Monon Boulevard wins national award
Monon Boulevard Corridor in Carmel, Indiana has won a Charter Award from the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), which announced the winners of its 19th annual Charter Awards this week. Regarded as the preeminent award for excellence in urban design, the CNU Charter Awards honor a select number of winners and honorable mentions that embody and advance the principles of the Charter of the New Urbanism.
The 2019 awards recognize architecture, planning, development, and landscape designs that offer choices for affordable housing, a lively mix of uses, and public space in a wide variety of settings. The winners—located in 11 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico; as well in Hong Kong, China, England, and Mexico—will be announced at a ceremony at the Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky on June 14, during CNU’s annual Congress, a 4-day event where 1,500+ people discuss, debate, engage, and advance innovations and strategies in city- and town-building.
Monon Boulevard marks another in an impressive line of commitments Carmel has made to creating public life on its suburban streets. The city has already empowered local artists and businesses to set up galleries and restaurants along Main Street and in the Arts & Design District, and has partnered with private developers to create its new downtown, City Center, a half mile to the south, which includes a world-class Center for the Performing Arts. Now, the $23 million expansion of the Monon Greenway, which includes Monon Boulevard in an area that has been branded Midtown – is being redeveloped into a walkable, sustainable, and lively area that connects City Center and the Arts & Design District. The city is promoting mixed-use development in this former industrial area, including new headquarters of corporations that are relocating to Carmel.
Already, the redevelopment has attracted $175 million in private sector investment nearby, even before phase one of the boulevard is complete.
“This investment supports our plans for future growth, delivers the best possible work environment to our employees, and further demonstrates our commitment to support the community that has given us so much,” explains Pete Hilger, chief executive officer of Allied Solutions, which recently built a $33 million headquarters in Midtown.
Monon Boulevard Corridor is among eight Charter Awards this year. The jury also awarded five Merit Awards and four student awards. In addition, the jury gave a special award to recognize the long-term, transformative influence of Seaside, Florida, on the New Urbanism movement, as expressed through the completion of the Phases Two and Three of the Lyceum complex, a central public space, cultural, and educational center at the heart of the community.
“How a place is designed fundamentally shapes people’s lives,” said Lynn Richards, President and CEO of CNU. “That’s a profound responsibility, and Charter Award-winning designers take it seriously. Projects like Monon Boulevard are offering a fresh vision for the suburbs, by providing the public investment, leadership, and the design excellence that promote walkable places with choices for retail, cultural assets, new jobs, living space, and more.”
Members of The Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) help create vibrant and walkable cities, towns, and neighborhoods where people have diverse choices for how they live, work, and get around. People want to live in well-designed places that are unique and authentic. CNU’s mission is to help people build those places.
Our 2600 members are diverse global thought-leaders on design, development, policy, implementation, and activism. They work in communities across the world—from major urban centers to historic small towns. From our annual Congress to our strategic policy initiatives, CNU connects and empowers the professionals, leaders, advocates, and citizens building places where people and businesses can thrive and prosper.
For a full list of winners, please contact Lisa Schamess, lschamess@cnu.org, (202) 841-5583.
For more information on development opportunities in Midtown Carmel, please contact Henry Mestetsky, hmetetsky@carmel.in.gov, Executive Director of the Carmel Redevelopment Commission.
