HOBOKEN — Another year, another acclamation for Hoboken’s groundbreaking urban design. This week, the New Jersey chapter of the American Planning Association (APA) announced that Hoboken has won its People’s Choice Award for best downtown, beating out downtown Jersey City, Montclair Center, and downtown Morristown in an online poll.
In August, the APA named 10 finalists for best downtown in northern, central, and southern New Jersey. Hoboken won the northern Jersey category with 36 percent of 7,167 votes cast. Voting was conducted from Aug. 22 to Sept. 26.
According to the APA website, Hoboken was nominated by someone with the initials A.P. and selected as a finalist by a panel of planning professionals.
The nomination summed up the appeal of Hoboken thusly: “Incredibly walkable -very large number of shops, outdoor cafes, bars -great waterfront parks and walkways with the best views of New York . . .”
The other winners were Asbury Avenue in Ocean City for South Jersey and Downtown Red Bank for Central Jersey.
In recognition of its victory, Hoboken will receive a plaque and be placed on a list of Great Places in New Jersey on the Planning Association website. It will join the South Hoboken Waterfront, which was named a Great Public Space in 2013, and Washington Street, which was named a Great Street in 2010.
Last year, WalkScore.com gave Hoboken a score of 95 out of 100, making it the most walkable city in America. The website rates cities on how easy it is to get around and conduct daily errands without a car.
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