The Indianapolis Cultural Trail: A Legacy of Gene and Marilyn Glick, received The Monumental Award at the 35^th annual A Monumental Affair awards ceremony on November 15, 2012.  The Monumental Award is the highest honor presented at this annual event sponsored by the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce.  Kevin Osburn, Principal at Rundell Ernstberger Associates, accepted the award on behalf of the project team.

Indy Chamber President and CEO, Scott Miller, described the Indianapolis Cultural Trail (ICT) as “…a bold and transformative project featuring a world-class bike and pedestrian path that connects neighborhoods, cultural districts and entertainment amenities.”  Serving as the downtown hub for the Indianapolis greenway system, the ICT has established a framework of green infrastructure that creates a more connected and sustainable community in which to live, work, play and learn.  The ICT provides a new prototype for urban transportation corridors that integrates green infrastructure, clean transportation, community revitalization, economic development, and sustainable design.  Funded by private donations and federal transportation grants, this eight-mile, $63.5 million project was designed and constructed in multiple phases over a six-year period.

Rundell Ernstberger Associates, LLC was the lead design firm responsible for landscape architecture, urban design, and coordinating and overseeing the multidisciplinary team selected to complete the project, from conceptual design to construction documentation.  The design solution pioneered a “Complete Streets” approach, integrating fully accessible and sustainable design features, as well as a variety of public art forms to provide a distinctive journey to the city’s primary cultural destinations.  Whether traveling by foot, bike, wheelchair, rollerblades or Segway, users are able to safely navigate the urban environment in a green, park-like setting that promotes and enhances sustainability, mobility, and beautification.

At this year’s ceremony, The Indianapolis Cultural Trail also received the Honor Award in the  (re)thINk category, presented by the Indiana Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council in recognition of the project’s sustainable design, as well as additional awards for engineering, landscape architecture, public art, and downtown development.

To learn more about the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce’s Monumental Affair Awards program, click here to visit their website.

To learn more about the Indianapolis Cultural Trail, click here to visit their website.

Rundell Ernstberger Associates received International Making Cities Livable’s Urban Plaza Award for the design of Main Street Square in Rapid City, SD.  The award, presented to Deane Rundell at the 49th IMCL Conference in Portland, Oregon, gives recognition to REA’s design of “a lively, safe, multi-functional town square that in every season provides an inspiring focal point for the whole community, offering numerous reasons for all to gather, socialize and develop community.”

An integral part of downtown Rapid City’s revitalization effort, this central city park highlights the region’s history, culture and landscape forms through its materials, artworks, and overall character.  The central plaza is a versatile entertainment/festival venue that can be used year-round.

REA was commissioned by Destination Rapid City to lead the design efforts and provide urban design and landscape architecture services.  Deane Rundell, Eric Ernstberger, and Pete Andriot led REA’s design and project management efforts, which included the work of our multidisciplinary design team, featuring:
• FourFront Design, Inc.
• Skyline Engineering, LLC
• Albertson Engineering, Inc.
• Delta Fountains
• Haggerty’s Music
• Magic Ice USA
• Dale Lamphere

PARK(ing) Day, a project created in 2005 to increase awareness of the need for more urban open space, is an annual global event where metered parking spaces are temporarily transformed into open public space.   Following an established set of guidelines, participants create spaces tailored to the specific needs and values of their community, resulting in a wide variety of park themes featuring art, farming, politics, health care, free repair services, wedding venues, and the basic “tree-bench-sod” type.

REA’s Louisville office teamed up with Grisham Smith & Partners to create a ‘trails and greenways’ themed space near the front of REA’s office on Main Street.  The group incorporated a bicycle maintenance station into the space, complete with a tire pump, tire gauge, and tire patch kit for cyclists.   REA’s Southwest Greenways Master Plan brochure is being made available for passers-by, to help raise awareness of trails and greenways in the Louisville area.

For more information on PARK(ing) Day, and how you can participate, go to:   http://parkingday.org/about-parking-day/

Rundell Ernstberger Associates will participate in Greening the Heartland 2012 at the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis on May 16-18.   Representatives of the various interdependent disciplines and products of sustainability will present their visions and solutions for sustainable communities as part of this year’s theme, “Building Community.”  Among the speakers scheduled to give presentations at the conference are REA’s Kevin Osburn and Tricia Smallwood.

Kevin Osburn, a principal at REA, has over 20 years of experience in the planning and design of urban spaces, parks, pedestrian and bicycle transportation projects, and sustainable sites.  Recently, he has served as lead designer for the Indianapolis Cultural Trail, which will be the subject of his presentation:  The Indianapolis Cultural Trail:  A Model for 21^st Century Sustainable Transportation and Infrastructure Design.  The Cultural Trail has become a new icon for the City of Indianapolis, and has drawn global attention for its innovative design and transformative impact.

Tricia Smallwood, a landscape architect and associate at REA, has experience in a wide variety of projects including parks, trails, streetscapes and urban development sites.  Tricia will share her experience and expertise on sustainable site design at the session, The Efroymson Conservation Center:  Nature Conservancy of Indiana Goes Green in Downtown Indianapolis, along with Axis Architects.

For more information or to purchase tickets, go to www.greeningtheheartland.org.  We hope to see you there!

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