By Jocelyn Bogen
February 14, 2005

2005 CITY LIVABILITY TIMELINE March 7, 2005: Initial Applications Due April 1, 2005: Announcement of Finalist Cities April 29, 2005: Finalists- Applications Due June 11, 2005: City Livability Awards Announced in Chicago at 73rd Annual Conference of Mayors

The United States Conference of Mayors-Waste Management 2005 City Livability Awards Program opened in early February with the mailing of the application and guidelines to mayors of cities of 30,000 or more.

"The City Livability Awards showcase the creativity and leadership of mayors as they strive to improve the quality of life in their communities while working to meet the challenges our urban areas face. Now in its 26th year, the City Livability Awards program celebrates and honors our nation's mayors with the recognition they so richly deserve," said Conference of Mayors President Akron Mayor Donald L. Plusquellic.

In the words of David Steiner, Chief Executive Officer of Waste Management, "Waste Management employees work continuously to help improve the quality of life in cities across the U.S. We are proud of our partnership with the Conference and this is our 16th year sponsoring the City Livability Awards. The Awards continue to serve as a driving force for change, lifting up the standard of living for families who live and work in our nation's cities."

City Livability Awards honor mayors and their cities for outstanding programs that contribute to the quality of life of their citizens. Participating cities will submit an initial application of 500 words, due on Monday, March 7th, which briefly describes their program, and indicates when and why it was created, how it has improved the quality of life of the community, and why it is outstanding or innovative.

From these initial applications, about 20 finalist cities in each of two population categories will be selected. These finalist cities will then submit a more detailed application, due on April 29. An independent panel of judges will select the winners in late May. Award winners will be announced in June at the 73rd Annual Conference of Mayors in Chicago

The 20 City Livability Awards are presented in two population categories — ten Awards to cities of less than 100,000 people, ten for cities of 100,000 or more.

Every municipality in the United States is eligible to nominate one or more city government programs in any policy area, regardless of whether the municipality has applied for or received a City Livability Award in previous years. All programs initiated by the city government are eligible, including those developed and implemented in cooperation with private sector and/or community group participation.

Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr., last year's recipient of the First-Place City Livability Award for cities over 100,000, said, "The small details and annoyances can greatly affect the quality of life for the residents of a city. Barking dogs, overgrown lots and litter are concerns which cities have to deal with on a daily basis. What the City of Charleston found was that when these problems are thrown in with major issues in a court system, they tend to be overshadowed and not taken seriously. When we created Livability Court, we created a system which focuses on the issues which affect livability for a resident. The object is to solve the problem, not just punish the offenders by using constructive conflict resolution along with the power of a court system. We appreciate the recognition by the U.S. Conference of Mayors and are proud of this innovative and efficient program.

Santa Barbara Mayor Marty Blum, who received the First-Place Award in 2004 for cities under 100,000 stated, "We are proud of the award we received last year for the Casa de Las Fuentes housing project which addresses the jobs and housing imbalance that threatens our local economy. Under the program, properties are developed downtown, enabling residents to walk, bus, or bike easily to work, shop and access everyday services. The carefully selected sites are suitable for high-density residential development in order to maximize efficiency and employ -'smart growth-- policies. Strict limitations on employment location and automobile ownership succeed in creating solutions to traffic, parking and pollution. It is a setting for people to comfortably exist in a city that depends on the service worker, but demands almost 50 times their annual salary to purchase a home and over 60 % of their monthly income for a typical rent. Lease restrictions require tenants to work downtown and own only one car per household, thereby mitigating traffic and parking impacts and promoting the use of alternate means of transportation. The City and the Housing Authority are currently working together on a new 60-unit downtown worker housing project nearby that will start construction next year."

thly income for a typical rent. Lease restrictions require tenants to work downtown and own only one car per household, thereby mitigating traffic and parking impacts and promoting the use of alternate means of transportation. The City and the Housing Authority are currently working together on a new 60-unit downtown worker housing project nearby that will start construction next year."