2020 Winners
AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
Best Practices
Energized Public Spaces Functional Master Plan & Analysis Tool
Montgomery County, Maryland
In Award of Excellence to Montgomery County, Maryland, in the Best Practices category for the Energized Public Spaces Functional Master Plan and Analysis Tool.
Some people want playgrounds, other people value open space for concerts or being in nature on a long hike. All park experiences are not created equal for everyone. One of the main outcomes of the Energized Public Spaces Functional Master Plan (EPS Plan) is to map access to outdoor spaces where people of all ages, ethnicity, incomes can meet, play, relax, exercise and enjoy nature in areas where more people live and work. These parks and open spaces will integrate the public network of streets, transit and other infrastructure, creating a framework around which sustainable future development can occur. The EPS Plan maps the score of walkable access to recreational amenities, not just park acreage. This system helps us prioritize public space needs more equitably countywide. The goal is to provide a balance of public spaces supply for: social gathering (events, festivals), active recreation (trails, multi-use courts, spaces to play) and contemplative relaxation (gardens, urban forests) in the urban areas of the county.
AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
Special Focus Planning Initiative - County Holistic Innovation Project
Connected City
Pasco County, Florida
Connected City (CC) is America’s first Gigabit community built from the ground up and the first community in America with a Crystal Lagoon. In partnership with Pasco County, the Project is constructing roads ready for driver-less vehicles and multi-modal transportation alternatives, offering flexible zoning attracting high tech companies, allowing an incremental approval process significantly reducing approval time, generating new school and startup funds, and issuing credits for incorporating gigabit technologies and solar power.
AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
Comprehensive Plan- Small Jurisdiction
Emporia-Lyon County Joint Comprehensive Plan
Lyon County, Kansas
In 2017, Lyon County and the City of Emporia completed a unique and exciting community-wide effort to create the first Joint Comprehensive Plan. The joint initiative reflected the desire to create a mutually-beneficial plan to apply the community’s vision to urban, suburban, small town, and rural contexts. The vast amount of public engagement activities helped build consensus around cohesive planning themes and patterns (and build important relationships), that has and will continue to serve the greater community for many years to come.
AWARD OF MERIT
Best Practices
Energy Planning Team Process
Washington County, Minnesota
Washington County’s Energy Planning Team saw adoption of the County’s first comprehensive energy plan in August of 2018. This 20-person cross-departmental county staff team expanded their knowledge, galvanized support and created structure and a process to assure opportunity, accountability and success on energy and greenhouse gas reductions. By leveraging the power of a committed team, they created an implementation plan for their 2040 Comprehensive Plan’s energy goals and strategies and systematically steered their county to face rather than turn away from the global climate crisis.
AWARD OF MERIT
Small Area Plan/Special Planning Area
Veirs Mill Corridor Master Plan
Montgomery County, Maryland
The Veirs Mill Corridor Master Plan is the first plan to be developed following Montgomery County’s adoption of Vision Zero policy in 2016. The plan seeks to reimagine busy Veirs Mill Road as an integral component of the surrounding neighborhoods by improving connectivity and safety in the public realm. This plan advances Vision Zero through short-term and long-term strategies to improve safety for everyone, whether they travel by foot, bicycle, transit or car. The plan’s vision, goals and recommendations are reflective of an inclusive dialogue with community residents, property owners, stakeholders and agency partners.
AWARD OF MERIT
Comprehensive Plan- Large Jurisdiction
2018 Livingston County Master Plan
Livingston County, Michigan
Livingston County, is located in the lower peninsula of southeast Michigan and it is the eleventh largest county in Michigan with a population of 193,000.The 2018 Livingston County, Michigan, Master Plan is a fully web-based, interactive plan that focuses on presenting current national, state, regional, county and local planning and zoning trends and best practices with hundreds of supporting web links.
The Master Plan includes ten subject chapters including Hazard Mitigation and Social Equity; that promote the importance of these lesser known, and seldom included master plan components. The entire planning process of creating this document was completed in-house by the three AICP planners of the Livingston County Planning Department.
Livingston County Master Plan Document
AWARD OF MERIT
Comprehensive Plan- Small Jurisdiction
Yakima River Public Access Plan
Kittitas County, Washington
This public access plan for the Yakima and Cle Elum Rivers developed a high quality vision, access concept, and implementation strategy that combined the interests and implementation capabilities of the widest possible array of public, nonprofit, and for-profit interests.
The resulting plan and implementation actions have and will significantly increase conservation, recreation, and economic benefits for Kittitas County residents and tourists alike.