Bethlehem, Pa. — September 6, 2017 — In June, the SteelStacks arts and cultural campus in South Bethlehem received the Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence Gold Medal, a national award including a $50,000 prize to be applied to the maintenance of the campus.

On Thursday, September 7 at 3 p.m., the major partners who brought the SteelStacks campus to life — including the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Bethlehem, ArtsQuest, and PBS39 — will gather at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks (101 Founders Way, Bethlehem) to celebrate the honor.

“PBS39 looks forward to celebrating the prestigious Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence Gold Medal with our founding partners on the SteelStacks campus,” said Tim Fallon, PBS39 CEO. “We are delighted to be a part of the campus’ continued redevelopment, which shines as a beacon of growth and progress in South Bethlehem and the Greater Lehigh Valley.”

According to the Rudy Bruner Award’s official website, the honor “is intended-by design-to be a process of exploration. It was created to prompt a conversation about urban excellence in America and to illuminate the complex process of placemaking.” Several key themes are typically present in selected projects, including:

• The nature of placemaking and the necessity of anchoring projects in their place
• Leadership that brings energy, vision, and an inclusive approach
• The use of collaborative partnerships and participatory processes
• The empowerment and growth of capacity of people and organizations
• Ways to leverage the power of design to affect transformative change

The afternoon celebration will include a special presentation, with a reception to follow.

PBS39 is a community-owned public television station licensed to Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton, Pa., serving eastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey. PBS39 is owned and operated by the Lehigh Valley Public Telecommunications Corporation. PBS39 acts as the catalyst to promote civic engagement, and to fulfill the regional needs of the Greater Lehigh Valley through its dynamic communication platforms and resources. For more information, visit wlvt.org.