Vote Today (thru Sept 7) For Your Favorite Downtown Green Spaces In The 2016 MDID Greening & Public Realm Awards

MINNEAPOLIS (August 25, 2016) — The Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District (MDID) will again recognize the top green spaces in Downtown Minneapolis during the 7^th annual Greening & Public Realm Awards, and its asking the general public to help out.

The Greening Awards, an MDID initiative since 2010, celebrate outstanding examples of greening and placemaking that improve public space in Downtown Minneapolis. Winners will be selected by public vote at MinneapolisDID.com/GreeningAwards. The vote will be open Aug. 25 through Sept. 7.

This year, 37 unique finalists were selected through an interactive public nomination process were divided into 12 categories based on the project’s characteristics and size. Among the finalists selected were 15 unique new nominees—a continued sign of the growing diversity of greening in the downtown area—as well as 15 past winners. Five of last year’s 12 winners are nominated again this year, including six-time winner Loring Greenway and five-time winner Target Plaza South Entry.

“Enhanced greening continues to be an important goal in downtown Minneapolis, as it accentuates the vibrancy of our city,” said Steve Cramer, President & CEO of the Minneapolis Downtown Council and Downtown Improvement District. “Each year, the Greening Awards helps raise awareness about the importance of greening and allows us to celebrate those who add greening to our community.”

The MDID Greening Awards aims to eclipse last year’s record participation of 1,312 votes, more than 400 more than the previous record.

This year’s vote also includes a new category that focuses on added art to our downtown public realm. Nominees for the Public Art category include the Eduardo Kobra and Greg Gossel murals, art added to Gold Medal Park from the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden (currently being renovated) and the new Medtronic Plaza Viking horn sculpture outside U.S. Bank Stadium.

Winners will receive a commemorative Greening 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 MDID Greening Awards are intended to inspire all to work toward making downtown greener and more vibrant. The MDID’s mission through the Greening Awards is to encourage all downtown businesses and organizations to participate in the greening effort.

The public is encouraged to vote by visiting www.MinneapolisDID.com/GreeningAwards and clicking on 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 12 categories include the following finalists:

Small Green Space Activation

• Parklet at 13th & Hennepin (Espresso Royale & Salon Rouge) *
• Living Room Station*
• The Living Bus Shelter*
• The Loon Street Café*

Small Green Space

• American Academy of Neurology
• Federal Courthouse Plaza
• Target Plaza South Entry

Large Green Space Activation

• Minneapolis Convention Center Plaza
• Hennepin County Government Center South Plaza
• Target Field Station

Large Green Space

• Loring Greenway
• The Commons*
• Triangle Park

Façade Greening

• 4Marq Apartments*
• JB Hudson
• Kenosha Building
• MSFA Parking Ramp*

Public Art

• The Times They Are A-Changin’ – Mural by Eduardo Kobra*
• Greg Gossel Mural*
• Gold Medal Park
• The Horn (Medtronic Plaza Sculpture)*

Outdoor Café

• 8^th Street Grill
• Bachelor Farmer*
• Mason’s Restaurant Barre
• The Local

Streetscape Greening

• Central Lutheran Church
• Target Plaza Commons
• The Carlyle

Streetscape Green Infrastructure

• 1st Street North Streetscape Improvements
• Boulevard Gardens at 4th & Hennepin*
• Wells Fargo Towers*

Entryway Greening

• City Hall
• Lindsay Lofts*
• Textile Building*

Public Realm Improvement

• 4Marq Apartments Façade Greening*
• Bachelor Farmer Outdoor Café*
• Boulevard Gardens at 4th & Hennepin*
• Greg Gossel Mural*
• MSFA Parking Ramp*
• The Commons*
• The Horn (Medtronic Plaza Sculpture)*
• The Times They Are A-Changin’ – Mural by Eduardo Kobra*
• Wells Fargo Towers Streetscapes*

Best Neighborhood

• Elliot Park
• Loring Park
• Mill District
• North Loop

* New Nominee in this category

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 @MinneapolisDID on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #GreenAwardsMpls.

For more information, visit www.minneapolisdid.com/greeningawards or log onto Facebook, Twitter or Instagram searching @MinneapolisDID.

About the Downtown Improvement District:

Founded in early 2009, after more than five years of formative planning and advocacy by the downtown business community, the Minneapolis DID delivers higher levels of service to make downtown cleaner, greener, safer and more vibrant throughout a 120-block area, as is the case with most Business Improvement Districts. For more information, visit http://www.minneapolisdid.com/.