California Planners Tally Four of Nine National American Planning Association Awards 

California Planners Tally Four of Nine National

 American Planning Association Awards

(February 7, 2008) – SACRAMENTO – California planners and planning departments won nearly half of the American Planning Association’s (APA) 2008 National Planning Excellence, Achievement and Leadership Awards, earning four of the nine awards that honor outstanding efforts in planning and planning leadership.

The National Planning Awards, the profession’s highest honor, recognize cutting edge achievements and planning under difficult or adverse circumstances. Award winners showcase the planning profession’s leaders who help to create great communities and demonstrate the beneficial changes that can take place when planners and community members and leaders work together.

The California award winners were a diverse group that included city and county governments as well as a community-based grassroots organization and a college professor and long-time advocate for planning.

“It is no secret that California leads the nation in innovative and thoughtful planning at a variety of levels,” said Vince Bertoni, president of the American Planning Association, California Chapter. “Our chapter is proud of the accomplishments of our colleagues who provide the vision and leadership that fosters better planning for California.”

The National Planning Award winners from California were:

County of Marin Planning Department for the MarinCounty Sustainability Program

Award: National Planning Excellence Award for Implementation

MarinCounty's Sustainability Program provides cities and towns across America with a progressive model for incorporating sustainability into all aspects of a community. The program addresses a spectrum of issues including habitat restoration; locally provided food supplies; green building, green business and energy standards; climate change emissions reduction strategies; and affordable housing.

Central City Neighborhood Partners for the Central City Community Transportation PlanAward:National Planning Excellence Award Grassroots Initiative

Central City Neighborhood Partners took an untraditional, but remarkably simple, approach to increasing community access to transportation in the Westlake community and the surrounding neighborhoods. Using a community-based planning process to fully engage residents from the affected areas, the program has led to numerous improvements and follow-up projects including development of a new transit village that will break ground in April 2008.

City of Newport Beach for the Newport Beach General Plan

Award: National Planning Achievement Award for Hard-Won Victories

The City of Newport Beach faced many hurdles to revise a 30-year-old General Plan including a formidable opposition campaign that continued for several years and involved both legal challenges and a ballot initiative. The city conducted extensive public outreach and education activities involving city staff, city council members and thousands of residents. Eventually, these efforts and those of residents who supported the plan succeeded.

Dave Brown, Professor, Los AngelesValleyCollege

Award: Leadership Award for a Planning Advocate

Citizen activist and educator Dave Brown has been a tireless and effective advocate for reasonable planning and sound growth practices around Los Angeles for more than three decades. His efforts as a dedicated advocate, volunteer, and teacher have complemented and enhanced the effectiveness and benefits of planning in countless ways. For example, as a member of the Citizen Advisory Committee of the State of California Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy for more than 22 years, he reviewed and commented on the acquisition of 60,000 acres and creation of 114 parks throughout the greater Los Angeles region.

Each of the award recipients will be recognized and receive their respective honor at a luncheon ceremony April 30 in Las Vegas during APA's National Planning Conference. Accomplishments of the award recipients also will be highlighted in the April 2008 issue of Planning magazine and on the APA Web site. For a list of all of the APA 2008 National Planning Excellence, Achievement, and Leadership Award recipients, visit www.planning.org/awards/2008winners.htm.

About the American Planning Association, California Chapter

Chartered in 1978, the American Planning Association, California Chapter (APACA) aims to provide the vision and leadership that fosters better planning in California through its network of nearly 6,000 practicing planners, citizens and elected officials committed to urban, suburban, regional and rural planning. APACA offers a wide spectrum of benefits to its members including information, services, professional development, networking and support to advance planning in California. For more information, visit www.calapa.org.