A distinguished jury selected eight projects for the 2006 AIA Honor Awards for Regional and Urban Design. Among the chosen plans, several themes stand out: reviving urban areas from poor social and economic health, striving for sustainability, and engaging communities in the design process. The recipients range from a finished physical plaza that was begun a decade and a half ago, to an urban park that was conceived a century ago, to a sustainable plan that stretches 50 years into the future. Five are for sites in the U.S., one in British Columbia, one in Palestine, and one in Switzerland.

The Arc: A Formal Structure for a Palestinian State, West Bank and Gaza, Palestine, by Suisman Urban Design, for the Rand Corporation
Palestine’s crumbling infrastructure presents a major challenge for a new Palestinian state, where the population is predicted to reach 6.6 million by 2020. This project represents a concept for developing the physical infrastructure of a new independent Palestine as well as a tangible symbol of Palestinian statehood and progress. The team focused on construction of a new international airport and seaport, linking the ports of the West Bank via transport facilities, development of new infrastructure for seaside tourism, and the physical and economic rehabilitation of the urbanized areas of Gaza. The project directs population and urban growth to the West Bank. “This is a clear and compelling framework plan for a thoughtfully shaping expansion of the newly created Palestinian nation,” said the jury. “It offers a visionary plan built on logical approach to infrastructure creating immeasurable hope for a displaced people and nation.” Photo © RAND/Suisman Urban Design.

Chippewa/Cree Reservation Plan, Box Elder, Mont., by Ferdinand S. Johns, AIA, with Allison Orr and the Community Design Center, MSU School of Architecture, for the Chippewa/Cree Tribal Council
The design team worked hard to find a means of gathering information from community members after tribal leaders asked for help in developing a 50-year master plan for the Rocky Boy’s Chippewa/Cree Reservation in northern Montana, which is expected to grow in population from 3,000 to 19,000 by 2050. Although the 130,000-acre landscape is extraordinarily beautiful, physical, economic, and social conditions are extremely poor. And, though tribal leaders were eager to participate, community members were not, perhaps disappointed and distrustful after years of planning efforts and little results. The design team finally proposed five alternative master planning scenarios depicted through photo montages, through which they were able to glean vigorous feedback from tribal members and leaders alike, establishing a direction for future development. “The architect thoughtfully integrated nature and culture with ideas of economic, ecologic, and social sustainability, which are an ongoing issue for any community,” said the jury. “Although statistically not urban, this project recognizes classic principles of urban design in simple, understandable recommendations.” Photo by the MSU School of Architecture CDC Students.

Lloyd Crossing Sustainable Urban Design Plan, Portland, Ore., by Mithun Architects + Designers + Planners, for the Portland Development Corporation
This plan for a 35-block district defines a vision founded on aggressive low environmental impact and high economic potential for the neighborhood. Its key goals include transforming an underused inner-city neighborhood into a vibrant, attractive, and highly desirable place to live and work; accommodating a five-fold increase in the area’s population and built space; and restoring the ecosystem to mimic the behavior of a pristine forest and achieve key elements of a pre-development environmental impact level. Many participants—community leaders, architects, planners, engineers, and economists—collaborated on the vision. “The ecological analysis provided unique perspective, which we hope will be more broadly adopted in future urban design and planning,” said the jury. “Density done in a sustainable way needs to be taken in the context of Portland’s growth boundary.” Photo ©Richard Franko, AIA.

Millennium Park, Chicago, by Skidmore Owings & Merrill LLP, for the City of Chicago, Millennium Park Donors, Millennium Park Inc., and Lakefront Millennium Managers Inc.
SOM served as master planners and master architect, design architect for the ice rink, architect for the promenade, and structural engineers for the band shell and pedestrian bridge. The project’s associate architects are: Teng & Associates (Grant Park North Garage), Frank O. Gehry and Associates Inc. (Jay Pritzker Pavilion), Gustafson Guthrie Nichol Ltd. (Lurie Gardens), Muller & Muller Ltd. (Bicycle Station), Hammond Beeby Rupert and Ainge (Harris Theater for Music and Dance and the Exelon North Pavilions), Kureck & Sexton Architects (Crown Fountain), OWP/P (peristyle and architect of record for the Ice Rink), Renzo Piano (design architect of Exelon South Pavilions), McDonough Associates (architect of record for Chase Promenade and Exelon Pavillions), and Harley Ellis Devereaux (Boeing Galleries). Millennium Park, offering a wide range of activities, completes Chicago’s 100-year vision of Grant Park. It incorporates a multimodal transit center, performing arts facilities of Chicago Music and Dance, a new band shell, Great Lawn, and bridge. A former eyesore in the center of the city, the park, under current executive director/project director Edward K. Uhlir, FAIA, Millennium Park Inc., now offers a new and exciting people-friendly destination for Chicagoans and visitors alike. The jury called Millennium Park “the most beautifully executed new urban public space in America . . . It’s a masterpiece of urban ingenuity and creativity.” Photo © Pete Barreras.

North Point, municipalities of Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville, Mass., by CBT/Childs Bertman Tseckares Inc., with associate architect Greenberg Consultants Inc., for Spaulding & Slye Colliers and Guilford Transportation Industries
This project creates a new, transit-oriented, 5.2-million-square-foot neighborhood on a 45-acre parcel. Formerly a railroad yard, the project will transform underused industrial land into a vibrant mixed community. It calls for 20 new city blocks, a state-of-the-art MBTA transit station, 10 acres of green space with a large central park, an extension of the Minuteman Bike Trail, nearly a mile of new roadway and utility infrastructure, plus a wide array of public amenities and improvements. North Point will include 2,700 residential units, 2.2 million square feet of office space, and 150,000 square feet of retail. The master plan, which included several charrettes in its development, reached approval from the three involved municipalities and environmental certification within 18 months. Photo courtesy of Spaulding & Slye Colliers.

Swiss Government Piazza, Bern, Switzerland, by Lee & Mundwiler Architects, with associate architect Stauffenegger & Stutz
The City of Bern serves as Switzerland’s capital, and its medieval center is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The heart of the center itself is the Swiss Parliament Building, fronted by the Federal Plaza, which, despite its historical significance, had never been the subject of an urban design plan. An international design competition led to the current solution, which allows the plaza to function as a prelude to official state events and still allows it to be used as a public space for markets, political demonstrations, and tourist visits—in other words, a functional urban space for everyday life. The project, which captured the attention of Swiss citizens and politicians, survived 12 years of scrutiny and emerged with the architect’s initial vision intact. It was inaugurated in 2004. The jury termed the project “a successful Modern intervention in a historic setting that is sublime.” They particularly admired its impressive design restraint, which allows traditional civic activities of the plaza to continue. Photo © Ruedi Walti.

Martin Luther King Plaza Revitalization, Philadelphia, by Torti Gallas and Partners, for Uni-Penn LLC and Philadelphia Housing Authority—Universal
The site was the home of a high-rise public housing project that was bringing down its working-class neighborhood just south of downtown Philadelphia. The solution to return the area to health entails 50 percent of new construction to be located on the site of the demolished towers and the rest as extensive renovation and infill development in the surrounding community. The architect employed urban design concepts that include a neighborhood focal center, neighborhood park, and new rowhouse streets patterned on Philadelphia neighborhood traditions. Likewise, the 350 housing units—infill architecture and that on the new street—will also pick up the Philadelphia style. “The Hope Six program nationally represents an enormous opportunity to remake cities holding up a vision for the future that promises more humane architecture and a restored sense of community,” remarked the jury, “and this project is exceptional in combining new construction with rehabilitation of viable existing buildings.” Photo © Steve Hall.

University Square, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, by Moore Ruble Yudell Architects and Planners, with associate architect Hughes Condon Marler: Architects, for UBC Properties Trust
This project’s vision is to establish a flagship “gateway” neighborhood that will welcome the world to the university and further its goals of designing and building a sustainable and socially vibrant university town. The program calls for two buildings to be constructed over an underground transit station. These mixed-use buildings will contribute to formation of “University Square,” a new public open space. The project will also include rental housing for people who use the university as well as office space for the university or commercial tenants. The site, which consists of five development parcels and interconnected spaces, encompasses 18 acres and 415,000 square feet of building. “This is an excellent merging of the university expansion and a neighborhood commercial street,” the jury said. “It integrates growth with transition and sustainability in a dynamic way. Looked like a fun place to be.” Photo courtesy of Moore Ruble Yudell.

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