Hession announces urban design competition

It couldn’t have been better scripted in Hollywood. Chirping birds provided the soundtrack, and late morning outdoor-café patrons served as unintentional extras when the mayor announced Tuesday a competition intended to create similar scenarios.

The Urban Design Awards program is part of the city’s long-term comprehensive plan to create more livable neighborhoods and give Spokane an increasingly attractive feel, full of cobblestone pedestrian walkways and historic awnings. The Design Review Committee will take applications through Aug. 6 and provide recommendations to Mayor Dennis Hession who will announce the winners in September.

“We are putting a lot of energy into the issues that face us,” said the mayor as he stood on tree-lined Wall Street in downtown Spokane. “But we also should focus on the positive, and the downtown has been key to the success of Spokane,” he said, explaining that he hoped this revitalization would spread beyond River Park Square.

The entries, completed within the past 15 years, will be judged on a number of factors including their sustainability, originality, safety, flexibility and connection to the Spokane region. The mayor will bestow three awards of recognition including a “People’s Choice Award,” and the committee will name three other ones worthy of special recognition.

Hession pointed out the steaming mug signage on the Thomas Hammer Coffee Roasters next door and the refurbished brick building across the street. “It creates a new flair and it’s a sustainability we want as time goes by,” he said.

Julie Neff, an urban designer with the city, remembers Spokane’s crumbling sidewalks and dark streets as recently as four years ago. She hopes the program will serve as additional encouragement.

“This helps create momentum,” Neff said. “The public image is important to economic growth, and we want people to see Spokane as an attractive place to spend time and money.”