Civic Space Park, home to Janet Echelman's "Her Secret is Patience" (aka, the giant glowing net) in the heart of downtown Phoenix, is the silver medal recipient of the 2011 Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence.
The biennial prize was established in 1986 to honor exceptional urban places that transform their neighborhoods and communities, and as a silver medalist, the park will receive $10,000 for upkeep and improvements.
The award committee commented that the park "illustrates the power of university-community partnerships in creating a revitalized downtown for the city of Phoenix."
Civic Space Park was honored alongside Brooklyn Bridge Park in Brooklyn (the gold medal and $50,000 prize winner), as well as the Bridge Homeless Assistance Center in Dallas; the Gary Comer Youth Center in Chicago; and the Santa Fe Railyard Redevelopment.
Since 1987, the Rudy Bruner Foundation in Cambridge, Mass., has recognized more than 60 projects that create space for community.
For more information on the award or previous winners, check out the Rudy Bruner Foundation website.
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