NACP News

2010 County Planning Awards Announced

Posted in: NACP News by The NACP on April 17, 2010

The County Planning Division of the American Planning Association and the National Association of County Planners (an affiliate of the National Association of Counties) presented their first annual “Excellence in County Planning” awards during their annual meeting in New Orleans on April 11. The selection committee received numerous submittals from counties across the United States, and ultimately selected three projects for recognition.

Pictures from Awards Ceremony

Gwinnett County

Gwinnett County, located in the greater Atlanta area, was recognized for a very ambitious and detailed 2030 Unified Plan that incorporates excellent data and implementation steps to address a variety of issues that this high-growth area currently faces. The awards committee was particularly impressed with the scope of the project, as well as the outreach efforts including the website. Nancy Lovingood, manager of long-range planning for the county, accepted the award along with project consultant Holiday Collins Storck from PB Placemaking, and delivered a presentation that provided additional details about the planning process and current status of the plan implementation.

Click here to see the Gwinnet County Presentation.

Gaston County

Gaston County, located in the growing Charlotte metro area, was recognized for a Unified Development Ordinance that was established through an inclusive process involving a wide variety of stakeholders. The awards committee was impressed with the county’s effort to move ahead, while retaining history and character through creative implementation of planning principles and public participation. David Williams, the Gaston County Planning Director, accepted the award and said the expectations for the project were high. “We were charged to “raise the bar” by enhancing development standards to promote quality development, livability, consistency with other existing policies while protecting our tax base.”

Click here to see the Gaston County Presentation.

The Mountain Landscapes Initiative

The Mountain Landscapes Initiative, a project managed by the Southwestern Commission and consulting firm The Lawrence Group, developed a detailed reference guide for local governments, officials, citizens, and developers to improve development practices in six rural counties located in western North Carolina. The project was recognized for its extensive public engagement process and transferability to other rural areas. Judy Francis, County Planning Division Chair-Elect, accepted the award on behalf of the Southwestern Commission and the Lawrence Group, and commented that “creative land use planning is not just a function of the metropolis. Some of the best work being done throughout the country is in rural areas that have never undertaken comprehensive planning before, but are now concerned about the impacts of inappropriate development on dearly loved landscapes.”

Click here to see the Mountain Landscapes Initiative Presentation.

Meeting Minutes January 21, 2010

Posted in: NACP News by The NACP on April 13, 2010

Annual Meeting in New Orleans

Posted in: NACP News by The NACP on March 10, 2010

The National Association of County Planners and The County Planning Division of the American Planning Association invite you to attend their annual meeting on Sunday, April 11, 2010 (11:45-12:45) during the Annual Conference of the American Planning Association in New Orleans, Louisiana. Please refer to your conference agenda for the specific room location. Items on the meeting agenda will include announcing the awards for “Excellence in County Planning.”

The 2010 Outstanding Achievement in County Planning Awards

Posted in: NACP News by The NACP on February 2, 2010

The National Association of County Planners and The County Planning Division of the American Planning Association are accepting nominations for The 2010 Outstanding Achievement in County Planning Awards.

The National Association of County Planners and the County Planning Division of APA are teaming up to recognize excellence in county planning and plan implementation.

Eligibility

Nominations may be submitted for a county plan / implementation (adopted within the last five calendar years) that demonstrates leadership, innovation, and commitment to ethical planning principles and civic engagement.

Judging Criteria

Submittals will be reviewed by a panel of members from the National Association of County Planners and the County Planning Division of APA and evaluated according to the following criteria:

  • Originality – To what extent does the submission present a visionary approach or innovative concept that results in a meaningful advancement of the planning process?
  • Transferability – To what extent is there a potential application in other areas or to other projects? How does this work increase our understanding of planning principles?
  • Quality – To what extent is there excellence in thought, writing, analysis, graphics, and ethical planning principles?
  • Implementation – To what extent is the plan or program effective as evidenced by its degree of post-completion or post-adoption activity?
  • Comprehensiveness – To what extent have planning principles been observed, especially in considering the plan’s / project’s effects on other public objectives?

Nomination Submittal Must Include (digital submittals encouraged)

  • Complete name and contact information for the nominator and nominee. Also include a brief description (urban / suburban / rural)  and size category for the county (small = pop. under 150,000, medium = pop. between 150,000-499,999, large = pop. over 500,000)
  • List of other contacts including media
  • 5 hard or electronic copies of a narrative (not to exceed 3 letter-sized pages) describing the plan and associated implementation activities which describe the setting, process, significance to planning, innovative achievements, and outcomes
  • 5 hard or electronic copies of the planning document and any other relevant support materials

ALL MATERIALS MUST BE RECIEVED BY 5:00 PM EST ON MARCH 5, 2010.

Please send all nomination materials to: Judy Francis, AICP, NCDENR, 2090 Hwy. 70, Swannanoa, NC  28778

Winners will be notified by March 21 and invited to attend the awards presentation at the Annual Conference of the American Planning Association on April 11, 2010.

APA CPD and NACP Election Report

Posted in: NACP News by The NACP on October 26, 2009

RFP: 2010 APA National Conference Presentations

Posted in: NACP News, Resources by The NACP on September 21, 2009

TO: Membership of the National Association of County Planners (NACP)

The 2010 Annual Conference of the American Planning Association will be held in New Orleans, LA on April 10-13, 2010. We strongly encourage conference participation from NACP members, so please consider preparing a presentation proposal. The deadline for submitting presentation proposals is August 18, 2009. Please follow this link for submittal guidelines for APA members and non-members:

http://www.planning.org/conference/proposals/index.htm

You do not need to have all of your speakers identified and confirmed in order to submit a proposal. Proposal acceptance letters will be sent out in November, 2009. You will have until January to finalize your proposed speakers. All speakers must register for the conference by February 18, 2010.

Once you have submitted your proposal, please notify James Davenport, NACo / NACP liaison at JDavenport@naco.org and include your name and session title so we know what the NACP membership has submitted.

Thank You!