Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards Honor Top Community Development Projects and Architectural Achievements Across the City
4.05.2018
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LISC Stories
More than 1,500 community developers, architects, business leaders, neighborhood advocates and elected officials came together on Thursday, April 5, 2018 for the 24th Annual Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards (CNDA), where nine organizations were honored for their achievements in community development and architectural design.
The ceremony, organized by LISC Chicago, is a rare occasion in which all of the contributors to neighborhood redevelopment – community organizers, real estate developers, architects, bankers, residents, foundation and corporate leaders and others – are in the same room to recognize and celebrate Chicago’s top real estate development and architectural design projects in the city’s neighborhoods.
“For more than two decades the Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards and the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Award for Architectural Excellence in Community Design have celebrated Chicago’s neighborhoods by honoring and recognizing the outstanding achievements in neighborhood real estate development, community engagement and neighborhood planning,” said LISC Chicago’s Executive Director Meghan Harte. “At CNDA we take a moment to really recognize and celebrate the creativity and accomplishments that transform our communities. Our neighborhoods are what make Chicago the unique city it is – congratulations to this year’s winners, you have inspired us with your vision and commitment.”
A Call to Action: One Chicago for All
In addition to learning about the most successful community development projects, LISC Chicago and its neighborhood partners unveiled a Call to Action from Chicago Neighborhoods – One Chicago for All. For over a year, a collective of community residents and local organizations – representing 26 neighborhoods and more than one million residents – have come together to engage in a dialogue addressing the lack of economic investment and opportunities in many Chicago communities. With a shared commitment of improving the quality-of-life for residents within these communities, this group forged a guiding vision which was shared during the forum portion of CNDA.
During the ceremony CNDA presented six community development awards, three Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Awards for Architectural Excellence in Community Design and two awards for personal achievement to individuals. All award submissions were extensively reviewed by teams of judges. The CNDA24 honorees are:
- The Chicago Community Trust Outstanding Community Plan Award Winner: Preservation of Affordable Housing Chicago for Woodlawn, A Choice Neighborhood
Recognizes the development and successful implementation of a community plan or strategy within Cook County that improves quality-of-life or addresses a specific need, opportunity or issue through a comprehensive planning and implementation model.
- The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation for Outstanding Non-Profit Neighborhood Real Estate Project Award Winner: UCAN for UCAN’s Drost-Harding Campus
Recognizes a community development corporation for a specific real estate project that has contributed significantly to the enhancement of the community.
- The Polk Bros. Foundation Affordable Rental Housing Preservation Award Winner: Ansonia Properties, LLC for Lake Village East
Recognizes a for-profit or non-profit developer for a real estate project that has preserved affordable rental housing at risk because of expired subsidy contracts or physical deterioration. ***10 Years of the Polk Bros. Foundation Affordable Rental Housing Award
- The Outstanding For-Profit Neighborhood Real Estate Project Award Winner: Rosenwald Courts Developer, LLC for Rosenwald Courts
Recognizes a for-profit developer for a specific real estate project that has contributed significantly to the enhancement of a community.
- The Woods Fund Chicago Power of Community Award Winner: Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago, ICIRR and PASO for Campaign for a Welcoming Illinois
Recognizes the value of community organizing, community engagement and advocacy as important and effective ways to transform neighborhoods or empower communities that have experienced significant social or economic inequities.
- The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois Healthy Community Award Winner: Healthy Schools Campaign for Space to Grow – Greening Chicago Schoolyards
Recognizes a successful community-based effort to address the health of a low-to-moderate income neighborhood in the Chicago metropolitan area through creative and collaborative strategies.
- The winners for the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Award for Architectural Excellence in Community Design are:
Awarded to three different recipients: Recognizes best practices in community design, landscape design and architecture. The Richard H. Driehaus Award for Architectural Excellence in Community Design are given to architects who have created outstanding designs in housing, retail or institutional settings that are sustainable, architecturally significant and that match form to function to meet community needs. Projects are located in or predominantly serve low- to-moderate income communities in Cook County. All projects have been completed within the last five years.
“The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Award for Architectural Excellence in Community Design was created, in conjunction with the Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards, to recognize the importance of good design to improve the lives of individuals as an essential condition of livable and healthy neighborhoods,” said Kim Coventry, executive director of The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation. “The goal of this award is to encourage architects to put the human at the center of the idea in the design process. We want to continue to reinforce that kind of thinking so it becomes the norm in architectural practice. This award truly honors excellence in design in neighborhood projects and recognizes developments that are making a significant contribution to the social, visual and cultural life of their neighborhoods through thoughtful design.”
The Richard M. Daley Friend of the Neighborhoods Award Presented to: Juan Salgado, City Colleges Chancellor
Awards were also given to Juan Salgado and Rodney J. Walker for their contributions in service and leadership in Chicago. Walker, who is a best-selling author for his 2016 educational memoir A New Day One: Trauma, Grace, and a Young Man's Journey from Foster Care to Yale, was honored as an emerging leader with the CIBC Norman Bobins Leadership Award. Salgado, recently appointed City Colleges Chancellor, was recognized for lifetime achievement in community leadership and service with the Richard M. Daley Friend of the Neighborhoods Award.
“The Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards has become one of the most publicly-recognized programs to celebrate innovation and best practices in community development,” said Deborah E. Bennett, CNDA jury chair and senior program officer at the Polk Bros. Foundation. “CNDA is a time for us to gather and celebrate the positive change and accomplishments that transform neighborhoods across Chicago. Congratulations to this year’s winners – I know you will continue to be an inspiration to the many individuals and organizations dedicated to community revitalization.”
Founded in 1995 by LISC Chicago, CNDA has become one of the most publicly-recognized programs to celebrate outstanding projects and achievements in the city and honor the role developer’s play in building stronger and healthier neighborhoods throughout Chicago. For more information visit, www.lisc-cnda.org.