Howard University, potential new uses as McMillan Park, and large parcels of developable land also add to the area’s revitalization potential. The architect devised a three-part revitalization strategy: a land-use plan, streetscape plan, and housing initiative. Each part of the plan relied on history as a unifying theme. LeDroit Park represents a key turning point in revitalization of one of the nation’s first African-American National Historic Landmark districts and offers a new template of how urban universities can embrace neighboring communities and work with them for mutually beneficial goals. The jury praised this project as “one that really centered on a cultural notion.” Design ideas were often based on the cultural and historic meaning associated with each place. They called the revitalization “history turned into the physical,” and said, “The large plan plus super detail covers it all.”

Interstate MAX Station Area Revitalization Strategy, Portland, Ore., by Crandall Arambula, PC, for the Portland Development Commission. Drawings courtesy of the architect.

Like many economically challenged urban areas, North Portland was facing a rapid decline until development of a three-mile, light-rail transit line with six stations presented an opportunity to reestablish this once vital neighborhood. To allay concerns that the development could actually contribute further to the area’s degradation, the city agreed to initiate the Interstate MAX Station Area Revitalization Strategy. Urban design issues faced by the design team included creating neighborhood centers; a strong pedestrian environment with connections to transit stations; affordable housing opportunities; an inclusive, grassroots public involvement process; and realistic implementation strategies. The resulting plan encompassed six station areas along the three-mile interstate MAX LRT corridor. Estimated benefits related to the revitalization plans and strategies include increasing private investment in station areas from $80 million to $300 million, and boosting residential development from 400 units to 2,400 units. The jury applauded the project’s sensitive integration of urban design and transit and its very thorough exploration. “This is a buildable, realistic project,” they concluded. “The development around stations will be more predictable and better for each neighborhood than without this plan.”

Schuylkill Gateway, Philadelphia, by Sasaki Associates, Inc., with Associate Architect Firm/Economist Legg Mason Real Estate Services, for Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation. Image © Dennis Pieprz.

The jury lauded this project’s “dramatic introduction of a pedestrian bridge over river.” They liked the way it defines space with architecture. “The project made positive elements of what might be seen as negative, incorporating industrial aspects of the existing site,” they said. By thinking of the Schuylkill River as its center, the project builds on site assets and creates a vibrant new district. To create a unified regional center that joins Center City and University City, the two areas that push against this former industrial district and transportation corridor, the project interrelates development on both banks of the river and accommodates residential growth and the expansion of research and educational institutions. Development on one bank will provide a catalyst for development on the opposite bank if the district is conceived as a whole. On both banks, vibrant new uses facing the riverfront will complement efforts to redesign the river’s edge into parkland. A series of interconnected open spaces will complement the industrial heritage remaining in the area. Streets will balance the needs of pedestrians, cars, and bicycles, with strong links to the regional transit system. Ultimately, the Schuylkill Gateway will connect University City and Center City and become one of the remarkable destinations within Philadelphia. “This project offers a creative solution to the intractable problem of university expansion in a dense urban context,” the jury noted.

Copyright 2003 The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved.