Events

Named in memory of A Better City’s founding director, the Norman B. Leventhal Awards recognize the leaders and innovators who have made significant contributions to our built environment. On Monday, December 9, 2024, A Better City will honor the following awardees:

• Distinguished Leader: James Keefe, Principal, Trinity Financial and Patrick Lee, Principal, Trinity Financial
• Environment: Dr. Atyia Martin, CEO and Founder, All Aces Inc.
• Land Use: John P. Sullivan, Chief Engineer, Boston Water and Sewer Commission
• Transportation: Gautam Sundaram, Practice Leader, Principal, ASLA, Perkins&Will and Kishore Varanasi, Senior Principal and Director of Urban Design, CBT Architects

Learn more about sponsorship opportunities here.

2023 Honorees | Watch Full Program

City Builder
Rick Dimino, President Emeritus of A Better City
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Environment
Kathy Abbott, President & CEO of Boston Harbor Now
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Distinguished Leader
Ted Landsmark, Distinguished Professor of Public Policy & Urban Affairs and Director of the Kitty and Michael Dukakis Center for Urban And Regional Policy at Northeastern
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Land Use
Alex Krieger, Professor Emeritus at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and Principal at NBBJ
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2023 SPONSORS

2022 HONOREES | WATCH FULL PROGRAM

City Builder
Hubie Jones, Dean Emeritus, Boston University School of Social Work
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Environment
Mindy S. Lubber, CEO & President, Ceres
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Land Use
David P. Manfredi, CEO & Founding Principal, Elkus Manfredi Architects
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Transportation
Alan A. Altshuler, Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus, Harvard University
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2022 SPONSORS

2021 Honorees | WATCH FULL PROGRAM

City Builder
Vivien Li, Past President, The Boston Harbor Association
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Environment
The Honorable Charlie Baker, Governor, Commonwealth of Massachusetts
The Honorable Karen E. Spilka, Senate President, Massachusetts State Senate
The Honorable Ronald J. Mariano, Speaker of the House, Massachusetts House of Representatives
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Land Use
M. David Lee, President, Stull and Lee, Inc. 
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Transportation
Mary Skelton Roberts, Senior Vice President, Programs, Energy Foundation
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2021 SPONSORS

 

2020 HONOREES

City Builder 
Paul Grogan, President & CEO, The Boston Foundation 
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Environment
Gina McCarthy, President, Natural Resources Defense Council
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Land Use
L. Duane Jackson,  Managing Member, Alinea Capital Partners
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Transportation
Joseph Aiello, Fiscal Management Control Board Chair, MBTA
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2020 SPONSORS

 

2019 HONOREES

Infrastructure 
Joe Albanese, Founder & CEO of Commodore Builders 
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Environment 
L. Rafael Reif President of MIT & the MIT Sustainability Team
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Land Development 
Rosemarie Sansone, President & CEO of the Downtown Boston Business Improvement District 
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Lifetime Achievement
Ambassador Raymond Flynn
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2019 SPONSORS

 

2018 HONOREES

Transportation 
Robin Chase, Co-Founder of Zipcar and Veniam

Land Development 

Ronald Druker, President of the Druker Company

Environment
Valerie Roberson, President of Roxbury Community College. Valerie's award was accepted on her behalf by Deborah Adesiji. 

2018 SPONSORS 

 

2017 HONOREES

Visionary 
Mayor Marty Walsh, City of Boston 

Transportation 
Thomas Tinlin, Former Highway Administrator, MassDOT

Land Development
Robert Beal, Former President, Related Beal

Environment
Cathy Douglas Stone, Former Chief of Environmental Services, City of Boston

2017 Sponsors

 

2016 HONOREES

Transportation
Thomas Glynn, Chief Executive Officer, Massport

Land Development
Cambridge Innovation Center
Brian Dacey, President
Tim Rowe, Chief Executive Officer

Environment
University of Massachusetts Boston
Ellen Douglas PhD, Associate Professor
Paul Kirshen PhD, Professor 

 

2015 Honorees

Distinguished Leadership
Governor Michael Dukakis

Transportation
Michael Capuano, US Representative, 7th Congressional District of Massachusetts

Land Development
John Drew, President & CEO, Drew Company Inc.

Environment
Boston Medical Center

Kate Walsh, President & CEO
Robert Biggio, Vice President of Facilities & Support Services

 

2014 Honorees

Transportation
Robert A. DeLeo, Massachusetts House of Representatives
Therese Murray, Massachusetts Senate
Stephen M. Brewer, Senate Committee on Ways and Means
Thomas M. McGee, Joint Committee on Transportation
Brian S. Dempsey, House Committee on Ways and Means
William M. Straus, Joint Committee on Transportation

Land Development
Steven B. Samuels, Samuels & Associates

Environment
Frederick A. Laskey, Massachusetts Water Resources Authority

Distinguished Leadership
Deval L. Patrick, Governor, Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

2013 Honorees

Transportation
Fred Salvucci, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Land Development
Thomas J. Hynes Jr., Colliers International

Environment
Gary L. Gottlieb, M.D., Partners Healthcare

Lifetime Achievement
Thomas M. Menino, Mayor, City of Boston

 

2012 Honorees

Transportation
Jane Garvey, Meridiam Infrastructure

Land Development
Lawrence Cancro, Boston Red Sox

Environment
Amos Hostetter, Pilot House Associates (Continental Cablevision)

 

2011 Honorees

Transportation
Frank DePaola, MassDOT (Accelerated Bridge Program & Fast 14 I-93 Rapid Bridge Replacement Project)

Land Development
Thomas M. Menino, Mayor, City of Boston

Environment
Bryan Koop, Boston Properties, Inc.

History of Norman B. Leventhal and the Awards

Mr. Leventhal, who was born in 1917 and raised in Boston, was recognized many times throughout his life for contributions to the built environment in Boston, including Center Plaza, Rowes Wharf, South Station, One Post Office Square, the Hotel Meridien and affordable housing. He was the founding chairman of A Better City (formerly known as the Artery Business Committee) and championed the organization's transition to focusing on a larger breadth of initiatives in the Boston area following the completion of the Central Artery Tunnel Project.

In 1945, Normal Leventhal co-founded Beacon Construction Company, which grew to become an award-winning developer and manager of office buildings, affordable housing and hotels. 

In 1997, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino named the park in Post Office Square “Norman B. Leventhal Park” in recognition of his leadership of the Friends of Post Office Square and in the demolition and revitalization of what was previously a multi-story parking garage. 

In 2003, Mr. Leventhal, in partnership with the Boston Public Library, established The Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the Boston Public Library. The Map Center is dedicated to education through the use of maps and provides public access to the Center’s extensive collection of 250,000 maps and atlases.

In 2007, Mr. Leventhal was inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and Mayor Menino formally designated The Walk to the Sea as the “Norman B. Leventhal Walk to the Sea” in recognition of his role in shaping the new Boston. He served as a life member emeritus of the MIT Corporation. He was a board member and former chairman of the Friends of Post Office Square and Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital.

In 2011, A Better City hosted the first Norman B. Leventhal Awards ceremony to honor those in the Boston region who continued Norman's legacy of impact on the city's growth and quality of life. He passed away in 2015 at the age of 97, having left an indelible mark on Boston's public space and built environment.

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