2024 Greening & Public Realm Awards
The Greening and Public Realm Awards celebrate outstanding greening and placemaking in downtown Minneapolis and you get to help decide the winners! Downtown has a growing network of active parks, green streets, welcoming sidewalk cafes, and grassroots projects, and the Mpls Downtown Improvement District wants the people behind that work to get the recognition they deserve. By voting for great downtown places, large and small, you can help inspire our community to cultivate a greener and more vibrant downtown.
Voting for the finalists of the 2024 Greening & Public Realm Awards is now open! Click here to vote.
2023 Greening & Public Realm Award Winners
Small Green Space
- Winner: Minneapolis College
- Finalists: Mpls Convention Center Plaza, James I. Rice Park, RBC Gateway Plaza
Large Green Space
- Winner: Loring Greenway
- Finalists: Water Works Park, The Commons, Gold Medal Park
Public Art
- Winners: Rising by Richard Hunt
- Finalists: Mpls Sculpture Garden, Prince Mural by Hiero Veiga, The Alley Project
Activated Space
- Winner: Peavey Plaza
- Finalists: Nicollet Mall, The Commons, Government Center South Plaza
Streetscape
- Winner: Hennepin Avenue (Reconstruction)
- Finalists: Mpls Convention Center, Washington Avenue, 4th Street
Entryway and Outdoor Café Greening
- Winner: Café and Bar Lurcat
- Finalists: Gai Noi, Barrio, The Freehouse
Public Realm Improvement
- Winner: The Alley Project
- Finalists: Father Hennepin Bluff Park, Gai Noi, Warehouse District Live, Cambria/Fairfield Hotels
Best Neighborhood
- Winner: Loring Park
- Finalists: Elliot Park, North Loop, Nicollet Island/East Bank, Downtown East and West
Congratulations to our 2023 Adopt a Rain Garden award winners: Stantec for Super Volunteer Award, Quinn for Most Improved Garden, and Paul C. for the Best Garden Name!
About Greening & Public Realm Awards
The Annual Greening and Public Realm Awards are an initiative of the Mpls Downtown Improvement District to celebrate the outstanding examples of private greening and placemaking happening in downtown Minneapolis, and are intended to inspire all to work towards making downtown a greener and more vibrant place. Unlike the world-class park system that weaves thru our city’s neighborhoods, downtown is lacking in parks and green space to support our growing residential, business and visitor populations. We believe if each building in downtown was to place a single entryway planter on their property, the impact on the public realm would be tremendous and the work done by Mpls DID, Minneapolis Park Board and others would be strengthened.
By participating in the Annual Greening and Public Realm Awards you can help recognize the properties, businesses, and community groups who have created and maintained greening projects that contribute to a more beautiful downtown.
