Voting for 2022 DID Greening and Public Realm Awards Opens Today
Tuesday, July 26, 2022 at 3:45PM
The Mpls Downtown Improvement District (DID) announced today that public voting for the 2022 Greening and Public Realm Awards is open.
The Greening and Public Realm Awards, a DID initiative since 2010, celebrates outstanding examples of greening and placemaking that improve public space in Downtown Minneapolis. Winners will be selected by public vote at mplsdid.com/greeningawards. The public vote will be open July 26 through August 15.
Finalists were divided into seven categories based on project size and characteristics. Among the finalists selected were 11 new nominees – a sign of growth in the downtown greening efforts - as well as 9 past winners.
"All efforts to enhance our downtown environment deserve to be celebrated,” said Steve Cramer, Mpls Downtown Improvement District President & CEO. “We appreciate all the greening efforts done to enhance our downtown environment, and this year’s winners went above and beyond to help beautify our streets. The work being done throughout the community help make our downtown vibrant, extraordinary and welcoming to all that live, work and play in Minneapolis.”
Winners will receive a commemorative Greening and Public Realm Award created by Wood from the Hood, a Minneapolis-based company that reclaims discarded trees from urban neighborhoods and creates high-quality wood products. Each award will display the year the award was issued.
The DID Greening and Public Realm Awards are intended to inspire all to work toward making downtown greener and more vibrant. DID’s mission through the Greening and Public Realm Awards is to encourage all downtown businesses and organizations to participate in greening efforts.
The public is encouraged to vote by visiting mplsdid.com/greeningawards and using the interactive vote link. Each category will showcase the finalists along with a photo of each location for easy viewing and identification. This year’s seven categories include the following finalists:
Small Green Space: Gateway Park, Government Plaza South, RBC Gateway Plaza Minneapolis, Convention Center Plaza
Entryway and Outdoor Café: The News Room, 5th Avenue Lofts, The Freehouse, Barrio
Large Green Space: Loring Park, Water Works Park, The Commons, Gold Medal Park
Public Realm Improvement: RBC Gateway/Four Seasons, 7th Street Bus Lane, Elliot Park Skatepark, Prince Mural
Public Art: Prince Mural, X Games Mural, It’s the People, Bob Dylan Mural
Best Neighborhood: Loring Park, North Loop, Elliot Park, Downtown East + West
Activated Space: Peavey Plaza, The Alley Project, Elliot Park Skatepark, Mill City Market
The public is encouraged to not only vote on a winner for each category but to also celebrate greening on social media year-round. Send your greening photos to @ MplsDID on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #GreenAwardsMpls.
