Four projects win in 2019 AIA Institute Honor Awards for Regional and Urban Design

Project excerpt: “Designed to broaden community access and propel investment along Detroit’s previously blighted waterfront, the Detroit East Riverfront Framework Plan comes at a pivotal moment for the future of the city. Building on a 10-year, nonprofit-led effort to restore and preserve the land, the plan facilitates a new generation of authentic Detroit neighborhoods. [...] With an overarching goal of providing deep connection to the Detroit River, long dominated by industry, the plan provides a starting point for redevelopment and lays out the series of phases needed for the long-term commitment to comprehensive transformation. It also identifies future strategies that can draw on existing initiatives to create riverfront destinations achievable in the short term.”

Pike Place MarketFront, Seattle | Miller Hull Partnership, LLP

Project excerpt: “Reclaiming a former municipal building site, Pike Place MarketFront is the first addition to Seattle’s cherished farmer’s market in nearly 40 years. The final piece in a long-anticipated vision for a 9-acre neighborhood turned historic district, the project delivers nearly 40,000 square feet of public space and creates a new gateway from the city’s downtown area to its waterfront. [...] In addition to extending the market through 50 additional vendor stalls, public restrooms, and enclosed retail space, the project added 40 new low-income senior housing units to the neighborhood’s current stock.”

The Infra-Space Initiative, Newton Lower Falls, Massachusetts | Landing Studio

Project summary, via Landing Studio: “The Infra-Space program is a statewide initiative with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to re-evaluate spaces under viaducts for better urban and ecological performance. Infra-Space 1 is the pilot project, spanning nearly a half-mile in length through the middle of downtown Boston. The project includes a stormwater management landscape that diverts the runoff from the viaduct, improved maintenance access, public recreation, and a series of scaffold structures that support operable lighting and art installations.”

Shelby Farms Park, Memphis, Tennessee | Marlon Blackwell Architects + James Corner Field Operations

Project excerpt: “On the site of a former penal farm on the east side of Memphis, the 4,500-acre Shelby Farms Park blends pastoral landscapes with an active central park to form the lynchpin for the greening of the region. A true 21st-century urban park that recently saw the completion of phase 1, it has already boosted the quality of life for citizens of Memphis and western Tennessee. [...] It calls for embracing the city’s vibrant culture and food scene, creating gathering places for all members of the community, and developing a hub for nature-based recreation.”

2019 Jury:

Lance Hosey, FAIA, Chair, Gensler, San Diego
Jonah Cohen, FAIA, Hacker, Portland, Oregon
Jeffrey Huber, AIA, Brooks + Scarpa Architects, Fort Lauderdale
Marcel Quimby, FAIA, Gensler, Dallas
Claudia Herasme, New York City Department of City Planning, New York City