APA Divisions Council Awards

PROJECT: Interplan China Special Report

GOAL: In the face of continuous global challenges, educate APA members about how city planning is conducted in China and how American planners may be able to contribute there.

IMPACT: The report provides a wide range of views on the state of planning in China through five articles; 16 individual interviews and two group interviews involving frontline Chinese planners and American planners with Chinese experience, including many recognized experts; and seven editor's notes with maps, photos, and cultural tips.

Overall Division Performance

AWARDEE: Federal Planning Division

GOAL: Champion federal planning best practices and provide quality training opportunities that meet the unique needs of a niche industry that includes federal employees, federal contractors, and a sizable contingent of students.

IMPACT: Over its 30-year history, this small but accomplished division has invested significant effort into an annual training workshop and awards program that brings together federal planners from across the globe for unique networking and learning opportunities and led to best practices becoming mainstream.

Educational Excellence

AWARDEE: Latinos and Planning Division

PROJECT: Planning for Diversity in the Just City: Latinos and Planning in a Changing America

GOAL: Highlight ways planners within APA are addressing Latino issues and how Latino planners are perceived.

IMPACT: This four-part webinar series drew more than 200 registered participants, who heard from 12 planning experts about issues of community engagement, gentrification, and how to address cultural divides, among other key topics. The webinar series showcased skills and tools planners nationwide can use to address equity and inclusion among the Latino population as well as other underrepresented minorities.

Communications Excellence

AWARDEE: Transportation Planning Division

PROJECT: Transit Bracket Challenge

GOAL: To generate public interest ahead of National Transportation Planning Day on June 10, 2019.

IMPACT: This inaugural bracket-style public, multi-round voting campaign, which pitted some of the largest public transit agencies in the U.S. against one another, generated more than 223,000 votes on social media over the course of a month and attracted coverage by a popular urban planning blog in Chicago.

Best Practice

AWARDEE: Transportation Planning Division

PROJECT: NPC19 Divisions' Joint Day of Service (and all Division sponsors)

GOAL: Partner with Fruitvale Unity Council in Oakland, California, to create an opportunity for planners to give back to the local community during NPC19 in San Francisco.

IMPACT: Approximately 30 planners from across the U.S. volunteered and worked with local partners to successfully complete three planned projects in the vicinity of the Fruitvale BART Station, including a mural, tile art treatment for trash receptacles, and a community parklet cleanup.

Best Newsletter Article

AWARDEE: Urban Design & Preservation Division

TITLE: "Adapting Designed Landscapes" by Sarah Ridgely

SYNOPSIS: A deep dive into the work of improving designed landscapes that are historically or culturally significant but no longer serve the community's needs, this article explores how to enhance the public realm for a dynamic future while still understanding the history of city building and design. The article also serves as an initial guide on how to adapt designed landscapes and the assessment process it requires.

Terry Holzheimer, FAICP, Leadership Award

AWARDEE: Tracey Corbitt, AICP, Chair, LGBTQ and Planning Division

ABOUT: Tracey has been a member of this division since its founding in 1998 and has served as division secretary/treasurer, editor of the division's award-winning newsletter, and most recently chair for the last three years.

IMPACT: Tracey led the process to make the division more inclusive of the entire LGBTQ community, resulting in a 2016 name change, a significant increase in membership, and greater visibility for the division. Tracey also serves on the APA Diversity Task Force and the APA Diversity Committee and spearheaded the division's leadership role on a Planners4Health grant, ensuring that public health issues facing the LGBTQ community are included in the important endeavor.