DALLAS, Oct. 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Southwest
Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) and Project for Public Spaces
announced today the opening of the 2017 Southwest Airlines' Heart
of the Community grant application as part of the airline's
commitment to building connections that bring people together and
strengthen communities for a more resilient future. The corporate
and nonprofit partners have witnessed four years of impactful
projects in 18 cities, and they are eager to fund the next round of
innovative placemaking projects in cities served by the
airline.
"At Southwest Airlines, we have spent the past 45 years
democratizing the skies—now we are creating an open seating policy
in public spaces by helping people build meaningful connections
with those around them," said Linda
Rutherford, Southwest Airlines Vice President and Chief
Communications Officer. "These connections are creating the
foundation for more resilient communities where local residents
have a sense of ownership and pride in the places they call home
with the people they love."
An evaluation focusing on five initial projects is demonstrating
that on average a Southwest Airlines Heart of the Community grant
leverages four times its amount in additional funding from other
sources. Not only does this boost the valuable work of grant
recipients, but it also shows how initial investments in public
spaces can result in a number of other positive outcomes for
cities.
There has also been a marked increase in visitation to grantee
sites. From 2013 through 2015, grant recipient locations in
Detroit; San Antonio; Providence, R.I.; San Diego; and Baltimore welcomed more than 2.5 million
visitors, and 1.4 million people have attended additional events at
these places. For example, the reading room in Providence has brought hundreds of families to
Burnside Park—softening the image of the park where people once
felt unsafe—by giving kids and their parents a reason to take back
the public space, creating a welcoming environment for the entire
community.
Placemaking improvements to these public spaces have also helped
create new jobs, 147 across the five sites, to be exact, and
generated $7.7 million in visitor
spending. Food trucks and other vendors have shown up in full force
at the Plaza de Panama after the
Southwest Airlines Heart of the Community grant encouraged adjacent
museums to spill out onto the plaza and engage passersby in
San Diego. Local business owners
also are benefiting with increases in patronage, as in the case of
Josh Cowan of Dizzy Cow Pizzeria in
Baltimore, which serves lunch to
hundreds every Thursday during the weekly farmers market at Pratt
and Light Plaza.
"Everyone has the right to quality public spaces, and we all
have a role to play in shaping them," explains Fred Kent, Founder and President of Project for
Public Spaces. "By collectively reimagining public spaces at the
heart of every community, we can strengthen the connection between
people and the places they share and maximize their shared value,
resulting in positive social, economic, and environmental
benefits."
The 2017 Southwest Airlines Heart of the Community grant
application is open now through December
5. To learn more about these impactful past projects, view
the Southwest: The Magazine articles, A Piece of the Pie;
Better Together; New Life at Lindbergh Forum; and Sharing the Love
in Albuquerque. For application details, to sign-up for our
informational webinar, and to learn more about past projects visit
www.pps.org/heart-of-the-community and the Southwest Airlines
Community.
ABOUT PROJECT FOR PUBLIC SPACES
Project for Public
Spaces is a nonprofit planning, design and educational organization
dedicated to helping people create and sustain public spaces that
build stronger communities. Its pioneering Placemaking approach
helps citizens transform their public spaces into vital places that
highlight local assets, spur rejuvenation and serve common needs.
PPS was founded in 1975 to apply and expand on the work of
William (Holly) Whyte, the author of
The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces. Since then, the organization
has completed projects in over 3000 communities in 43 countries and
all 50 US states and are the premier center for best practices,
information and resources on Placemaking.
ABOUT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.
In its 46th year of
service, Dallas-based Southwest
Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) continues to differentiate itself from
other air carriers with exemplary Customer Service delivered by
more than 53,000 Employees to more than 100 million Customers
annually. Southwest operates more than 3,900 departures a day
during peak travel season across a network of 98 destinations in
the United States and seven
additional countries with service to Varadero, Cuba beginning Nov. 13,
2016, and to Havana, Cuba,
beginning Dec. 12, 2016, both routes
subject to governmental approvals.
Based on the U.S. Department of Transportation's most recent
data, Southwest Airlines is the nation's largest carrier in terms
of originating domestic passengers boarded. The Company operates
the largest fleet of Boeing aircraft in the world, the majority of
which are equipped with satellite-based WiFi providing gate-to-gate
connectivity. That connectivity enables Customers to use
their personal devices to view video on-demand movies and
television shows, as well as nearly 20 channels of free, live TV
compliments of our valued Partners. Southwest created
Transfarency℠, a philosophy which treats Customers
honestly and fairly, and in which low fares actually stay low.
Southwest is the only major U.S. airline to offer bags fly
free® to everyone (first and second checked pieces of
luggage, size and weight limits apply, some airlines may allow free
checked bags on select routes or for qualified circumstances), and
there are no change fees, though fare differences might apply. The
airline proudly unveiled a bold new look: Heart.
A new logo, aircraft livery, interior design featuring a new seat
and Flight Attendant galley, Employee-designed uniforms, and an
updated airport experience all showcase the dedication of Southwest
Employees who connect Customers with what's important in their
lives.
From its first flights on June 18,
1971, Southwest Airlines launched an era of unprecedented
affordability in air travel described by the U.S. Department of
Transportation as "The Southwest Effect," a lowering of fares and
increase in passenger traffic whenever the carrier enters new
markets. With 43 consecutive years of profitability,
Southwest is one of the most honored airlines in the world, known
for a triple bottom line approach that contributes to the carrier's
performance and productivity, the importance of its People and the
communities they serve, and an overall commitment to efficiency and
the planet. The 2015 Southwest Airlines One Report™ can be found
at SouthwestOneReport.com.
Book Southwest Airlines' low fares online
at Southwest.com or by phone at 800-I-FLY-SWA.
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SOURCE Southwest Airlines Co.