Kinston Teens was honored with the Merit Award in Planning and Analysis from the North Carolina Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects.
Kinston Teens, a youth-led nonprofit founded by Councilman Chris Suggs, was recognized during the 2025 N.C. Conference on Landscape Architecture, which was held June 4 through June 6, at the Benton Convention Center in Winston-Salem.
The nonprofit was recognized for its East Kinston Neighborhood Hub and Equitable Development Plan, developed in partnership with nationally renowned landscape architecture and planning firm Design Workshop, Suggs said.
Kinston Teens focuses on providing food access, affordable housing, economic opportunity, and climate justice to people in Kinston.
The plan outlines a new, larger vision for the East Kinston Neighborhood Hub — centering equitable development, climate resilience, and community-led design.
The project also has additional support from the N.C. Climate Justice Collective, Notch Design, and N.C. State University’s Just Communities Lab, Suggs said.
“This award reflects the power of deep collaboration, grassroots leadership, and a shared vision for what’s possible in East Kinston,” Suggs said.
“We’re honored that our work is being recognized among leading design and planning professionals from across the state, and we couldn’t be more grateful for our project partners at Design Workshop for submitting this project for award consideration.”
Kinston Teens is currently fundraising for the construction of a new facility.
In the meantime, the organization continues to operate out of the existing East Kinston Neighborhood Hub campus on Tower Hill Road, where a formerly abandoned home and church have been repurposed into a vibrant base for outreach, education, and community-building, Suggs said.