Promenade Park in Fort Wayne was one of 12 developments from across North America recently selected as winners of the 2021 ULI Americas Awards for Excellence. The winners include 10 from the United States and two from Canada. Winning projects represent the highest standards of achievement in the land use profession. The winners of the ULI Americas Awards for Excellence become finalists for the 2021 ULI Global Awards for Excellence, competing against projects from Europe and Asia. ULI will announce the winners of the global awards ahead of the ULI Fall Meeting in October

This year, 72 projects and programs from across the Americas region were submitted for the competition. From this impressive field, the jury selected 23 finalists and, after speaking with the teams behind these projects and visiting as many as possible, chose the 12 winners. Learn about the other 2021 ULI Americas Awards for Excellence winners.

The ambitious scope of Promenade Park involved the transformation of the north and south banks of the St. Marys River in Fort Wayne, Ind., into a signature space for recreation, relaxation, and reflection for the downtown Fort Wayne community and surrounding areas. The project site covered over 4.5-acres, and one of the key components—the Pavilion—includes over 6,400 square feet of space under roof.

The three rivers that Fort Wayne was originally built around had been fading into the background, not being well cared for. Promenade Park would connect the community with the rivers, bringing awareness to the need to care for the rivers as well as bringing the urban community closer to the natural environment. Several firms came together to form the Riverworks Design Group, who then went out into the community to hear directly from the people about what they envisioned for the future park.

Riverworks Design Group met with downtown workers, millennials, a local organization that supports those with physical and mental disabilities, and the League’s group of individuals with visual impairments to learn how to make the park a place for everyone. The park also became a symbol of prosperity for downtown Fort Wayne, with more riverfront development phases on the horizon, and a flourish of development with new businesses springing up downtown not far from the park.

ULI began the Awards for Excellence program in 1979 to recognize truly superior development efforts in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. The public can view the winners, finalists, and submissions at the 2021 ULI Americas Awards for Excellence gallery. More information about the winning projects is also available in a video, presented by members of the jury,

The awards are open to projects and programs in the ULI Americas region that are substantially complete, financially viable, and in stabilized operation. The program evaluates submissions on overall excellence, including achievements in marketplace acceptance, design, planning, technology, amenities, economic impact, management, community engagement, innovation, and sustainability, among others.

In addition to an open category, which recognizes all product types, the awards this year offered recognition in the categories Equitable Development, Resilient Development, Small-Scale Development, and Urban Open Space. Promenade Park was among three projects recognized in the Urban Open Space category.