Since 1987, the Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence has been honoring design and architectural contributions to urban areas, in fields that include adaptive reuse projects, housing, landscaping, transit infrastructure, and public art. This year, Associate Professor of Practice Marc Norman — an internationally recognized expert on policy and finance for affordable housing and community development — served as a juror. Other 2019 jurors included Libby Schaaf, the mayor of Oakland, California; Adrian Benepe, senior vice president and director of national programs at the Trust for Public Land in New York City; Brenda Breaux, executive director for the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority; Carol Coletta, president and CEO of the Memphis River Parks Partnership; and Carol Ross Barney, principal designer at Ross Barney Architects in Chicago.

The jurors chose five finalists who engage with issues of social inclusivity and environmental resilience. They visited the five finalist sites in March, and the awards will be announced in June. Four contestants will receive a silver medal and a $10,000 award, and one will be awarded $50,000 and the gold medal.

Learn more at metropolismag.com/architecture/rudy-bruner-award-2019-finalists/pic/52309/.