MINNEAPOLIS (August 28, 2018) — The Mpls Downtown Improvement District (DID) today announced the public voting for the 9th annual Greening & Public Realm Awards is now open.

The Greening Awards, a DID initiative since 2010, celebrate outstanding examples of greening and placemaking that improve public space in Downtown Minneapolis. Winners will be selected by public vote at mplsdid.com/greeningawards. The vote will be open Aug. 28 through Sept. 14.

This year, 36 finalists were selected from more than 60 unique nominees through an interactive public nomination process. These finalists were divided into 12 categories based on the project’s characteristics and size. Among the finalists selected were 15 new nominees—a continued sign of the growing diversity of greening in the downtown area—as well as 14 past winners. Seven of last year’s 12 winners are nominated again this year—including eight-time winner Loring Greenway.

“Our greening awards finalists annually highlight the incredible variety and breadth of public and private greening we enjoy here in our downtown,” said Steve Cramer, Mpls Downtown Improvement District President & CEO. “Thank you to all who enhance our public realm through your efforts—going above and beyond to help make our downtown welcoming and extraordinary.”

Winners will receive a commemorative Greening Award created by Wood from the Hood, a Minneapolis-based company that reclaims discarded trees from urban neighborhoods and creates high-quality wood products. Each award will display the year the award was issued.

The DID Greening Awards are intended to inspire all to work toward making downtown greener and more vibrant. DID’s mission through the Greening Awards is to encourage all downtown businesses and organizations to participate in the greening effort.

The public is encouraged to vote by visiting mplsdid.com/greeningawards and clicking on the interactive vote link. Each category will showcase the finalists along with a photo of each location for easy viewing and identification. This year’s 12 categories include the following finalists:



Small Activated Space

• 100 Washington
• Colonial Warehouse Alleyway*
• Kieran’s Irish Pub

Small Green Space

• Hennepin Healthcare Pocket Park*
• Target Plaza, South Entry
• Westminster Presbyterian Church

Large Activated Space

• Hennepin County Government Center North & South Plazas
• Nicollet*
• The Commons

Large Green Space

• Cancer Survivors Park
• Loring Greenway
• Triangle Park

Façade Greening

• Lenox Brownstones*
• Mills Fleet Farm Parking Garage
• The Local

Public Art

• 5th & Hennepin Mini Mural*
• Carry On Homes by Peng Wu, Zoe Cinel, Shunjie Yong, Preston Drum and Aki Shibata*
• Nicollet Lanterns by Blessing Hancock*
• Prairie Tree by Ned Kahn*

Outdoor Café

• Brit’s Pub
• Eastside*
• Haskell’s Wine Bar*
• The News Room*

Streetscape Greening

• Fulton Taproom
• Kraus Anderson Development*
• Millwright

Streetscape Green Infrastructure

• Minneapolis Convention Center
• Nicollet
• Washington Avenue S*

Entryway Greening

• Aloft Minneapolis
• HQ Apartments*
• Mpls DID Pop-up Satellite Office*

Public Realm Improvement

• Carry On Homes by Peng Wu, Zoe Cinel, Shunjie Yong, Preston Drum and Aki Shibata*
• Colonial Warehouse Alleyway
• Haskell’s Wine Bar
• Hennepin Healthcare Pocket Park
• Kraus Anderson Development
• Nicollet Redesign
• Nicollet Lanterns by Blessing Hancock
• The News Room
• Washington Ave S Redesign
• Westminster Presbyterian Church

Best Neighborhood

• Downtown East
• Downtown West
• Elliot Park
• Loring Park
• North Loop

*-New Nominee in this category

The public is encouraged to not only vote on a winner for each category but to also celebrate greening on social media year-round. Send your greening photos to @MplsDID on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #GreenAwardsMpls.

For more information, visit www.mplsdid.com/greeningawards.

About the Mpls Downtown Improvement District:
Founded in early 2009 by the downtown business community, the Mpls DID delivers higher levels of service to make downtown cleaner, greener, safer and more vibrant throughout a 120-block area. It is funded almost exclusively by the commercial property owners of downtown Mpls, and it is the largest Business Improvement District in the state of Minnesota. For more information, visit www.mplsdid.com.