The National League of Cities validated Tempe’s success with the Rio Salado Project by making it a Gold winner of the James C. Howland Awards for Urban Enrichment. This is the highest level of recognition for a government project. According to Donald Borut, executive director of the National League of Cities, this award highlights communities that have, through effective policies and thoughtful project planning, demonstrated and encouraged high environmental quality of life.

"This is a tremendous honor for Tempe and all the volunteers and organizations that have dedicated their efforts to making Town Lake a one-of-a-kind destination," Tempe Mayor Neil Giuliano said. "That we have been selected from among our peers by our peers at the National League of Cities makes it all the more special."

Tempe received the best award for its size class, cities with a population of 150,000-500,000. Only eight total awards are given annually. The City will receive recognition in the upcoming edition of National Cities Weekly and will be honored during the annual Congress of Cities conference in Nashville on Dec. 13, 2003.

The City of Tempe went through an exhaustive and very competitive evaluation process to win this award. Each application is judged on the degree to which the program is innovative, the success of local government in implementing the program, and the extent of the measurable benefit for the general community and local government. Other factors include successful private/public partnerships or effective citizen and community collaborations, thoughtful planning of urban resources, innovative government policies and actual project implementation with demonstrated results.

The City of Tempe received this recognition based on the success of Tempe Town Lake in fulfilling its goals. The objectives of Tempe Rio Salado are to provide safe and effective flood control, attract residential and commercial development, create a regional destination and urban center for recreation and restore the natural habitat of the area.

Town Lake continues to accomplish these goals.

• Effective flood control occurred with the creation of Town Lake. Safety mechanisms exist so that in the event of a flood, Valley residents are protected.

• Residential and commercial development is ongoing. Hayden Ferry Lakeside won 2003 Building of the Year and has completed construction on Office Tower I and II. In Playa del Norte located on the north bank east of Rural Road you will find Aloft Hotel (under construction), Grigio, Northshore, In-N-Out Burger, and Starbucks. Edgewater and Bridgeview Condos at Hayden Ferry Lakeside are completed and occupied. Nearly every section of Town Lake has plans for development.

• More than 2 million visitors enjoy Town Lake each year for special events and casual recreation such as bicycling, picnics and romantic lakeside strolls. Town Lake Marina opened in January of 2004 and the Tempe Center for the Arts opened September 2007. These are only a couple of the many projects underway at Tempe Town Lake.

• Town Lake received millions from the Army Corps of Engineers to restore portions of the Salt River attached to Town Lake to their natural state. Phase I at Indian Bend Wash and Phase II west of the downstream dam have been completed. Phase III is in the design stage.