National Planning Awards 2013

APA's National Planning Excellence and Achievement Awards honor the best planning efforts and individuals that create communities of lasting value. The 2013 recipients were honored at a special luncheon held during APA's National Planning Conference.

National Planning Excellence Awards

Daniel Burnham Award for a Comprehensive Plan

2040 Comprehensive Regional Plan: A Vision for Northwest Indiana

Lake, Porter and LaPorte Counties, Indiana

The HUD Secretary's Opportunity and Empowerment Award

Owe'neh Bupingeh Preservation Plan

Ohkay Owingeh, New Mexico

Restoring the American City: Augusta's Laney Walker/Bethlehem

Augusta, Georgia

National Planning Excellence Award for a Best Practice

Philadelphia's Integrated Planning and Zoning Process

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

National Planning Excellence Award for a Grassroots Initiative

Cathedral City's Environmental Conservation Division (ECD) Kids & Community Program

Cathedral City, California

National Planning Excellence Award for Implementation

Central Riverfront Re-Birth Through Planning

Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio

National Planning Excellence Award for Public Outreach

Newberg 6th Grade Design Star Program

Newberg, Oregon

National Planning Excellence Award for a Communications Initiative

We Love Lake Oswego Video

City of Lake Oswego, Oregon

National Planning Excellence Award for Transportation Planning

StarMetro's Route Decentralization

Tallahassee, Florida

National Planning Excellence Award for Environmental Planning

NYC Department of City Planning, Zone Green

New York, New York

National Planning Excellence Award for Urban Design

Lancaster Central Market: Assessments, Guidelines, and Recommendations for Preservation and Development

Lancaster, Pennsylvania

The Pierre L'Enfant International Planning Excellence Award

The Valsequillo Initiative

Puebla, Mexico

Advancing Diversity & Social Change in Honor of Paul Davidoff

YWCA Central Alabama

Birmingham, Alabama

The National Planning Excellence Award for a Planning Advocate

Michael Osur, Deputy Director, Riverside County Department of Public Health

Riverside, California

National Planning Excellence Award for a Planning Firm

Goody Clancy

Boston, Massachusetts

National Planning Excellence Award for a Planning Agency

Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning

Northeastern Illinois

National Planning Excellence Award for an Emerging Planning & Design Firm

Interface Studio LLC

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

National Planning Award for a Planning Pioneer

Ronald Shiffman, FAICP

Brooklyn, New York

2013 Awards Jury

The jury is tasked with reviewing all of the award entries and identifying the ones worthy of receiving a national honor and recognition.

Jury Chair

Ann C. Bagley, FAICP

Ann Cooke Bagley, FAICP, a community planner and consultant, focuses on comprehensive plans, park development, and training planning commissioners. A practicing planner for almost 30 years, she has worked in both the public and private sector working primarily for small to medium size cities. Bagley currently serves on the national board of the American Planning Association as a board member elected at large and serves as the Planning Official Development Officer for APA Texas. She was recently appointed to her fourth term on the Dallas City Plan Commission where she is chair of the Transportation committee and on the Zoning Ordinance Advisory Committee.

Jury Member

Gov. Parris N. Glendening

Gov. Parris N. Glendening is president of Smart Growth America's Leadership Institute and the Governors' Institute on Community Design, a program funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In these roles, he travels across the country and around the world advising state and local governments on smart growth, transit, and sustainability policies and practices. Glendening served as Governor of the State of Maryland from 1995-2003 where he created the nation's first state-level smart growth policy package. Prior to being elected Governor, Glendening served three terms as elected county executive of Prince George's County, Maryland. He taught political science at the University of Maryland, College Park for 27 years and is the author of two books and over 100 articles and conference papers. Glendening holds a doctorate degree in Government and Politics from Florida State University as well as eight honorary degrees.

Jury Member

Letitia A. Gomez, AICP

Letitia (Leti) Gomez, AICP, began her career as a Presidential Management Intern at Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Chesapeake Division. Upon completion of her internship, she was offered a career position as a Community Planner. During the following 10 years, Gomez worked as the Community Planner for Naval Surface Warfare Center activities and Marine Corps installations in the National Capital Region (NCR). She has served as the Activity Liaison Officer to Marine Corps activities in the NCR and in 2001, promoted to Activity Operations Director of the Integrated Product Team that supported Air Force and Marine Corps activities. Gomez also has served as the NAVFAC Headquarters Client Liaison Officer to Marine Corps, Naval Supply Systems Command, and Air Force. In 2004, she moved to Commander Navy Installations Command N5, Planning and Real Estate where she led strategic facilities planning for supporting new weapons systems. Gomez assumed her current position as the Asset Management Business Line Coordinator at Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) in May 2008. In 2003, she was the recipient of a Meritorious Civilian Service award.

Jury Member

Charles C. Graves III, AICP

Charles C. Graves III, AICP, is the Director of the Department of Planning and Buildings, for the City of Cincinnati. He oversees a staff that includes 75 staff persons in the Divisions of Community Planning and Building & Inspections. Graves previously worked as the Deputy Director of Long Range Planning in the office of Planning for Washington, D.C. where he helped develop the Comprehensive Plan for the city. In his career he has also served as the Commissioner of Planning and Community Development in Atlanta, Georgia; Director of Planning for Baltimore, Maryland; and Director of Planning and Development in Appleton, Wisconsin. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Urban Planning from Hampton University and received his Master of Science in Community Economic Development from New Hampshire College as well as achieved a Certificate of Advanced Study from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government.

Jury Member

Regina Gray

Regina Gray is an analyst for the Division of Affordable Housing Research and Technology Division in the Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R) at the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development. Since joining HUD in 2000, her research activities have focused on sustainable development, urban design and land use planning, transit oriented development, energy and green building practices, and affordable housing preservation. Beyond her work at HUD, Gray collaborates with other federal agencies on a host of sustainability initiatives, and is actively involved in these interagency efforts. Gray holds a bachelor's degree from Emory University, a master's degree from the George Washington University, and a doctorate from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Jury Member

John R. Gosling, AICP

John Gosling led the Planning and Urban Design Practice for RTKL, a full service design firm with offices in Europe, the United States, and Asia from 1984 to 2009. In this role, working from their Dallas, Washington, D.C., and London offices, he was responsible for managing and developing high profile urban regeneration assignments in major cities across the United States and abroad for both public agency and private sector clients. He formed RTKL's Urban Housing group in the mid 90's, recognizing that sustainable urban regeneration means re-connecting commercial and residential architecture and urban design. Gosling is currently president of the Old Town Civic Association, Alexandria, and active as a writer, speaker and development planning consultant. A native Londoner, Mr. Gosling received his architectural education and diploma from the Architectural Association School of Architecture, London.

Jury Member

Mayor Ron Littlefield, AICP

Ron Littlefield, AICP, is the Mayor of Chattanooga, Tennessee and was sworn into office on April 18, 2005. He brought with him many years of experience in city government and urban planning. Though his license is now retired, Mayor Littlefield was a Realtor, specializing in Commercial and Industrial Development, in both Tennessee and Georgia from 2000 to 2005. He has been an instructor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, as well, teaching a summer postgraduate course on metropolitan politics and policies. He previously worked as the acting director of planning and development in Walker County, Georgia, as well as a senior planner for the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Auburn University.

Jury Member

Lynn M. Ross, AICP

Lynn M. Ross, AICP, joined the Urban Land Institute in 2012 as the Executive Director of the Terwilliger Center for Housing. She is responsible for managing the strategic direction of the center as well as the implementation of the center's work program. Ross previously worked at the National Housing Conference and the Center for Housing Policy first as Director of State and Local Initiatives and then as its chief operating officer. Prior to relocating to Washington, D.C., Ross worked at the American Planning Association in Chicago, IL. She joined APA's research team in 2002 and became manager of the Planning Advisory Service in 2006. Ross holds a Masters of Regional Planning from Cornell University and a B.S. in community and regional planning from Iowa State University.

Jury Member

Chase W. Rynd

Chase Rynd, is the executive director of the National Building Museum. Under Rynd's leadership, the Museum has achieved a strong national profile through enhanced educational programs, scholarly and visually engaging exhibitions, and numerous outreach efforts. Prior to his work at the National Building Museum, Rynd served as executive director and CEO of the Tacoma Art Museum and at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts in Nashville, Tennessee. He is a graduate of Georgetown University and sits on the Boards of the American Friends of Chantilly, France; the Downtown DC BID; Penn Quarter Neighborhood Association; and the Richardson Architecture Center, Buffalo. He also is a member of ACE Mentor Program's National Advisory Board; the ASCE Industry Leaders Council and the vestry of St. John's Lafayette Square in DC.