Photo by MudflapDC.

Yards Park, the peaceful 5.7-acre spot along the Anacostia River, is getting national attention.

The Southeast D.C. park, which features a futuristic looking walking bridge and a canal basin, has been named a finalist for an Urban Open Space Award. Presented by the Urban Land Institute, the award “celebrates and promotes vibrant, successful urban open spaces by annually recognizing and rewarding an outstanding example of a public destination that has enriched and revitalized its surrounding community.”

Yards Park has certainly done that. It recently hosted the bikes-and-beers Tour de Fat event for a second year in a row. It also hosts weekly events, including community devil worshipping yoga and Friday-nights concerts.

In a blog post about the nomination, Daniel Lobo, ULI’s manager of awards and publications, says Yards Park “serves as cultural anchor to the Yards and the greater Capitol Riverfront area, reconnecting the city’s grid to the water.”

Yards Park is up against the Brooklyn Bridge Park, Cumberland Park in Nashville, the Village on False Creek in Vancouver and Wilmington Waterfront Park in Los Angeles. But even if it loses, Yard Park is already an award winner this year.

In April, Yards Park won a Vision Award from the Committee of 100 on the Federal City, a group that weighs in on planning and land use in D.C.

In a 2008 piece about the Capitol Riverfront, former DCist editor Martin Austermuhle wrote, “We’re all excited for what the area may soon offer, though it may not include many local businesses or any inspired architecture.” Thankfully, not only is some of the architecture inspiring, it’s also award-winning.