Ronald Bogle, President and Chief Executive Officer of The American Architectural Foundation, presents Mayor Manny Diaz with the prestigious Keystone Award, as  Tom Cochran, CEO and Executive Director of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, Dean of the University of Miami’s School of Architecture, stand by his side. Photo Credit: Jorge R. Perez/City of Miami

(Miami, FL) Mayor Manny Diaz was honored by the American Architectural Foundation (AAF), in association with the American Institute of Architects, for receiving the foundation’s 2009 Keystone Award in a reception on April 16, 2009, at the Cuba Ocho Art and Research Center.

The Keystone Award is presented annually by AAF to an organization or individual outside of the architectural profession for their leadership in demonstrating the power of architecture and design to improve lives and transform communities. 

Mayor Diaz, current president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, was presented with the award at the 20th Annual Accent on Architecture Gala in Washington, D.C., on February 6, 2009. By presenting Mayor Diaz with the Keystone Award, the American Architectural Foundation is recognizing and honoring his vision for the design of his city.

“It is truly a personal honor for me to receive the 2009 Keystone Award,” said Mayor Diaz. “This award recognizes the efforts we have undertaken to plan the Miami of the future, so that we can leave our children a city that is greater, better, more beautiful and more sustainable than was left to us.”

During the reception, Mayor Diaz was introduced by Tom Cochran, CEO and Executive Director of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, Dean of the University of Miami’s School of Architecture. Ronald Bogle, President and Chief Executive Officer of AAF, presented Mayor Diaz with the award. 

Three years ago, Mayor Diaz launched Miami 21, a comprehensive master plan for Miami based on new urbanism and smart growth principles, which include economic development, park and public places, transportation, historic preservation, and arts and culture. 

Mayor Diaz is also being honored by AAF for his vision for Miami that is guided by an understanding of, and commitment to, sustainable design. He created the city’s first Office of Sustainable Initiatives which coordinates Miami’s environmental programs, retrofitted City Hall, which now sports solar panels, and launched the city’s first Citywide Tree Master Plan, which aims at enhancing and restoring the city’s tree canopy. 

“Mayor Diaz is revolutionizing downtown Miami through design. Through public art, multi-family housing, transit, mixed-use developments, and preservation of Miami’s historic neighborhood fabric, he is constantly utilizing design to shape a more sustainable future,” said Sandy Diehl, chair of the AAF Board of Regents. 

AAF's Keystone Award was established in 1988. Two past recipients have been mayors—Mayor Richard M. Daley of Chicago and Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. of Charleston, South Carolina. Additional past recipients include: The Museum of Modern Art, Save America's Treasures, the philanthropic Pritzker Family of Chicago, and the Office of the Commissioner of the Public Building Service of the General Services Administration.

During the reception, Mayor Diaz was presented with a congratulatory letter from Mayors Daley and Riley, in which they applauded him for his “efforts to transform Miami into being recognized as one of the best cities in the world.” Please find letter attached.