Broad-based participation and collaboration are two keys to urban excellence, according to Sustaining Urban Excellence: Learning from the Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence 1987-1993. The new book highlights conclusions drawn from revisits to 21 urban places -- areas where people live, work, and recreate -- that were finalists and winners of the Rudy Bruner Award (RBA) a few years earlier.

"Since 1987, the Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence has sought to identify and recognize urban places, which, often against insurmountable odds, have made major contributions to the quality of life in American cities," says Simeon Bruner of the Bruner Foundation, Inc.

Supported by HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research and the Bruner Foundation, site visitors examined how these urban places withstood the test of time, how they evolved in the face of changing circumstances, and what can be learned from them. The book examines factors such as leadership succession, participatory democracy, the role of the public and private sectors, and design qualities.

Site visitors found that virtually every RBA winner has placed a priority on maintaining high constituency support. Recognition by public decisionmakers of citizen groups allowed the groups to become valuable civic resources. In Lincoln, Nebraska, the organizing of several community groups against a planned urban highway turned the previously purchased right-of-way into parks and bike paths. The existing political system incorporated the grassroots groups involved in this activity and the city government now consults them on other projects.

The projects most successful at creating and maintaining urban excellence usually relied on continuing collaboration between people and organizations from the public, private, and nonprofit fields. For example, in Quality Hill -- a deteriorated historic district adjacent to downtown Kansas City, Missouri -- a private developer structured a partnership with the city and 20 local companies, including the Hallmark Foundation and several banks, to bring the area back to life. This partnership invested $4 million, establishing initial momentum for other projects in the area.

Site visitors found other factors leading to sustained excellence, such as quality design, successful leadership succession, and the ability to adapt to changing circumstances. Sustaining Urban Excellence: Learning from the Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence 1987-1993 is available from HUD USER for $5. Please use the order form to obtain copies.