2012 CNU Charter Awards Book

24 Pages·2012·3.72 MB·English

2012
CNU
ChARTER
AWARDS
CNU’s members advance community-oriented principles of traditional town and city design.
Their work promotes development that is walkable, provides a diverse range of housing
options, encourages a rich mix of uses, and provides welcome public spaces. Together, CNU
and its members shape communities into dynamic places that perform better environmentally
and economically.
For 20 years, CNU has helped push forward a national conversation about the consequences
of formless growth and the costs of barriers to the creation of enduring urbanism, while
advancing an alternative vision for community development and regional sustainability based
on the timeless principles expressed in the Charter of the New Urbanism.
Administered by the Congress for the New Urbanism, the Charter Awards program rewards
the best work of the new era of placemaking. Each year CNU convenes a jury of the highest
caliber to review submissions and select winning entries that best embody and advance the
principles of the Charter of the New Urbanism.
Through the generous support of The Oram Foundation Inc./Fund for the Environment and
Urban Life, CNU is awarding $3500 for the best professional project and $3500 for the best
academic project.
THE CONGRESS FOR
THE NEW URBANISM
IS THE LEADING
ORGANIZATION
WORKING TO
RE-ESTABLISH
COMPACT, WALKABLE,
ENVIRONMENTALLY
SUSTAINABLE
NEIGHBORHOODS,
CITIES AND TOWNS.
GRAND PRIZE
Verkykerskop: small-scale
agricultural town / P6
ACADEMIC WINNER
a Vision For growth
and conserVation in
the Village oF Berrien
springs & oronoko
charter township / P8
NEIGHBORHOOD, DISTRICT AND CORRIDOR WINNERS:
ThE NEw wyvErNwOOd – BOyLE
hEIghTs MIxEd-UsE COMMUNITy / P10
ThE NEw FAUBOUrg LAFITTE / P11
MOUNT rAINIEr MIxEd-UsE TOwN
CENTEr dEvELOPMENT PLAN / P12
ACADEMIC WINNER
BLOCK, STREET AND BUILDING WINNERS:
a Vision For growth CAMBrIdgE PUBLIC LIBrAry / P13
gEOrgETOwN “sOCIAL” sAFEwAy / P14
and conserVation in
sCAd MUsEUM OF ArT / P15
the Village oF Berrien
ThE dAvId BrOwEr CENTEr ANd
springs & oronoko
OxFOrd PLAzA / P16
charter township / P8
HONORABLE MENTION:
rEvIvE CINCINNATI: NEIghBOrhOOds OF
ThE LOwEr MILL CrEEk vALLEy / P17
BrIdgE sTrEET COrrIdOr sTUdy / P17
MELrOsE COMMONs LEEd FOr
NEIghBOrhOOd dEvELOPMENT / P18
FAyETTEvILLE 2030: TrANsIT CITy sCENArIO / P18
CREDITS / P20
2012 CNU CHARTER AWARDS / P3
CNU’S CHARTER
AWARDS rECOgNIzE
ExCELLENCE
IN ArChITECTUrAL,
LANdsCAPE
FROM THE JURY CHAIR
FEBRUARY 23, 2012
It’s been a dozen years since we need to bend the thinking within some zones of
the first Charter Awards, and the Transect, or around Transit-
two decades since the first Oriented-development - even if
current design war toward
Congress. On the happy occasion the design sensibilities and styles
of the twentieth congress, I remain different. In any case,
was honored to chair a jury that more collaboration. New Urbanism needs to raise its
included current CNU board design bar, especially at the scale
members, veterans of this and of architecture and landscape
other design award juries, and design, both in aesthetic and
and redevelopment of our Urbanists and the professional
some eyes and minds new to ecological terms. The level of
communities, it’s time to direct and academic design world, but
the task. They brought their sophistication displayed in this
more attention and commitment also within the movement. Indeed,
experience, expertise and passion year’s winners demonstrates
to the scale of architectural established design elites and
for excellence to Ann Arbor for that high architectural
design and smaller interventions emerging movements are at odds
a weekend in the depth of the design standard.
in the built environment. The with, even dismissive of most New
Michigan winter.
other subject that deserves to Urbanist design (with sometimes
within the CNU, there are more
be more central in our cone of begrudging acceptance or at least
New Urbanism, which has traditional vernacular and
vision is the hackneyed “s” word acknowledgement of its
fundamentally changed the classical sensibilities, as well
– sustainability, with all its dire urban principles).
conversation about urbanism as more contemporary design
imperatives and testy, tedious
in America and elsewhere, vocabularies and syntaxes. This
details. Fortunately, this year’s groups like Landscape Urbanism
has not been as strong in its tension occasionally surfaced in
sophisticated entries allowed us are directly challenging New
architecture as its urbanism. the jury, but never in a demeaning
to honor high quality in both these Urbanism, often embracing
This is understandable for a way. what was encouraging was
realms of design. commendable ecological/
movement dedicated to and the presence of several projects
landscape design but problematic
focusing on promoting better that honored the Charter’s urban
design aesthetics and urban design. Arguably they
neighborhoods and cities, which principles while also exhibiting
sustainability are more indulge in an nostalgia for a
require such urgent and radical contemporary architecture.
controversial and incorrigible, future whose time has past, much
attention in the age of suburban The Cambridge Public Library
as they involve taste in the first like the nostalgia they deride in
sprawl. And it has often proved Addition, the sCAd Museum of
case, and major lifestyle changes New Urbanism. we can learn
necessary to focus on changing Art in savannah, and the Berkeley
in the second. design taste and from their ecological expertise
settlement paradigms more than complex were particularly
style are more subjective and less and landscape design facility,
architectural quality, especially exemplary in this regard and
quantifiable than the logic and just as they could benefit from
when working with middle hence their awards. Equally
metrics that have helped make our pragmatic, well-tested and
class speculative development. well designed is the cleverly
the convincing case for urban civilized urbanism. we need to
But now that the mainstream configured georgetown safeway
reform. In some ways, aesthetic bend the current design war
thinking, if not the dominion, supermarket, achieved with a
preferences run deeper in toward more collaboration
of the Charter’s urban ideas more utilitarian program and
people’s psyches, and are slower or at least more productive
has proliferated and begun modest budget.
to change in the gut. The rifts competition. Perhaps the two
to dominate the development
are rife not only between New movements can coalesce in their
P5
ANd UrBAN
dEsIgNs BUILT IN
hArMONy wITh ThEIr
PhysICAL ANd
sOCIAL CONTExTs.
The grand Prize winner – the and micro-surgical in its scope
verkykerskop Agricultural Town and agenda for a small Midwest
in south Africa – was from town as previous winners, and
the Metropolis, City and Town other student entries this year
category, a tour de force in were ambitious, even heroic.
sustainability, but not the usual
agenda of energy, water and All in all, we were pleased with
waste conservation. rather, it the submittals, their presentation,
looks to economic sustainability the deliberations, and the
as a means to conserve outcomes of the jury. we enjoyed
landscape and cultural traditions. and learned from the projects, the
It is about a poor, jeopardized work, the discussions and
farming community that is taking the camaraderie.
bold and unique design and
From left to right: Jonathan Barnett, Marcy McInnelly, kit krankel-
planning action to staunch the The early planning for the Charter
McCullough, douglas kelbaugh, John knott, M. david Lee, Boris dramov,
migration of its people and life Awards was done by Nora Beck,
June williamson, Bonnie Fisher
to the big city. This endemic and whom CNU lost to a wonderful
profound challenge facing the new career opportunity, after
rural cultures and agricultures of which Ben schulman diligently THE JURY Bonnie Fisher
the developing world is affecting took over, only to be kept from Landscape Architect and
billions of people globally. The the jury itself by his wife’s first douglas kelbaugh, Jury chair Principal of rOMA design group
two honorable Mentions in this birth. Abby Bouzan-kaloustian CNU Board Member, Professor of
category were respectively a took over in turn from Ben, ably Architecture and Urban Planning, Boris dramov
very sound corridor plan for a assisted in Ann Arbor by former and Former dean of the President of rOMA design group
Cincinnati stream valley, and a intern Logan Nash, who flew Taubman College of the
get-out-in-front-of the-curve in from harvard. They were a University of Michigan m. david lee
plan for a well-heeled suburb of pleasure to work with over the Partner of stull and Lee, Adjunct
Columbus, Ohio. last nine months. The jury and June williamson Professor at the harvard
the CNU owe a debt of gratitude Professor of Architecture at the graduate school of design
The Neighborhood, district and to these hard-working and City College of New york, Co-
Corridor and Block, street and talented folks. Author of retrofitting suburbia John knott
Building Award winners and President and Co-Founder of the
honorable Mentions were strong On behalf of the Congress, kit krankel-mccullough Noisette Company, LLC
in different ways, sometimes our jury proudly presents the Professor at Taubman College of
offensively and other times following selections for the 2012 the University of Michigan Jonathan Barnett
defensively dealing with systemic Charter Award honorees. Professor of Practice in City and
change that promises to benefit marcy mcinnelly regional Planning, and director of
and/or threaten their futures. Doug Kelbaugh FAIA President of Urbsworks in the Urban design Program, at the
The Academic grand Prize, set in Jury Chair, 2012 Portland, Or, CNU Board Member University of Pennsylvania
Berrien, Michigan, was as modest
grand
priZe
VERKYKERSKOP LOCATION
verkykerskop, south Africa
FIRM
gary white & Associates
sMALL-sCALE
SITE
104 acres in the south African province of the Free
state where farming had historically been a crucial
part of the local economy
AgrICULTUrAL
PROGRAM
A new agricultural village that incorporates
commercial farming, gardening, social amenities,
and focuses on adaptive reuse
TOwN CATEGORY
Metropolis, City, Town
P7
As cities grow on an unprecedented scale in the medium-scale roof gardens, there are also Similarly, the submitters took great care to ensure
developing world, the fate of traditional agricultural 87 acres of farmland conserved for larger-scale that development did not exclude motorized farm
communities remains uncertain. While there is increasing agricultural production. equipment and farm animals. Roads paved with gravel or
attention to local and sustainable food production cobblestones suit their movement, and facilities for horses
practices, farmers are rapidly abandoning the countryside However, Gary White and Associates take into account in the town integrate this key animal in local agriculture
for metropolitan opportunities. the fact that agriculture is only one aspect of rural into the urban fabric.
communities. At full build-out, the town will also feature
This town plan for Verkykerskop in the South African civic institutions such as two farm schools with a digital Recognizing that recreational space serves a very different
province of Free State is a small-scale intervention that library, a clinic, meeting halls, shops, recreation facilities, purpose than actively-used farmland, the plan calls for a
powerfully speaks to these national and global issues. and a police station. Income from farming activities, green space network that incorporates both formal parks
Rather than turning over a historically agricultural area as well as a small boutique hotel, will help support and existing natural amenities. The village will feature a
to disuse or a depopulated farming monoculture, these uses. primary visual axis that links the development to view of
the proposal by Gary White and Associates sets out the surrounding landscape as well as the historic livestock
a vision for an economically viable and attractive The jury was impressed by this careful effort to trail and a new system of non-motorized paths.
farming community. reinvigorate and enhance local agriculture. Juror Kit
Krankel McCullough called it “an eloquent response to By paying close attention to local histories and patterns
The village is sited in a scenic agricultural area at the the physical and cultural landscape. This is true agrarian of use, Gary White and Associates has created an
crossroads of a historic livestock route and a paved urbanism in that it seeks to create a form of settlement exemplary plan for a truly agricultural community. The
provincial tourism thoroughfare. Responding to this that supports the recovery of a farming economy.” proposal is practical and locally rooted—it is currently
context, the plan works within the existing built and being implemented by a forum of local leaders and the
natural conditions, adaptively reusing abandoned There will be 300 residential units on the site, with provincial government—but also provokes necessary
agricultural sheds, barns, and other infrastructure. typological variation based on purpose and location. questions about the spatial consequences of food and
Residences in central areas will have access to municipal global urbanization.
The village will also be deeply rooted in the area’s water and sewer grids while more remote homes will
agricultural economy and heritage. Not only does it have to rely even more heavily on on-site facilities such as
feature 300 small-scale family food gardens and 100 rain collectors and solar geysers for the needs of farming
and living.
academic
winner
A VISION FOR GROWTH LOCATION
Berrien springs, MI
FIRM
AND CONSERVATION
school of Architecture, Andrews University
SITE
IN ThE vILLAgE OF six sites with a total size of approximately 466
acres in the village of Berrien springs and Oronoko
Charter Township
BErrIEN sPrINgs & PROGRAM
Comprehensive plan for the restoration and
upgrading of urban infrastructure and amenities
for a historic village exploring new economic
OrONOkO ChArTEr
opportunities and growth
TOwNshIP