Stantec received three national awards from the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU). CNU’s annual awards recognize outstanding achievements in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, and planning. Stantec’s Albany Skyway and Pullman Artspace Lofts were honored with CNU Charter Awards, and the Downtown Hammond Master Plan earned a Merit Award.

Selections were made based on New Urbanism principles, which promote environmentally friendly habits by creating walkable neighborhoods with a range of housing options and job types. The awards were presented at the annual CNU Congress in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“The CNU Charter Awards recognize exemplary work by CNU members and their allies who design and build places people love,” stated the CNU Awards jury. “The winners not only embody and advance the principles of the Charter of the New Urbanism, they make a difference in people's lives. A focus of the jury this year was on projects that make places accessible and equitable, and the winning projects embody accessibility and equity in a variety of compelling ways.”

Albany Skyway (Albany, New York) – CNU Charter Award The Albany Skyway reclaims an underused highway ramp to reconnect downtown with the Hudson River waterfront via a new ADA-compliant linear park. The project is an example of asset transformation, repurposing underutilized or outmoded infrastructure to better serve the community. Stantec worked with Capitalize Albany and the New York State Department of Transportation to bring the project to life, addressing the community’s desire for greater access to open space, existing parks, and the waterfront. The result is a unique feature that provides a more walkable downtown and a place for recreation, social gatherings, and events.

"The completion of the Albany Skyway is a game-changer for the City and the perfect example of a transformative infrastructure project that promotes equity and connectivity,” stated New York Governor Kathy Hochul. “Infrastructure can be more than just building roads and bridges—like the Skyway, it can be about improving quality of life and righting the wrongs of the past.”

Albany Skyway was selected in the Neighborhood, District, and Corridor category.

Pullman Artspace Lofts (Chicago, Illinois) – CNU Charter Award The Pullman Artspace Lofts project joins two renovated historic 1880 buildings together with a newly constructed building to provide 100% stable affordable housing for working artists in a vibrant urban community. Stantec was engaged to provide planning, architecture, and interior design along with National Landmark coordination for the first residential construction in the area in 60 years. The design team created durable and desirable units that allowed for customization alongside community gathering and gallery space while preserving and restoring important elements of protected historic landmarks. The project was deeply informed by community engagement workshops and serves as an anchor in the community.

“This project demonstrates excellence in adaptive reuse, contextual infill, neighborhood revitalization, and affordability,” commented the CNU Charter Awards jury. The quality of this renovation and new addition help anchor and stabilize the surrounding Pullman neighborhood, the jury emphasized.

Pullman Artspace Lofts was selected in the Block, Street, and Building category.

Downtown Hammond Master Plan (Hammond, Indiana) – CNU Merit Award The Downtown Hammond Master Plan has enabled the Northwest Indiana city to kick start its downtown revival. Once among the largest cities in the state and the inspiration for the film A Christmas Story, Hammond’s downtown was mostly empty with few residents and almost no viable retail. Stantec’s Urban Places, along with Speck & Associates, developed a master plan to retrofit Hammond’s downtown core into a walkable neighborhood. The plan included public realm interventions, real estate rehabilitation and redevelopment, and preparation for improved multimodal and transit corridors. The revitalization has reinvigorated a sense of community pride and the City is already well into implementation.

“I saw firsthand a shift in people’s perception of what our downtown could be,” stated Anne Anderson, Director of Economic Development for the City. “And now that the plan is being set in motion, we are seeing brand new, vibrant development after years of stagnation. A breath of fresh air is blowing in the downtown for the first time in decades.”

The Downtown Hammond Master Plan was selected in the Neighborhood, District, and Corridor category.

Find out more about Stantec’s Urban Places.