American Planning Association, California Chapter Announces 2008 Planning Award Winners 

American Planning Association, California Chapter Announces 2008 Planning Award Winners

(September 23, 2008) – SACRAMENTO – The American Planning Association California Chapter (APA California) announces 21 honorees for its 2008 Planning Awards. The annual Planning Awards are APA California’s highest honors, and winners are eligible to submit their project to the National APA Planning Awards.

The annual Planning Awards recognize outstanding planning efforts, innovative projects and distinguished planners in a wide range of categories, from best practices and leadership to advocacy and education. Many of this year’s award winners reflected the trend toward "smart planning" efforts in the areas of urban planning, green building and redevelopment.

“California’s planning professionals continue to raise the bar with smart planning efforts that make our communities more livable and sustainable,” said APA California President, Vince Bertoni. “The Planning Awards acknowledge these outstanding achievements in the field and increase the public’s awareness of the planning profession.”

A panel of experienced volunteer judges from diverse professional backgrounds and regions of the state reviewed more than 60 award entries submitted by private and public sector planners. The judges evaluated entries based on originality, quality, implementation, public participation and the role of planners, among other category-specific criteria.

APA California will present 15 Awards of Excellence and six Awards of Merit at the annual APA California Conference in Hollywood on September 23.

The 2008 Planning Awards winners include:

Awards of Excellence

Comprehensive Planning Award for a Large Jurisdiction

Marin Countywide Plan

Marin County Community Development Agency

Planning Implementation Award for a Large Jurisdiction

San Dieguito Wetlands Restoration Project Final Restoration Plan

Participants: Southern California Edison; Project Design Consultants; Chang Consultants; Coastal Environments; Scott Jenkins; Wetlands Research Associates, Inc.; Simon Wong Engineering; TerraCosta Consultants Group; and Ninyo and Moore

Supporting Agencies: City of Del Mar; City of San Diego; San Dieguito River Park JPA; and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Focused Issue Planning Award

Orange County Great Park Comprehensive Plan

Team Lead: Ken Smith Landscape Architect

Collaborative Design Team: Mary Miss Studio; Green Shield Ecology; TEN Arquitectos; and Mia Lehrer + Associates

Design Administration: Gafcon, Inc.

Support Team: Fuscoe Engineering; Buro Happold; and Wallace Laboratories

Sub-Consultant: Aquatic Design Group; D.D. Pagano, Inc. Irrigation Consultants; Dudek & Associates; Lawson and Associates; and LSA Associates

Best Practices Award

County of Riverside Landscape Program

County of Riverside

Innovation in Green Community Planning Award

Green Building Program

City of West Hollywood

Grassroots Initiative Award

Tapping the Potential of Urban Rooftops: Rooftop Resources Neighborhood Assessment

Design, Community & Environment and Bay Localize

Education Project Award

Historic Homeowner Education Program

City of Los Angeles

Academic Award

San José Urban EcoPark Project

Urban Planning 260 Graduate Students, San José State University

Neighborhood Planning Award

California Avenue Neighborhood Master Plan

Housing Authority of the City of Fresno; Design, Community & Environment; Pyatok Architects; Kimley-Horn; Strategic Energy Innovations; Fresno West Coalition for Economic Development; and Fresno Council of County Governments

Advocacy Planning Award

Strategic Framework and Priorities Workbook: Moran and Westgate Streets, Little Saigon

City of Westminster and The Planning Center

Hard Won Victory Award

West Covina Commercial Center and Sportsplex

City of West Covina Community Development Commission

Distinguished Leadership Award for a Professional Planner

Wayne Goldberg, AICP

Distinguished Leadership Award for a Student Planner

Emilia Mendoza

Distinguished Leadership Award for a Planning Pioneer (in memoriam)

Paul C. Crawford, FAICP

Media Award

Neighbor to Neighbor: Facing Our Housing Crisis

Coastal Housing Coalition

Awards of Merit

Comprehensive Planning for a Large Jurisdiction

City of Riverside General Plan 2025 Program

City of Riverside; EDAW, formally P&D Technologies; The Arroyo Group; Webb Associates; Best, Best and Krieger; and PGN Consulting

Comprehensive Planning for a Small Jurisdiction

City of Lincoln General Plan 2050

City of Lincoln, Mintier & Associates, and Matrix Design Group

Focused Issue Planning Award

Industrial Land Use Policy Project

City of Los Angeles Department of City Planning and the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles

Grassroots Initiative Award

Downtown Art Walk

Bert Green Fine Art

Neighborhood Planning Award

Five Wounds/Brookwood Terrace Neighborhood Plan

CommUniverCity San José

Academic Award

Westside and North Avenue Community Plan

City and Regional Planning Department, Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo

About the American Planning Association, California Chapter