“It is a huge honor to represent Washington, D.C. in this global competition, and showcase the international application that our Vibrant Streets program has.” - Heather Arnold, Director of Research and Analysis at Streetsense.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (PRWEB) November 03, 2014
Vibrant Streets, the highly acclaimed retail development and planning program from multidisciplinary design and strategy firm Streetsense, was recently named one of 36 contestants in the inaugural "World Cities Day Challenge," hosted by The Guardian and UN-Habitat. The contest was designed to select the world’s most innovative idea in response to changing demographics, population, environment, economic trends, and more. Vibrant Streets was chosen to represent the city of Washington, D.C. and was one of only five U.S. cities to be featured in the competition.
“It is a huge honor to represent Washington, D.C. in this global competition, and showcase the international application that our Vibrant Streets program has,” says Heather Arnold, Director of Research and Analysis at Streetsense. “Every city and town, no matter its size or population, has the potential to build thriving retail districts and to create jobs. With Vibrant Streets as a guide, neighborhoods can begin to foster a strong place to visit, work, and live.”
On Friday, October 31, each contestant had the opportunity to present a 12-minute session on guardiancities.com detailing their idea and engaging in conversation with audiences around the world. The Vibrant Streets presentation showcased how the Toolkit can be used in cities around the world to build thriving and vibrant retail streets.
The Vibrant Streets program began in 2012 with the creation of the DC Vibrant Retail Streets Toolkit, a guide for the nation’s capital to bolster neighborhood retail environments through technical expertise and community engagement. The toolkit was announced by D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray and is currently being used by the D.C. Office of Planning (DCOP) to implement the Vibrant Streets methodology in 11 neighborhoods across the city. In 2012, the International Downtown Association awarded Vibrant Streets a Downtown Merit Award for its contributions to research in the field of downtown revitalization. Vibrant Streets was also recently awarded an award for best Innovative Smart Growth Initiative from the National Capitol Area Chapter of the American Planning Association.
To learn more about the Vibrant Streets initiative, please visit http://www.vibrantstreets.com.
###
About Vibrant Streets®
Vibrant Streets is a program developed by Streetsense that helps communities revitalize neighborhoods by creating thriving retail districts through technical expertise and community engagement. Established in 2012, the Vibrant Streets program is adaptable to any community, regardless of its current retail environment. For more information and to purchase the toolkit, please visit http://www.vibrantstreets.com.
About Streetsense®
Streetsense is a multidisciplinary design and strategy firm specializing in retail, restaurant, hospitality, and real estate solutions. Known and awarded for their collaborative ideology, Streetsense focuses on creating memorable places, distinctive brands, and meaningful experiences. For more information, please visit http://www.streetsense.com or find us on Twitter (@realstreetsense) and Facebook (facebook.com/realstreetsense).