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The Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence (RBA) was established in 1986 by Cambridge, Massachusetts architect Simeon Bruner. The award is named after Simeon Bruner's late father, Rudy Bruner, founder of the Bruner Foundation.[1] According to the Bruner Foundation, the RBA was created to increase understanding of the role of architecture in the urban environment and promote discussion of what constitutes urban excellence. The award seeks to identify and honor places, rather than people, that address economic and social concerns along with urban design.[2]
 | This article needs to be updated. (August 2024) |
| The Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | A biennial award recognizing "places that are developed with such vision and imagination that they transform urban problems into creative solutions."[1] |
| Sponsored by | The Bruner Foundation |
| Location | Cambridge, Massachusetts |
| Country | U.S. |
| Reward(s) | US$50,000 (Gold Medal) US$10,000 (Silver Medal) |
| First awarded | 1987 |
| Website | www |
According to the Bruner Foundation, the award is intended to be a platform for the discussion of issues related to urban architecture, planning and revitalization. It has been recognized by the United States Conference of Mayors, The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Environmental Design Research Association.[3]
The biennial award recognizes one Gold Medal and four silver medal winners each cycle. Each medalist is documented with a detailed case study published online and in a book by the Bruner Foundation. The gold medal winner receives $50,000 and the four silver medalists each receive $10,000 which must be used to benefit the project.[1] These winners are chosen by a diverse committee of professionals involved in design and development. These committee members include architects, landscape architects, planners, developers, community organizers, financiers, and the mayor of a major metropolitan area.[4]
The selection process involves a study of a project's effect on its urban environment including a detailed application, discussion by selection committee members, and site visits to finalist projects. A selection committee is organized anew for each award cycle.[5]
In order to be eligible for consideration, projects must be:
- an actual place, not just a plan or a program;
- completed and in operation for sufficient amount of time to demonstrate success
- located in the continental US
There are no distinct categories. Projects may include any type that makes a positive contribution to the urban environment. Urban environment is broadly defined to include cities, towns, neighborhoods, counties and/or regions. Previous applicants and honorable mention winners may apply up to three times. Previous winners are not eligible.[5]
In 1998 the University at Buffalo collaborated with the Bruner Foundation and the Urban Design Project of the School of Architecture and Planning to create a digital archive, making data gathered in reference to past winners of the Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence accessible to the public.[6] The goal of this archive is to allow public "access to award winning and fully documented urban design case studies as a resource for architecture students and practitioners as they study precedents in urban design." The Digital Archive is managed by the UB Institutional Repository.[6]
The Bruner Foundation has published fifteen books containing detailed case studies of award-winning projects.[7]
2019 Gold Medal
- Crosstown Concourse, Memphis, Tennessee
2017 Gold Medal
- SteelStacks Arts and Cultural Campus, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
2017 Silver Medals
- La Kretz Innovation Campus + Arts District Park, Los Angeles[8]
- Bruce C. Bolling Municipal Building, Boston
- Iberville Offsite Rehabs I & II, New Orleans
- Chicago’s Riverwalk, Chicago
2015 Gold Medal
- Miller's Court, Baltimore
2015 Silver Medals
- Falls Park on the Reedy, Greenville, South Carolina
- Grand Rapids Downtown Market, Grand Rapids, Michigan
- Quixote Village, Olympia, Washington
- Uptown District, Cleveland
2013 Gold Medal
- Inspiration Kitchens--Garfield Park, cago,
2013 Silver Medals
- Congo Street Initiative, Dallas
- Louisville Waterfront Park, Louisville, Kentucky
- The Steel Yard, Providence, Rhode Island
- Via Verde, Bronx, New York City
2011 Gold Medal:
- The Bridge Homeless Assistance Center, Dallas
2011 Silver Medals:
- Brooklyn Bridge Park, Brooklyn, New York City
- Phoenix Civic Space Park, Phoenix
- Gary Comer Youth Center/Gary Comer College Prep, Chicago
- The Santa Fe Railyard Redevelopment, Santa Fe, New Mexico
2009 Gold Medal:
- Inner-City Arts, Los Angeles
2009 Silver Medals:
- Hunts Point Riverside Park, Bronx, New York City
- Millennium Park, Chicago
- St. Joseph Rebuild Center, New Orleans
- The Community Chalkboard and Podium, Charlottesville, Virginia
2007 Gold Medal:
- Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh
2007 Silver Medals:
- Artists for Humanity Epicenter, Boston
- Crossroads Project and Marsupial Bridge, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- High Point Redevelopment Project, Seattle
- LA Design Center, Los Angeles
- Columbus Circle Public Plaza, New York City
2005 Gold Medal:
- Portland Streetcar Project, Portland, Oregon
2005 Silver Medals:
- Lower Town Artist Relocation Program, Paducah, Kentucky
- Heidelberg Project, Detroit
- Fruitvale Village, Oakland, California
- Downtown Silver Spring, Maryland
2003 Gold Medal:
- Camino Nuevo Charter Academy, Los Angeles
2003 Silver Medals:
- Bridgemarket, New York City
- Colorado Court Housing, Santa Monica, California
- Red Hook Community Justice Center, Brooklyn, New York City
- Providence River Relocation, Providence, Rhode Island
2001 Gold Medal:
2001 Silver Medals:
- Swan’s Marketplace (10th Street Market), Oakland, California
- South Platte River Greenway, Denver
- New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark, New Jersey
- Lower East Side Tenement Museum, New York City
1999 Gold Medal:
- Yerba Buena Gardens, San Francisco, California
1999 Silver Medals:
- ARTScorps LA, Los Angeles
- National AIDS Memorial Grove, San Francisco
- Parkside Historic Preservation Corporation, Philadelphia
- Portland Public Market, Portland, Maine
1997 Gold Medal:
- The Times Square, New York City
1997 Silver Medals:
- Cleveland Historic Warehouse District, Cleveland
- Project Row Houses, Houston
- Center in the Square, Roanoke, Virginia
- Hismen Hin-nu (Sun Gate) Terrace, Oakland, California
1995 Winner:
- Maya Angelou Community Initiative, Portland, Oregon
1995 Finalists:
- Campus Circle, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, Boston
- Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center, Brooklyn, New York City
- Harlem Meer, New York City
- Lowertown, Saint Paul, Minnesota
1993 Co-winners:
- Harbor Point (Columbia Point), Boston
- New Community Corporation, Newark, New Jersey
1993 Finalists:
- Betts-Longworth Historic District, Cincinnati
- Beyond Homelessness, San Francisco
- The Park at Post Office Square, Boston
1991 Winner:
- Greenmarket, New York City
1991 Finalists:
- Brooklyn-Queens Greenway, Brooklyn and Queens, New York City
- Ocean Drive Improvement Project, Miami Beach, Florida
- Roslindale Village Main Street, Boston
- West Clinton Action Plan, Portland, Oregon
1989 Co-winners:
- Tenant Interim Leasing Program, New York City
- Downtown Plan, Portland, Oregon
1989 Finalists:
- Southwest Corridor Project, Boston
- Stowe Recreation Path, Stowe, Vermont
- Radial Reuse Project, Lincoln, Nebraska
- Cabrillo Village, Saticoy, California
1987 Winner:
- Pike Place Market, Seattle
1987 Finalists:
- Casa Rita, South Bronx, New York
- Quality Hill, Kansas City, Missouri
- Fairmount Health Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania [9]
2015 Challenging Conventions: The 2015 Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence, Richard Wener, PhD; Jay Farbstein, FAIA, PhD; Anne-Marie Lubenau, AIA; and Robert Shibley, FAIA, FAICP; Edited by Elizabeth Chesla, MA
2013 Inspiring Change: 2013 Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence, Richard Wener, PhD; Jay Farbstein, FAIA, PhD; Anne-Marie Lubenau, AIA; and Robert Shibley, FAIA, AICP
2011 Partnering Strategies for the Urban Edge: 2011 Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence, Robert Shibley, AIA, AICP, with Brandy Brooks, Director, Rudy Bruner Award, Jay Farbstein, PhD, FAIA, and Richard Wener, PhD, Bruner Foundation, 2011.
2009 Urban Transformation: 2009 Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence, Jay Farbstein, PhD, FAIA, with Emily Axelrod, MCP, Robert Shibley, AIA, AICP, and Richard Wener, PhD, Bruner Foundation, 2009.
2007 Building Sustainable Neighborhoods: 2007 Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence, Richard Wener, PhD, with Emily Axelrod, MCP, Jay Farbstein, PhD, FAIA, and Robert Shibley, AIA, AICP, Bruner Foundation, 2007.
2005 Reinventing Downtown: 2005 Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence, Robert Shibley with Emily Axelrod, Jay Farbstein, FAIA, and Richard Wener, PhD, Bruner Foundation, 2005.
2003 New Directions in Urban Excellence, Jay Farbstein with Emily Axelrod, Robert Shibley and Richard Wener, Bruner Foundation, 2003.
2001 Placemaking for Change: 2001 Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence, Richard Wener with Emily Axelrod, Jay Farbstein and Polly Welch, Bruner Foundation, 2002.
1999 Commitment to Place: Urban Excellence and Community, Robert G. Shibley with Emily Axelrod, Jay Farbstein, and Richard Wener, Bruner Foundation, 1999.
1997 Visions of Urban Excellence, Emily Axelrod, Jay Farbstein and Richard Wener, Bruner Foundation, 1998.
1995 Building Coalitions for Urban Excellence, Jay Farbstein and Richard Wener, Bruner Foundation, 1996.
1993 Rebuilding Communities: Re-creating Urban Excellence, Jay Farbstein and Richard Wener, Bruner Foundation, 1993.
1991 Connections: Creating Urban Excellence, Jay Farbstein and Richard Wener, Bruner Foundation, 1992.
1989 Breakthroughs: Re-creating the American City, Neal R. Peirce and Robert Guskind, Center for Urban Policy Research, Rutgers University, 1993.
1987 Urban Excellence, Philip Langdon with Robert Shibley and Polly Welch, Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1990.
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