Positioning Pullman Recognized for Strategic Planning and Vision

CHICAGO, Ill. - Positioning Pullman has been named the recipient of the AIA Illinois 2016 Daniel Burnham Award for Master Planning and the 2016 American Planning Association Illinois Award for Strategic Planning.

The vision for Pullman National Monument was sponsored by the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) in collaboration with a volunteer team of design professionals under the direction of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (AS+GG). The effort was enabled through the generous support of the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, The Chicago Community Trust, and Alphawood Foundation. A full copy of the vision is available to the public at www.positioningpullman.org.

Pullman National Monument is a must-see treasure of Chicago’s South Side. America’s first model industrial town, is home to the evolution of industrial manufacturing and railroad transportation, the advancement of town planning, architecture and landscape architecture, the foundation of U.S. labor law, and the advancement of the African American middle class.

To recognize the important stories at Pullman, the historic neighborhood was designated as a national monument in the National Park System by President Barak Obama in February 2015. Many questions remain about how the new national monument will accommodate visitors, projected to grow to 300,000 people per year.

In an effort to help guide the development of one of America’s newest urban national park sites, a technical team comprised of forty volunteer architects, landscape architects, city planners, economists, and engineers assembled to work with Pullman stakeholders to develop a roadmap for improvement and operations.

“We are thrilled that Positioning Pullman is being recognized with such prestigious awards,” says AS+GG’s City Design Director, Richard Wilson. “The community’s commitment to the revitalization of the Pullman neighborhood was the driving force behind its success. During the planning phase we had nearly 400 participants at a public open house in the north wing of the historic Pullman Factory building to help fine tune the content, align goals and priorities, and identify stakeholders to advance implementation. It was design advocacy in action.”

“Pullman National Monument is one of Chicago’s most historic resources and we are grateful to Richard Wilson and the Positioning Pullman design team for giving Chicago’s first national park a great foundation to work with,” said Lynn McClure, NPCA’s Senior Regional Director. “We look forward to all of the great work to come.”

The AIA Illinois Daniel Burnham Award is presented for the achievements of a project that, through master planning, design or implementation of a master plan enhances the natural and built environment of a community. The APA Illinois Strategic Plan Award recognizes a plan targeted for a specific area of the community with strategic actions designed to produce change and improvement.

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ABOUT THE POSITIONING PULLMAN TEAM The Positioning Pullman team included design professionals from across Illinois with 17 firms involved overall. Hundreds of people participated in the vision through a strong public engagement component. In partnership with National Parks Conservation Association and AIA Chicago, and led by AS+GG City Design Director Richard Wilson, the following firms contributed their services pro bono for this important community project: Altus Works, Bauer Latoza Studio, Brush Architects, Christopher Burke Engineering, Farr Associates, Griskelis Young Harrell, Jacobs, Market & Feasibility Advisors, Marshal Bennett Institute of Roosevelt University, McGuire Igleski Associates, Muse Community + Design, Ross Barney Architects, Sam Schwartz Engineering, Site Design Group, Smith Group JJR, Studio Gang and TYLin. Learn more at www.positioningpullman.org.

About National Parks Conservation Association Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association has been the leading voice in safeguarding our national parks. NPCA and its more than one million members and supporters work together to protect and preserve our nation’s natural, historic, and cultural heritage for future generations. For more information, visit www.npca.org.