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National Planning Awards 2011APA's National Planning Excellence, Achievement, and Leadership Awards honor the best planning efforts and individuals that create communities of lasting value. The 2011 award recipients were honored at a special luncheon held during APA's National Planning Conference in Boston. National Planning Excellence AwardsThe Daniel Burnham Award for a Comprehensive Plan Comprehensive Plan for Tysons CornerFairfax County, Virginia
Public participation was a key component of creating the Comprehensive Plan for Tysons Corner. The task force appointed by the county board of supervisors coordinated public participation and held a series of community workshops and public outreach events that were attended by more than 2,000 citizens. The planning commission also held more than 50 public meetings to gather viewpoints from communities and landowners around Tysons Corner. The plan includes a tiered approach to density that is focused around four transit stations, a long-term goal of reducing the jobs-to-household ratio from 13:1 to a more balanced 4:1, and incentives to reserve 20 percent of new housing units for moderate-income households, as well as innovative stormwater management facilities designed to retain at least the first inch of rainfall on site. Transforming Tysons: Tysons Corner Urban Center Comprehensive Plan National Planning Excellence Award for Best Practice Miami 21 — Creating the Blueprint for the Miami of the 21st CenturyMiami, Florida
For the first time ever in a major U.S. city, Miami 21 uses a form-based zoning code — a method of regulating development to achieve a specific urban form that promotes sustainable and livable communities. Such codes address the relationship between building facades and the public realm, the form and mass of buildings in relation to one another, transitions between different types and sizes of buildings, and the scale and types of streets and blocks. The code pays particular attention to interaction between the public and private realms, especially to encourage walkable and vibrant streetscapes. National Planning Excellence Award for Implementation Spring Creek Greenway Master PlanJoliet, Illinois
Through the ambitious plan, more than 800 acres of wetlands have been restored or had restoration begun. Approximately 139 acres of uplands have been restored, and 33,000 native trees and shrubs are being planted. The Greenway also helps protect a shallow aquifer that provides a significant portion of Joliet's water supply. The eight-mile multiuse trail opens up more than 1,900 acres of open space for public enjoyment in one of the most rapidly developing portions of Will County. The Forest Preserve District planning department had to work with and leverage diverse partnerships to secure the funding necessary to implement the plan. Key to their success was the project's ability to meet the objectives of other public bodies while still achieving the district's restoration and recreation goals. By obligating more than $2 million towards the project from a public referendum, the district was able to raise an additional $10 million in grants and contributions from a variety of diverse partners. National Planning Excellence Award for Public Outreach SurveyLA Public Participation ProgramLos Angeles, California
The program's determination to foster extensive public engagement in the survey process is integral to its success. Multi-lingual components are designed to engage communities in historic preservation, reach traditionally underrepresented groups, and provide meaningful and varied opportunities for the public to become directly involved. Outreach efforts include a website, quarterly newsletters, an Emmy-award winning education video airing on local television, DVDs distributed to neighborhoods in English and Spanish, multi-lingual information brochures, step-by-step guidebook, YouTube, Twitter, and a volunteer program that has already mobilized 200 volunteers. Given Los Angeles's vast size — spanning more than 465 square miles and including 880,000 legal parcels — culturally significant resources might be missed using more traditional architectural survey methodology. As a result of SurveyLA, public participation will help to flag and protect hundreds of historic resources and historic neighborhoods that are largely unknown today. MyHistoricaLA Guide to Public Participation in SurveyLA National Planning Excellence Award for Innovation in Sustaining Places North Shore Plan: Pa'ala'a to KapaeloaHonolulu, Hawaii
The planning team's commitment to community collaboration — from a Hawaiian perspective — began with meeting local küpuna (elders) to obtain their blessing on the open and collaborative process. The küpuna also participated in the process to ensure it was pono (proper) and honored the cultural legacy of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop. The collaborative process emphasized that KS and the community shared common values. As a result, citizens became unsolicited ambassadors of the plan. Sustainable land management is the core theme of the North Shore Plan. The plan's vision statement, goals, and catalyst projects all integrate sustainability concepts. The plan places growth in the appropriate locations and has a strong agriculture emphasis that will help preserve the rural character of the North Shore while creating jobs for the community and revenue for KS. North Texas 2050: For a Future that Is Better than 'Business as Usual'Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, Texas
The plan creates a framework for innovative sustainable development and significant infrastructure investments. It uses a set of five geographic policy areas and eight investment areas to organize the recommendations so they relate to the unique characteristics and needs of each place within North Texas. The collaborative nature of the process, as well as the political and regulatory context in which it was developed, make North Texas 2050 an important planning innovation and a model for sustainable planning in metropolitan areas without top-down regional planning directives. The plan integrates recommendations for typical planning topics — land use, natural resources, transportation, housing, water and wastewater infrastructure, parks and open spaces — but at a 12,800-mile scale. Best Practices in Hazard Mitigation and Disaster Planning The City of Cedar Rapids River Corridor Redevelopment PlanCedar Rapids, Iowa
Within days of the flood, city officials, business leaders, and citizens mobilized to develop and implement two phases of the River Corridor Redevelopment Plan. The collaborative planning process created partnerships between community members, multiple city departments, the city council, and agencies ranging from the federal to the local level. The city and its residents have completed two phases of reinvestment and revitalization planning. Phase one, begun only days after the flood, was a four-month public process to develop a flood-management strategy. Phase two focused on creating plans for reinvestment in the flood-affected neighborhoods, including the downtown. An action plan was then drafted to guide reinvestment over the next 10–15 years. Cedar Rapids Flood Recovery Progress Planning Firm Wallace Roberts & ToddPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Innovation has been a hallmark of the firm's planning practice. The development of the environmental planning method, the invention and application of the "susceptibility to change" analysis in urban planning, and the development of "values-based" planning are significant examples of the firm's influence on the planning profession. The firm also champions a collaborative practice, integrating planning with landscape architecture, urban design, and architecture, which results in a broad understanding of the implications of city and regional planning on the built environment. National Planning Achievement AwardsNational Planning Achievement Award for a Hard-Won Victory Plan for the 21st Century: New Orleans 2030New Orleans, Louisiana
The planning team implemented a grassroots process of educating the entire community about planning, creating a culture that equipped residents with the tools to work and make decisions together. The team also built trust among elected officials, city staff, and community leaders that forged cohesive points of view. More than 5,000 people directly participated in the master plan, not only giving feedback but learning how citywide planning initiatives and data-backed policies are critical when reclaiming 60,000 vacant lots, boosting the city's environmental resilience, and diversifying the local economy. When the draft plan was presented to the city council, a coalition of neighborhood organizations, business groups, preservationists, developers, and leaders of every race for the first time stood together to defend the plan they had created and embraced. The plan was unanimously approved by the city council. Advancing Diversity & Social Change in Honor of Paul Davidoff Alvaro HuertaLos Angeles, California
Huerta is a positive role model for Latino communities and the planning field. He has mentored numerous individuals interested in pursuing urban planning educations. He is a visiting scholar at UCLA's Chicano Studies Research Center and a visiting lecturer at UCLA's Department of Urban Planning. He contributes op-ed columns for The Progressive, Los Angeles Business Journal, and the Santa Monica Mirror, along with numerous political and literary blogs. Hard Work, Tough Lessons (Los Angeles Business Journal) The Pierre L'Enfant International Planning Award Kigali Sub Area PlansKigali, Rwanda, Africa
The Kigali Sub Area Plans concentrate on green systems including wetlands and urban parkland; water reuse, drainage, and rainwater harvesting; and sanitary issues such as sewers, recycling, and environmental treatment zones. The plan protects wetlands and steep slopes and encourages higher density and mixed-use developments. Four high-priority projects of the Kigali Sub Area Plans represent opportunities to rebuild and economically grow as a nation. The sites include:
HUD Secretary's Opportunity and Empowerment Award Sherwood Village Senior ApartmentsSalinas, California
After two years of planning, the once-blighted motel was transformed into 124 one- and two-bedroom affordable senior housing apartments for people ages 55 and older. Transforming the motel cost less than equivalent new construction in the area. By conserving the core motel structure, tons of cinderblock was diverted from landfills. Approximately 75 percent of concrete and demolition waste was recycled, with a 95 percent overall diversion rate. Other sustainable efforts include tenant participation in a centralized composting of kitchen waste. Rainwater from the roofs is filtered underground through a bioswale before returning to the storm system. Legislators of the Year
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In 1960, Tysons was simply a country crossroad, but today there are 17,000 residents and 100,000 jobs. It is projected that by 2050, there will be 100,000 residents and 200,000 jobs in the area. The need for a new comprehensive plan rose out of the desire to transform a successful suburban employment center into a series of livable urban districts. Aiding in this goal is Metrorail's new Silver line that will bring four new transit stations to Tysons by 2013.
In the past 10 years, Miami has experienced unprecedented growth. The city needed to address the city's historical sprawl and automobile-dependent and use-segregated communities. The new plan had to protect existing residential neighborhoods while accommodating downtown growth and growth along the city's commercial corridors.
The Forest Preserve District of Will County's Spring Creek Greenway Master Plan is an ambitious and complex restoration project not only for the scale of restoration but the complexity involved in coordinating grants and various partners. Located approximately 40 miles southwest of Chicago, the Greenway serves as a gateway for the City of Joliet.
SurveyLA is Los Angeles's first-ever effort to identify, inventory, and document historic resources in the city. While Los Angeles has more than 900 local landmarks and 27 historic districts, only 15 percent of the city has been surveyed, leaving important resources at risk.
Kamehameha Schools (KS) owns 26,000 acres of land on the north shore of the Hawaiian island of Oahu, bequeathed to KS by Bernice Pauahi Bishop. Despite widespread development on Oahu, the North Shore has maintained its rural lifestyle. However, population growth is unavoidable. Residents wanted a plan to sustain the North Shore's rural lifestyle and values.
The North Texas region, which encompasses Dallas and Fort Worth, is the fourth largest metropolitan region in the country. It covers more than 12,800 square miles and includes more than 200 individual communities. The region currently has six million people and is expected to grow to 12 million residents by 2050.
The City of Cedar Rapids began 2008 by naming it the "Year of the River," a title meant to reinforce the connection between the city and the Cedar River that runs through its core. This name took an unfortunate meaning in June of that year when the river crested 11.5 feet higher than any previous measure, and flooding forced thousands of evacuations and caused more than $6 billion in damage.
Founded in 1963, Wallace Roberts & Todd (WRT) is a multi-disciplinary nationwide practice. With a reputation as a planning leader, the firm is known for its environmental responsibility and professional excellence. From its earliest days, WRT has been at the forefront of the planning profession. In fact, the first three projects the firm undertook remain milestones today: The Plan for the Valleys (recipient of APA's Planning Landmark Award in 2009), the master plan for Baltimore's Inner Harbor (winner of numerous awards), and the award-winning Lower Manhattan Plan.
New Orleans adopted its first citywide plan in August 2010. The plan protects New Orleans but also builds a culture of citywide planning. Prior to passage of the plan, New Orleans had a long accepted culture of making development decisions through a political process that relegated planning to the sidelines. The challenges to create a citywide plan were many — racial tensions, skepticism, competition among neighborhoods for limited recovery resources, and the lack of existing citywide plans to build upon.
Raised in East Lost Angeles by Mexican immigrant parents, Alvaro Huerta's experiences in turbulent housing projects and overcrowded public schools, fighting the daily pressure to join a gang and drop out of school, helped shape his life-long commitment to social justice, diversity, and service for the poor. He defied great odds to earn two degrees from UCLA, and he will receive his Ph.D. from UC Berkeley this spring.
The most densely populated country in Africa, Rwanda is still healing from its tragic history of war and genocide and has undertaken an ambitious vision to become a model for sustainable development in Africa.
Nearly 80 percent of senior renters in Salinas pay between 30 and 50 percent of their income for rent. The City of Salinas General Plan and Consolidated Plan called for 300 new affordable senior rentals; however, few sites were available for new construction. CHISPA, a nonprofit affordable housing developer, saw potential in a 50-year-old motel. 
U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez
