On Thursday, October 4, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz joined the Fifth Avenue Committee and local civic leaders and lawmakers at the Grand Army Plaza entrance to Prospect Park to accept a certificate from the American Planning Association (APA) naming Park Slope as one of the top 10 great neighborhoods in America.

Park Slope was designated as one of 10 Great Neighborhoods for 2007 through The American Planning Association’s Great Places in America program. Park Slope was selected for its architectural and historical features, its diverse mix of residents and businesses, all of which are supported and preserved by its active and involved citizenry headed by groups such as the Fifth Avenue Committee, according to the APA.

“Park Slope is a more than just a neighborhood, it’s like a city within a city—with its historic brownstones, fine stores and eateries, music schools, creative arts, strong civic and block associations, houses of worship for all our diverse faiths, established tradition of progressive politics and activism, and a family-friendly spirit that has earned it the title of ‘stroller derby’ capital of New York City,” said Brooklyn Borough President Markowitz. “Of course, there is our beautiful Prospect Park and all that makes Park Slope one of the greenest and environmentally-conscious neighborhoods in America. When it comes to recycling compliance in the city, Park Slope is number one. And let’s not forget its community-supported agriculture, public school recycling programs, condo green roofs and green retailers. Park Slope truly has it all!”

“It’s official: Park Slope is a great place to live,” said Michelle de la Uz, Executive Director of Fifth Avenue Committee, a community advocacy group for nearly 30 years. “After all the hard work long time residents and FAC has done to make it so great, this community deserves the recognition.”

The APA selected neighborhoods using many unique criteria, including architectural features, accessibility, functionality, and community involvement. APA also recognizes the unique and authentic attributes of essential building blocks of great communities—streets, neighborhoods, and public spaces.  A certificate was awarded to de la Uz and Markowitz at the ceremony by APA Region I Director David Woods.

“Park Slope is a testament to the value of economic, architectural and cultural diversity,” said APA Executive Director Paul Farmer, FAICP. “APA is pleased to single out Park Slope as a model for other neighborhoods.”

Fifth Avenue Committee (FAC) and other local community advocacy organizations have worked to keep the community affordable and improve the quality of life for local residents, according to the APA.  Issues addressed by residents in the past include changes to local zoning ordinances that would be more in keeping with the adjoining low-scale buildings while also allowing multi-family housing to be built along Fourth Avenue.

As part of the APA’s selection process for America's 10 Great Neighborhoods, APA recognized FAC's work in Park Slope over the last three decades to help the community be a more affordable, inclusive place. FAC has developed over 400 units of affordable housing in Park Slope, and revitalized dozens of storefronts, leasing them to local women and minority-owned businesses.

Reclaimed after being abandoned in the 1960s, the neighborhood still retains much of the architecture that defined it 100 years ago. Architectural historian and Columbia University professor Andrew Dolkart notes that there is no “finer and more intact collection of late 19th-century row houses than Park Slope.”

At the northeast corner of the neighborhood is Grand Army Plaza, an Olmsted and Vaux design. Dramatically sited at the confluence of Flatbush Avenue and Eastern Parkway is the main branch of the Brooklyn Public Library while around the corner is the Brooklyn Museum, which also is adjacent to the 52-acre Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

The nine other APA Great Neighborhoods for 2007 include: Chatham Village, Pittsburgh, PA; Eastern Market Neighborhood, Washington, DC; Elmwood Village, Buffalo, NY; The First Addition Neighborhood, Lake Oswego, OR; Hillcrest, San Diego, CA; North Beach, San Francisco, CA; Old West Austin, Austin, Texas; Pike Place Market Neighborhood, Seattle, WA; and West Urbana, Urbana, IL. For more information about these neighborhoods, and the list of APA's 10 Great Streets for 2007, visit www.planning.org/greatplaces.

This year’s 10 Great Streets and Great Neighborhoods will be celebrated as part of APA’s National Community Planning Month, in October 2007, designed to recognize and celebrate the many residents, leaders, officials, and professionals who contribute to making great communities. For more about National Community Planning Month, visit www.planning.org/ncpm.