A downtown is the business district of the community. It generally provides various uses, including, but not necessarily limited to, retail stores, offices, government buildings, theaters, housing, parking facilities, public spaces, and other features that draw residents and visitors.

Characteristics of a Great Downtown include:

• Functions as the centerpiece in the everyday life of the community. It offers an array of places where people come to conduct business, meet their daily needs, go shopping, meet friends, and relax.
• Enjoys a reputation for excellence that reaches well beyond the community’s boundaries. It attracts visitors from a distance that reflects its physical size.
• Possesses tremendous vitality, with lots of people not just during the day but also in the evening and on the weekends.  
• Offers special events and attractions throughout the year.
• Provides accessible transportation, walkability, parking, and parking alternatives.
• Receives support from the community to attract, retain, and grow businesses. Examples: “Buy Local” campaigns and façade improvement programs.

A public space may be a gathering spot or part of a neighborhood, downtown, special district, waterfront, or another area within the public realm that helps promote social interaction and a sense of community. Examples include plazas, town squares, parks, marketplaces, public commons and malls, public greens, piers, special areas within convention centers or grounds, sites within public buildings, concourses, or public spaces within private buildings.

Characteristics of a Great Public Space include:

• Offers high-quality attractions and amenities.
• It promotes social activity and creates a sense of community and neighborliness.
• It is safe, welcoming, and accommodating for all users. Encourages use and interaction among a diverse cross-section of the public.
• It has a unique character that makes it extraordinary or memorable.
  • Has design and architectural features that are visually interesting.
  • Reflects the local culture or history.
  • Relates well to surrounding areas and uses.

A street comprises a three-dimensional visual corridor, including how it relates to the adjacent development. Submissions should document the street’s character, form, and function. Streets of different types are eligible, ranging from pedestrian to arterial roadways, but each should have definable characteristics. Emphasis is placed on streets that service and consider all users —auto, pedestrian, bicycle, or transit riders. 

Characteristics of a Great Street include:

• Balances the competing needs of the street — driving, transit, walking, cycling, servicing, parking, drop-offs, etc. with that of adjoining land uses.
• Capitalizes on natural features and the context in which it resides.
• Creates an atmosphere using design and architectural features. Such features should reflect the local culture or history.
• Encourages social activities such as festivals, parades, and open-air markets.
• Employs hardscape, landscape, street furniture, or other physical elements to create ambiance and atmosphere.
• Promotes safety of pedestrians and vehicles and promotes use over the 24-hour day.
• It is well maintained and capable of being maintained without excessive costs.
• Has a memorable character.
• To the extent feasible, it promotes sustainability through minimizing runoff, reusing water, ensuring groundwater quality, minimizing heat islands, and responding to climatic demands.

A neighborhood is a geographic unit within the municipality typically bordered by significant physical features, either natural or manufactured. Residents share the use of public facilities such as schools and shopping areas that facilitate social interactions. The neighborhood may be known by a commonly recognized name. Neighborhoods within municipalities of different types are eligible for nomination: downtown, urban, suburban, exurban, town, or small village.

Characteristics of a Great Neighborhood include:

• It has a memorable character that reflects the community’s overall personality and local history but sets itself apart from other neighborhoods.
• Design and architectural features are visually attractive. Older neighborhoods have retained their historic charm.
• It has a variety of functional attributes that contribute to a resident’s day-to-day living (i.e., residential, commercial, or mixed-uses).
• Accommodates a variety of modes of transportation (i.e., pedestrians, bicycles, cars) and provides access to multiple destinations that serve its residents.
• Encourages social activity and creates a sense of community and neighborliness.
• Provides and maintains a safe, secure environment (e.g., traffic calming, neighborhood watch organization, Safe Routes to School program). 
• Promotes sustainability and responds to climatic demands.