Tyler — The Tyler Municipal Rose Garden has received statewide recognition as a great public place.

The Texas Chapter of the American Planning Association named the rose garden as one of the great public spaces in Texas in 2018.

Community leaders celebrated the recognition in a ceremony at the rose garden on Thursday morning, and Mayor Martin Heines declared May 10, 2018, as Tyler Municipal Rose Garden Great Places in Texas Day.

“The Great Places of Texas designation celebrates how planning has played a vital role in creating stronger and healthier communities,” said Heather Nick, the city's managing director of planning and economic development.

“Communities plan in order to make informed choices about the future, to create and maintain places where people want to live, work, conduct business, and have economic well-being for all residents,” Nick said.

“Most of all, planning helps to create communities of lasting value,” Nick said. “It provides a vision for where we are today and what we want to see in the future.”

Christina Sebastian, who sits on the board for the American Planning Association Texas Chapter, said the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden is one of six places in the state selected for the recognition.

The other five places were downtown Bryan, downtown San Marcos, Magnolia Avenue in Fort Worth, Oval Park in McAllen, and the Waco Suspension Bridge, Sebastian said.

Sebastian said the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden was chosen “because of its impact on the East Texas economy, history, and community.”