Last Friday, June 8, approximately 600 city leaders and community development professionals gathered on the lakefront to celebrate the fourth annual Vibrant City Awards. Spearheaded by Cleveland Neighborhood Progress and sponsored by KeyBank, the annual awards ceremony recognizes the best in Cleveland’s neighborhood revitalization efforts.

This year’s winners included:

Northeast Ohio Area Coordinating Agency (NOACA) received the Vibrant City Impact Award for its forward-thinking transportation-related services and programs.

Bobbi Reichtell, who recently retired from Campus District, Inc., received the 2018 Morton L. Mandel Leadership in Community Development Award. The award recognized her four decades of service in neighborhood development.

Famicos Foundation won the CDC Community Collaboration Award for its Glenville Arts Campus project, which was developed in conjunction with the upcoming FRONT International: Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art. The campus consists of the Madison (a live-work space for artists-in-residence) and the FRONT Porch, a site for community programming and public meetings.

Slavic Village Development won the CDC Placemaking Award for its Fleet Avenue Revival initiative, which is transforming the area into a thriving business community via a new $9 million streetscape and rebranding as a “maker district.”

Burten Bell Carr Development won the CDC Economic Opportunity Award for its Arbor Park Place project, which debuted in 2005 as the first large-scale retail development project in the Central neighborhood in over 40 years. In 2017, BBC undertook a series of capital improvements and upgrades to refresh the center’s exterior and enhance the shopping experience.

Midtown Cleveland Inc. won the CDC Neighborhood Branding & Marketing Award for its “Town” campaign, which explored and advanced the various identities of the neighborhood.

Sustainable Community Associates won the Urban Developer Award for its work on projects including the Fairmont Creamery, The Ohio Awning Building, and the soon-to-open Mueller Lofts in St. Clair-Superior.

Community leader Marilyn Burns won the Civic Champion Award for her dedication to advancing health equity and tenants’ rights in the Buckeye neighborhood.

Congratulations to all of the 2018 Vibrant City Awards winners on being recognized for their important work in moving Cleveland forward!

Cleveland Neighborhood Progress also debuted a new video, "This Is Where I Live," at the event. Check it out: