Davenport's "Gold Coast" earns national honors

[bettman]

http://qctimes.com/news/local/gold-coas ... 03286.html

Davenport’s Gold Coast/Hamburg Historic District neighborhood has been chosen one of 10 “Great Neighborhoods” for 2011 by the American Planning Association.

The announcement was made Tuesday morning on the lawn of the Beiderbecke Inn, the Gothic-style home that once belonged to the grandparents of jazz great Bix Beiderbecke, with a sunny view of the Mississippi River and the Centennial Bridge.

Gold Coast is Davenport's answer to the Broadway historic district in Rock Island, although Gold Coast has a more scenic topography. Both neighborhoods have much work ahead of them, but considering how far they've come over the past 20 years, it looks like their respective residents are up to the task.

[DMRyan]

Good for Iowa in landing two of these American Planning Association "Great Places Awards." Before this year, Iowa had zero locations on the list. Davenport actually submitted Vandeveer Park for the award also, but was denied.

Here's a link to a previous photo thread showing a little of the flavor of the Gold Coast/Hamburg Neighborhood:

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=3399&p=59191#p59191

[DMRyan]

One other nugget of American Planning Association interest to share, the Upper Midwest Regional Planner's Conference is holding their annual conference in Davenport later this month. Planners and those associated with the industry will likely attend from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, and perhaps Nebraska and South Dakota. Sounds like there's a few great tours setup to showcase the metro, particularly the riverfronts.