Allentown residents know the West End Theatre District is a great neighborhood and the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Planning Association enthusiastically agrees!\u00a0 The PCAPA is recognizing the West End Theatre District as a 2014 Great Places Award winner in the Great Neighborhoods category.<\/p>\n
According to the PCAPA, \u201cGreat Places are unique, memorable places that work not only for their community, but as a model others want to emulate \u2013 places of exemplary character, quality, planning, identity, cultural interest, and community involvement with a sustainable vision for tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe city has made considerable investment into the West End Theatre District\u2019s streetscaping and infrastructure,\u201d said Mayor Ed Pawlowski.\u00a0 \u201cThis neighborhood is the city\u2019s western gateway.\u00a0 It is attractive, appealing and pedestrian friendly and very deserving of the PCAPA recognition.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Association\u2019s website, describes the West End Theatre District \u201cas an eclectic mix of single homes, ranging from 1910-1930 Colonial Revival to 1960\u2019s mid-century modern, and is host to a variety of retail stores, restaurants and several cultural gems.\u00a0 The Civic Theatre, a 1928 art-deco building that hosts live performances, anchors the burgeoning business district of this traditional, walkable neighborhood.\u00a0 Another gem, the Allentown Fairgrounds Farmer\u2019s Market, is one of the last places in the Lehigh Valley where farmers and merchants can sell fresh goods weekly.\u00a0 The Fairgrounds property also hosts The Great Allentown Fair each August, drawing over one million people annually to experience agriculture, fun, food, and entertainment.\u00a0 Culturally rich, business friendly, and ethnically diverse, the West End Theatre District is a leading Allentown neighborhood and a destination for residents, visitors, college students, entrepreneurs, and artisans.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pam Shellenberger, AICP, York County Planning Commission and Chair of the Great Places Initiative, said that four neighborhoods and three public spaces are being honored from a total of 27 nominations in this the first year of the award program.\u00a0 A panel of eight judges from across the state reviewed the nominations and selected the winners.<\/p>\n
A certificate will be presented to the city and the West End Alliance at a later date.<\/p>\n
The PA Chapter of APA (PA APA) is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization for the promotion of planning, and for professional planners and planning officials in the Commonwealth. The organization is a chapter of the American Planning Association (APA). It was created in 1985 by the consolidation of three separate chapters of the APA in Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania Planning Association. It has approximately 3,000 members.<\/p>\n
Press Release Provided by:
\nMike Moore
\nCommunications Manager
\nMayor\u2019s Office
\n435 Hamilton Street
\nAllentown, PA 18101
\nMike.Moore@allentownpa.gov<\/p>\n
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