CivicCon Award Nominees

This represents the work of an individual or an organization to create a great public space for anyone in the community to enjoy. The nominee can be from the public or private sector. If from the private sector, then the availability of the space for the public shouldn’t be linked directly to being a patron. The best placemaking usually results in others following with private investment to continue to lift the immediate area, block or neighborhood. Past CivicCon speakers Ed McMahon, Charles Montgomery, Peter Kageyama, Gena Wirth from SCAPE and others have given inspiration for great placemaking and the community benefits for quality of life and economic prosperity.

Work by an individual or organization that results in better water or air for a part or all the community. The award could also be for working for more public trees either in a neighborhood or for the community at large or for efforts to clean up an environmentally damaged area within Escambia and/or Santa Rosa counties. Those nominated may have drawn inspiration from Lyssa Hall, Dr. Bill Fisher or Gina Wirth and the SCAPE team

Who has done the most to improve a neighborhood, strengthen a neighborhood association or help others launch their neighborhood association? The late Jay Walljasper, an early CivicCon speaker, leaves a trail of ideas and examples of neighborhoods getting better (as did Ed McMahon, Charles Montgomery and Peter Kageyama).

Jeff Speck is a major voice for makes streets walkable and safe for pedestrians. Mikael Colville-Andersen has earned the title “the Pope of Urban Cycling.” Both were CivicCon speakers that taught that streets are for people and not cars – cars just share the space with pedestrians and people on bicycles. Narrow the lanes and lower speed limits and everyone is safer. Who leads in these areas in our community?

So many CivicCon speakers are proponents of local government not hiding what it is doing but rather inviting community members into the process and listening to their wisdom. It started with Gov. Bob Graham and continued with James Fallows, Joe Riley and most recently Valerie Lemmie. Is it a local government staff member, an elected official, a journalist or an organization that deserves this award?

We have heard talk about “equality” in our country for generations. Only recently has the conversation become louder for “equity.” CivicCon attendees have learned the critical difference and seen great examples from CivicCon speakers such as Emily Talen, Jill Miller and Mardia Shands. Who has done the most to forward equity in our community?

Downtown’s turnaround hasn’t been a one-person achievement. Each new inspired addition to the downtown landscape has added up all together into a downtown that keeps getting better and better. Some of these were new construction and some were key reclamation projects. Who should be credited with the best new addition to downtown in 2021?

Chuck Marohn, founder of Strong Towns, holds the honor of being the first CivicCon speaker. He still travels around the country teaching the good sense of in-fill projects in vacant or underutilized space and the good sense it makes to take advantage of existing sewer and water and utility infrastructure rather than pushing into suburban areas requiring community investment and ultimately additional infrastructure maintenance costs. Who has done something that Chuck Marohn and Strong Towns would tout?

One of our CivicCon Founding Members will be recognized for consistent attendance and involvement with the CivicCon Speaker Series, the Civic Engagement Courses or community involvement that has been inspired by CivicCon. There are many loyal members. Let us know who you think deserves special recognition.

This award is for an individual that best embodies the spirit of civic engagement and shows an appreciation for learning best practices and dedication to improving the quality of life for others.