Accolades for Penn's West Philadelphia
Initiatives
Urban Land Institute Award
The University's West Philadelphia
Initiatives project won top honors in the Urban Land Institute's
Awards for Excellence 2003 international competition, now in its
25th year and widely recognized as the community's most prestigious
award.
The West Philadelphia Initiatives
program, a multi-faceted urban-planning and community-development
program, has reduced crime and blight, increased job opportunities
and improved the quality of life in West Philadelphia neighborhoods.
Those developments in turn have reinforced the University's ability
to attract the best students, faculty, staff and research opportunities.
"Urban universities have the
power and the responsibility to make a positive impact in their
communities, and we at Penn are delighted to be honored by the
Urban Land Institute for our work," said President Judith
Rodin. "Thousands of Penn people have been involved in this
commitment to the community. They all share in this honor."
This comprehensive neighborhood-revitalization
program was structured around these five principles: clean and
safe streets, housing and homeownership, improvement of public
education, economic development and commercial development. Among
the successful Penn projects honored with the ULI Award for Excellence
are:
The success of the West Philadelphia
Initiatives in bringing employment, investment and quality-of-life
improvements to West Philadelphia has become a model for collaboration
between universities and urban communities throughout the United
States.
American Institute of Architects Awards
When the 2003 AIA Philadelphia Awards
for Design Excellence were handed out on October 9--at the
Loew's Philadelphia Hotel, in the former PSFS building--Penn
was well represented.
Penn projects won three awards at
the organization's annual ceremony; this year's winners were chosen
by a jury of Chicago-based architects.
One of four Honor Awards--for
projects that "exemplify high design quality" in the
Built Category--went to Kieran Timberlake Associates LLP,
for the Melvin J. & Claire Levine Hall (Almanac
September 5, 2000), serves as a "bridge" for
the Engineering complex.
Two of the eight Awards of Recognition
for built projects that "deserve recognition for their design
quality" were for Penn projects. Atkin Olshin Lawson-Bell
Architects for The Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander University of
Pennsylvania Partnership School (Almanac
March 6, 2001) were honored, as were MGA Partners, for
the innovative temporary, but reusable stage created for commencement
ceremonies (Almanac
April 24, 2001).
The goals that guided development were:
respecting the community and university heritage, improving
the relationship between Penn and the surrounding neighborhood,
orienting buildings to the street, promoting infill construction,
establishing open and green spaces to connect the community, and
rehabilitating existing buildings.
University Square, from Walnut
Street, looking westward. Photo by Barry
Halkin
Left Bank, looking eastward
Photo by Catherine Tighe |
Photo by Nancy B. Matlack |
Penn Alexander School
Commencement stage. Photo
by Stuart Watson
Levine Hall. Photos
by Barry Halkin
Hamilton Square, 40th and
Walnut Sts. Photo by Barry Halkin