Award money donated to Georgia Strait Alliance
November 29, 2013
VANCOUVER, BC: PWL Partnership is humbled and honoured to have had one of their projects selected as a recipient of the 2013 ULI Urban Open Space Award.
The Urban Land Institute selected PWL’s Parks and Waterfront at Southeast False Creek as co-winner of the prestigious award, which they are proud to share with M. Paul Friedberg & Partners’ Yards Park project in Washington, D.C.
From the ULI website:
“The award recognizes outstanding examples of transformative and vibrant public openspace – large and small – that have spurred economic and social regeneration of theiradjacent communities.
“This accolade is the latest recognition for the Southeast False Creek community that continues to grow and establish itself among the thriving, vibrant neighbourhoods of Vancouver.
Beyond the more tangible, visual impacts of the open park space, the site discretely yet immeasurably contributes on unseen levels to local terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. A site once inherently industrial in nature has been reinvented, and now functions asa mechanism to enhance its surroundings. Biofiltration swales and ponds were added to cleanse stormwater; a once-buried creek area was daylighted to naturalize andenhance the public realm; an island was created to provide new intertidal habitat while compensating for development infill; Each of these was a key component of the project’s implementation and has contributed greatly to its success as a public space and habitat.
Acknowledging Southeast False Creek’s intertwined relationship with aquatic ecosystems, PWL is pleased to announce that the prize money from the award will be donated to an organization near and dear to their heart, the Georgia Strait Alliance. This non-profit citizens’ group has been dedicated to the protection and restoration of the sensitive Strait of Georgia marine environment since 1990. Their latest ‘Waterfront Initiative’ seeks to strike a balance between social, economic and ecological structureswhile allowing ecosystems and communities to flourish alike. PWL passionately shares this vision, and hopes that the Parks and Waterfront at Southeast False Creek will leave a legacy and testament to this ambition in its wake.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Belinda Chan, Communications Design Manager
PWL Partnership Landscape Architects Inc.
bchan@pwlpartnership.com
Christianne Wilhelmson, Executive Director
Georgia Strait Alliance
cell 604 862 7579
christianne@georgiastrait.org
ABOUT THE URBAN LAND INSTITUTE OPEN SPACE AWARD
In 2009, the Urban Land Institute established the ULI Urban Open Space Award to celebrate and promote urban open spaces that enrich and revitalize surrounding communities. The award was created and funded initially with a gift from Amanda Burden, commissioner of the New York City Department of City Planning, who used the $100.000 prize she received as the 2009 laureate of the ULI J.C. Nichols Prize for Visionaries inUrban Development to create the award. For more information, visit: www.uli.org.
ABOUT PWL PARTNERSHIP LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS INC.
PWL is a leading Vancouver-based landscape architectural firm with over thirty-five years experience in public and private sector planning across Canada, the U.S. and internationally. PWL works collaboratively with clients and with a wide range of specialties and collateral professions to create innovative, imaginative places that incorporate both social and environmental benefits. For more information, visit www.pwlpartnership.com.
ABOUT THE GEORGIA STRAIT ALLIANCE
Since 1990, Georgia Strait Alliance has been the only citizen’s group focused on protecting the marine environment in and around the whole Strait of Georgia – the place where mostBritish Columbians live, work and play. They are a non-profit, charitable organization working to project marine life and its habitat, restore the region’s water and air quality, promote sustainable communities, and foster stewardship of the marine environment. For more information, visit: www.georgiastrait.org.