By Danae Hall, AICP, Awards Program Director, May 21, 2023
Each year, the Northern Section bestows Planning Awards to honor the most outstanding efforts in planning in the Section. This year, we received over 30 applications. The jury was impressed with the quality of applications across the board. After careful deliberation, the results are in and we are excited to share them with you.
Congratulations to all of the winners and thank you to everyone who applied. We look forward to seeing you at our Awards Gala, where our 2023 APA California – Northern Section Awards recipients will be celebrated. The Gala will tentatively be held in October 2023. More information will be shared once it becomes available. If you, or someone you know, is interested in helping to plan the Awards Gala, please contact Danae Hall at awardssubmissions@norcalapa.org.
| Award | Organization | Name of Project |
|---|---|---|
| Academic Award of Excellence | San Jose State University, Dept. of Urban & Regional Planning; Urban Planning Capstone Studio graduate student teams: Fall 2020 and Spring 2022 | Guadalupe River Park User Survey and Recommendations for the Future of the Park |
| Academic Award of Merit | City and Regional Planning Department, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo | Downtown Campbell Vision Plan |
| Advancing Diversity and Social Change in Honor of Paul Davidoff Award Award of Excellence | California High-Speed Rail Authority | California High-Speed Rail, San Jose to Merced Project Section, Environmental Justice Community Improvement Planning and Engagement Process |
| Best Practices Award of Excellence | PlaceWorks | City of Emeryville 2023-2031 Housing Element |
| Best Practices Award of Merit | PlaceWorks | Antioch Commercial Infill Housing |
| Comprehensive Plan – Large Jurisdiction Award of Excellence | City of San José | San José Diridon Station Area Plan |
| Comprehensive Plan: Large Jurisdiction Award of Merit | M-Group | El Camino Real Specific Plan, City of Sunnyvale |
| Comprehensive Plan: Small Jurisdiction Award of Excellence | City of South San Francisco | South San Francisco 2040 General Plan |
| Comprehensive Plan – Small Jurisdiction Award of Merit | City of Alameda | City of Alameda 2023-2031 Housing Element |
| Economic Planning and Development Award of Excellence | City and County of San Francisco | Shared Spaces Program |
| Hard-Won Victories Award of Excellence | Marin County | Marin County 6th Cycle Housing Element (County of Marin and MIG, with VTA Associates) |
| Hard-Won Victories Award of Merit | Lexington Planning | City of Albany San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan |
| Implementation: Large Jurisdiction Award of Excellence | Napa Sonoma ADU Center | Napa Sonoma ADU Center |
| Opportunity/Empowerment Award of Excellence | City of Alameda | Dignity Village |
| Planning Agency (public sector) Award of Excellence | Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) | Association of Bay Area Governments and Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Regional Housing Technical Assistance Program |
| Public Outreach Award of Excellence | Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District | Purisima Creek Redwoods Multimodal Access Project |
| Public Outreach Award of Merit | City of Dublin | SCS Property Community Outreach |
| Resilience and Sustainability Award of Excellence | East Bay Regional Park District | Former Roddy Ranch Habitat Restoration and Public Access Plan |
| Resilience and Sustainability Award of Merit | Ascent | City of Milpitas Climate Action Plan |
| Transportation Planning Award of Excellence | ICF Jones & Stokes | State Route 37 Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) Study and Guidebook |
| Transportation Planning Award of Merit | Kimley-Horn | California Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) Pivot |
| Urban Design Award of Merit | Interwest Consulting Group | San Benito County Zoning Code Update, ADU Design Handbook/ Construction Drawing Templates |
Additionally, the Northern Section is glad to announce the following awards:
- Special Recognition Award: Emerging Planner – Megan Campbell
- Special Recognition Award: Mid-Career Planner – Stephen Velyvis
- Special Recognition Award: Distinguished Planner – Veronica Tam
We would like to extend a huge thank you to our panel of jurors for taking the time to review each application thoroughly and for engaging in thoughtful deliberation. Our 2023 jurors include:
- Andrew Mogensen, AICP, Community Development Director, Millbrae
- Florentina Craciun, AICP, Senior Environmental Planner, City and County of San Francisco
- Joanna Jansen, AICP, LEED AP, Managing Principal, Placeworks
- John Cook, AICP, Managing Director, Environmental Planning, ICF
- Mike Iswalt, AICP, Transportation Planner, Kimley-Horn