Innovators In Smart Growth To Be Recognized In June By 10,000 Friends Of Pennsylvania

Entrepreneurs, builders, elected officials and individuals who practice and promote “Smart Growth” policies will be recognized at an awards ceremony at the state capital June 9 at the Whitaker Center in Harrisburg.

 

Sponsored by 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania, which is also marking its 10th anniversary, the Commonwealth Awards ceremony will focus on innovation among those who put smart growth practices by working to build and rebuild communities that improve life for Pennsylvanians.

 

A total of 43 nominations were submitted for judgment by a paneled jury with an estimated 12 to 22 awards to be presented June 9, including one to a citizen and another to a public official, according to Judy Schwank, president of 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania.

 

Although Smart Growth is generally defined as preserving and modernizing older buildings, towns and urban centers for 21st Century uses and lifestyles, Schwank said.

 

“It spans the landscape and the lifestyles of Pennsylvanians,” she noted. “Our awards will showcase those who are innovative in upholding Smart Growth principles and promoting livable communities.”

On May 22, a panel of five judges will review the design nominations and make their selections of who should receive awards. A special committee of the 10,000 Friends Board of Directors will select the Friend of Pennsylvania award winners. Leaders from business, non-profits, public officials and individual citizens are among those who will be chosen for their efforts in Smart Growth.

 

Schwank said it’s notable that despite the depressed real estate and development market, 10,000 Friends received as many entries in the design categories as in previous years. “Even in a fiscal downturn, smart growth development is relevant and necessary,” she emphasized.

 

The jury chair is Gary Hack, the former dean of the School of Design at the University of Pittsburgh, who has prepared plans for more than 30 cities in the United States and abroad. Also on the jury are Tom Murphy, the former mayor of Pittsburgh who is now a senior fellow with the Washington-based Urban Land Institute; Donald Carter, president of Pittsburgh-based Urban Design Associates and Caren Glotfelty and Brian Hill, program directors respectively for the Heinz Foundation and the Richard King Mellon Foundation, both based in Pittsburgh.

 

The keynote speaker for the June 9 event is Christopher B. Leinberger, an expert on land use strategy and development whose multi-layered career includes experience as a business experience, professor and author.

 

He is a frequent nationwide speaker, author of magazine articles, book chapters and books and currently he is a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institute in Washington, D.C. Leinberger has an international reputation as a promoter of transforming both urban and suburban downtowns into examples of “walkable urbanism.”

 

For ticket information, call 717-234-6070 or visit the 10,000 Friends website.