The CNU Charter Awards recognize exemplary work by CNU members and their allies who design and build places people love. The winners not only embody and advance the principles of the Charter of the New Urbanism, they make a difference in people's lives.
The Charter identifies three major scales of geography for design and policy purposes. The largest scale is composed of regions. The middle scale is made up of neighborhoods, districts, and corridors. The smallest scale is composed of blocks, streets, and buildings.
The Charter Awards are given to projects at each scale, with special recognition reserved for the best projects at the professional and student levels. The CNU Charter Awards, given annually since 2001, are the world's preeminent award for urban design, placemaking, and community building.
2021 Charter Award Winners:
Grand Prize Winner
Plant Riverside District, Savannah, Georgia - Sottile & Sottile
Charter Award Winners
75th Street Boardwalk, Chicago, Illinois - site design group, ltd.
Bonéval, Washington, District of Columbia - Torti Gallas Urban, Inc.
Downtown Boulevard Transformation, Lancaster, California - Moule & Polyzoides, Architects and Urbanists
Hammetts Wharf, Newport, Rhode Island - Union Studio Architecture & Community Design
Kirkpatrick Park, Nashville, Tennessee - Smith Gee Studio
Memphis 3.0 Comprehensive Plan, Memphis, Tennessee - Opticos Design, Inc.
New Town of Cayalá/Paseo Cayalá Neighborhood, Guatemala City, Guatemala - Estudio Urbano & Leon Krier
Trilith, Fayetteville, Georgia - Lew Oliver Inc.
Merit Award Winners
Culdesac: Car-free Community, Tempe, Arizona - Opticos Design, Inc.
Grace Midtown Church, Atlanta, Georgia - Kronberg Urbanists + Architects
Montgomery Park Master Plan - A Vision For Northwest Portland, Portland, Oregon - Lake Flato Architects
OpenNorfolk, Norfolk, Virginia - Work Program Architects | Yard & Co. | Team Better Block (WGI)
Student Award Winners
San Francisco Central Waterfront, San Francisco, California - Asma Boutrik, Jamie Varas and Dewi Bleher, University of California, Berkeley
Urban Repair after Removal of the Central Freeway, San Francisco, California - Qingchun Li, University of California, Berkeley
