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Deb Ryan: Urban Design is the most immersive and largest art
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form there is. And it ranges in scale from the design of a bus
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shelter to the grid of a city street. It includes things like
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urban open space, creating public parks for people, and
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also the design of the steps along the park that lead into
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the homes that surround it.
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Erin Chantry: The Urban Design Center strives to bring public
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awareness to the power of urban design. It is so important to
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make time to celebrate community members and design professionals
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who put time and heart into making Charlotte the Queen City.
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The Urban Design Awards are about recognizing the results of
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hard work and creativity that has been invested into our
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beautiful city.
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Mary Newsom: What I call 'The Urbies' began in the mid 1990s.
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I was working as a columnist for the editorial page of the
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Charlotte Observer. And I was also looking around the city
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learning about urban design and about cities and urbanism.
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Erin Chantry: Urban Design is all around us from your favorite
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walk along tree lined streets to an elegant bench at your local
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park. The Urbies aim to celebrate and cultivate the
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culture of urban design in Charlotte. Thanks are owed to
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every group of designers, planners, advocates, and
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residents who breathe life into that culture with their passion
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and tenacity. And who pour their hearts into making Charlotte a
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better, more beautiful place for all of us.
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Narrator: The 2023 award winners...
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Great development near transit: Lintmen's
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Great walkable neighborhood: Dilworth
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Great new life for an old place: Community Matters Cafe
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Great public space: Freedom Park
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Great placemaking: Charlotte Shout!
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Great street: Elizabeth Avenue
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Great urban architecture: Latta Arcade and Brevard Court
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Great suburban design: Waverly
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Great student project: Bowplex Park Vision Pan
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People's Choice Award: The Line
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Great neighborhood champions: Ruth Ava Lyons and Paul Sires.
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Great urban design champion: Mary Newsom
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Mayor Vi Lyles: Hello, I'm Mayor Vi Lyles. The annual urban
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design awards, or Urbies, celebrate excellent urban
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design, and the special places that make Charlotte the Queen
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City. The best urban design, expresses community values and
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fosters a deep sense of place. Good urban design is found in
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those places we want to return to again and again. Sometimes
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those places surprise and delight us. And they can also be
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places where we feel comfortable and want to stay to be a part of
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Charlotte life.
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Deb Ryan: And what I'm excited about is that the conversations
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we had as the jury are going to find their way into the public
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realm so that more people can understand what the qualities
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are we value in terms of creating a great livable city.
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Alyson Craig: Each year the community becomes more and more
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engaged in the discussion around great places. In this third
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installment of the Urbies, we received more nominations than
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ever before, which is a testament to the design
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excellence that surrounds us in the Queen City. The planning
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department is building a culture of great urban design in
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Charlotte that reflects the connections between people and
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place. Next year we'll be looking forward to seeing what
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new treasures you have discovered. Continue to
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appreciate your favorite neighborhoods, buildings,
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projects, and people and see which new ones emerge as our
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city grows. I can't wait to see what gets honored at the 2024
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Urbies. See you next year.
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Narrator: The Charlotte Urban Design Awards are sponsored by
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the City of Charlotte, Charlotte Urban Design Center, and the
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University of North Carolina at Charlotte School of
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Architecture.