Awards
The Northern Section is Accepting 2025 Awards Applications January 5, 2025 – February 15, 2025
Applications due on February 15, 2025 by 5:00 p.m.
Questions? Please email Awards Program Co-Directors, Carlina Rose and Danae Hall, at: awards@norcalapa.org.
The purpose of the Northern Section Awards Program is to encourage quality in planning and increase the public’s awareness of the planning profession through recognizing outstanding achievement in the planning field. Each year, the Northern Section bestows Planning Awards to honor the most outstanding efforts in planning in the Section. The program honors innovative plans and projects, distinguished APA members, and lay contributors to planning and achievements of the Northern Section. Often, our Section winners ascend to win awards at the Chapter and National levels!
Awards Categories, Criteria, and Eligibility
Please note the Chapter implemented a number of changes to award categories for the 2025 awards and the associated updates to categories and criteria have been published. Please review the information carefully, prior to submitting your application.
- Award Category Descriptions
- Criteria for Award Categories
- Northern Section Awards Policies
How to Apply:
Please complete the Application Form linked below by February 15, 2025 at 5:00 p.m.
- Complete the online application here: https://forms.gle/tbniZEdaT7WXcQcg7
Important Dates
Note, that all dates are tentative and may be subject to change.
- Northern Section Awards Application Window – January 5 – February 15, 2025
- Northern Section Awards Jury Deliberations – March 9 – March 23, 2025
- Northern Section Awards Winner Notification – March 24, 2025
- State Awards Application Window – TBA
- Northern Section Awards Awards Gala – May 15, 2025
Call for Jury Volunteers
| The Award Committee is looking for enthusiastic individuals from both private and public sectors across the Section who are willing to dedicate time to our profession by serving on the Northern Section 2025 Award Jury. Jurors will review and evaluate some of the finest planning work in Northern California and then will confer with the jury to determine the winners. Please reach out to Awards Program Co-Directors, Carlina Rose and Danae Hall, at awards@norcalapa.org to express your interest by Friday, February 14, 2025. |
Save the Date: Awards Gala
Help us celebrate the Northern Section Awards Winners at the APA Northern Section Awards Gala on May 15, 2025! Location TBD.
APA California — Northern 2024 Awards
Each year, APA California — Northern bestows Planning Awards to honor the most outstanding planning efforts. The jury was impressed with the high quality of applications across the board. After careful deliberation, the results are in, and we are excited to share them with you!
| Awards Category | Organization | Name of Project | Award (Excellence/Merit) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academic | Lena Rogow, UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies and UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs | Assessing Public Outreach about Slow Streets in San Francisco | Excellence |
| Academic | Ryan Caro, UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies and UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs | Using Data Science for Equity at SFMTA | Merit |
| Best Practices | Community Planning Collaborative with Amador, Calaveras, Mariposa and Nevada Counties | Mother Lode ADU | Excellence |
| Best Practices | Rincon Consultants, Inc. and 4Leaf, Inc. | Housing Connect tool for the Napa Sonoma Collaborative | Merit |
| Communications Initiative | City of Concord/Community Development Department | Concord Community Academy’s, Community Development Session – An evening engaging with staff for a mock Planning Commission meeting | Excellence |
| Comprehensive Plan – Large Jurisdiction | City of Sunnyvale / Raimi + Associates | Moffett Park Specific Plan | Excellence |
| Comprehensive Plan – Small Jurisdiction | Dyett & Bhatia, City of Napa | Napa 2040 General Plan (General Plan Update) | Merit |
| Economic Planning and Development | City of Berkeley | Zoning Amendments for Berkeley Business | Excellence |
| Economic Planning and Development | City of Newark, Rhoades Planning Group, Lexington Planning | Old Town Newark Specific Plan | Merit |
| Hard-Won Victories | City of Watsonville / Raimi + Associates | Downtown Watsonville Specific Plan | Excellence |
| Opportunity/ Empowerment | City of Oakland Planning and Building Department, Dyett and Bhatia, and Deeply Rooted Collaborative | Oakland 2045 General Plan Update Phase 1 | Excellence |
| Planning Agency (public sector) | City of Campbell | City of Campbell Planning | Excellence |
| Public Outreach | Town of Corte Madera and Plan to Place | Town of Corte Madera Housing Element Update (2023 – 2031) | Excellence |
| Public Outreach | DWR and Dudek | Underrepresented Communities Technical Assistance Program: Communication, Engagement, Facilitation, and Technical Assistance for Tribal Governments, Unrepresented Communities, and Small Socially Disadvantaged Farmers | Merit |
| Resilience and Sustainability | The Trust for Public Land (TPL) / WRT / ESA / Trout Unlimited | Reimagine San Geronimo: A Vision Framework | Excellence |
| Resilience and Sustainability | Sonoma County and Rincon Consultants, Inc. | Sonoma County Carbon Inventory and Sequestration Potential Study | Merit |
| Transportation Planning | City of San Pablo | City of San Pablo Contra Costa College Mobility Hub Plan | Excellence |
| Transportation Planning | City of San José and Fehr & Peers | San José Downtown Transportation Plan | Merit |
| Urban Design | CMG Landscape Architecture | San Francisco Civic Center Public Realm Plan | Excellence |
| Urban Design | Dyett & Bhatia, Sonoma County | Sonoma Developmental Center Specific Plan | Merit |
In addition to the aforementioned awards, the Northern Director bestowed the following special recognition awards:
- Special Recognition Award: Emerging Planner – Carlina Rose
- Special Recognition Award: Mid-Career Planner – Omar Masry, AICP
- Special Recognition Award: Distinguished Planner – Darcy Kremin, AICP
The Northern Board 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 2024 Jury was comprised of:
- Anne Hersch, AICP, Land Use Planning Manager, City of Berkeley
- Audrey Maria Zagazeta, Chief Executive Officer, Circlepoint
- Kim Walton, Senior Transportation Planner, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
- Timothy Rood AICP, LEED AP, Community Development Director, City of Hercules
- Veronica Tam, Owner, Veronica Tam and Associates