LAREDO, Texas, May 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Plan Viva Laredo, a long-term comprehensive plan for the growth, economic development and health of Laredo, Texas and its residents, was awarded a Merit Award for excellence in urban design, placemaking, and community building. The award is a part of the Congress for the New Urbanism's (CNU) 19th Annual Charter Awards in Washington, D.C. Plan Viva Laredo was developed with the support of Laredo's residents, public officials, and staff at the City of Laredo through various workshops and events led by Able City.
"When we were working on the comprehensive plan we knew it was something special because of the public engagement and how much people wanted to tell us what they valued and needed out of the city," said Viviana L. Frank-Franco, Mario A. Peña, Frank Rotnofsky, and Diana Peña, Partners and Principals at Able City.
Plan Viva Laredo frames a vision of practicality to create diverse, mixed-income, mixed-use, and pedestrian-oriented neighborhoods and building development in Laredo. It began to take shape prior to its adoption. Immediately, quality of life advocates showed an interest in the plan's new urbanist principles, and new bike lanes emerged from the enthusiasm.
"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. Seeing how quickly the public embraced Plan Viva Laredo, and how enthusiastically the city is enacting its reforms, reinforces how important New Urbanist principles are, providing the seemingly simple building blocks for people in a community: options for home, work, and shopping; green spaces, connections to transit; and streets and sidewalks that are safe to walk and bike on."
The CNU Charter Awards identify exemplary work by CNU members who design places people care for. Able City, along with winners from across the globe will be announced at the CNU's annual Congress on June 14, 2019 at the Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky.
Able City is based in the heart of downtown in both Laredo and San Antonio, Texas. Their goal is to educate society through architecture, urban planning, and civic engagement that inspires, and empowers citizens into becoming city makers. To learn more visit them online at www.able.city.
SOURCE Able City
