News Releases

 BINGHAMTON, NY – A collaborative project between Binghamton University, the City of Binghamton and the United Way of Broome County is in the running for the Philips Livable Cities Award and organizers are urging the community to ‘bring out the vote.’

'Titled “Design Your Own Park” (DYOP) competition, the Binghamton project invites neighborhood groups to turn neglected urban spaces into community places of their own design. According to DYOP organizers, by taking the lead in designing, building, and maintaining their own parks, neighborhoods are empowered to keep the positive momentum going by taking charge of other challenging issues in their communities.

The DYOP was launched 2010 by Binghamton University's ‘Binghamton Neighborhood Project,’ and currently five park initiatives are underway. The goal is to eventually install parks throughout the city. 

The Philips Livable Cities Award is a global competition designed to support ideas that improve the quality of life within cities. Over 450 entries were received and Binghamton’s DYOP entry is one of only nine projects to have made it into the final round. 

The top three entries will win cash prizes of 75,000, 25,000, and 25,000 Euros respectively. Winning entries will also be featured on CNN and highlighted on the Livable Cities Award website. The final judging will be made by an international panel of urban issues experts, who will consider a public vote as part of their decision.  Voting takes place on the Livable Cities Award website.

DYOP organizers are hoping that the community will participate in the voting process to ensure that the Binghamton project finishes in the top three. They also hope that the success of the Binghamton project will encourage other communities around the world to adopt similar programs. If the project receives an award, all of the winnings will go directly to the implementation of local parks.

Contacts:

Binghamton University:

David Sloan Wilson (Director of BNP): dwilson@binghamton.edu

Robert Kadar (Graduate student): rkadar1@binghamton.edu

City of Binghamton:

Tarik Abdelazim (City of Binghamton): tabdelazim@cityofbinghamton.com

United Way:

Phill Ginter (United Way): PGinter@uwbroome.org

Key organizers:

Rusty Keeler (Park Designer): rusty@earthplay.net

Marylou Rutkowski (Sunflower Park): Marylour2007@aol.com

Mary Webster (Edwards Street Intersection Project): antiques@marywebster.com