Outstanding Economic Development Planning

This award honors efforts to transform economies and stimulate economic development in communities of all sizes.

Examples: Economic development plans, economic recovery initiatives, urban and regional economic analyses, commercial district revitalization, corridor revitalization, town center developments, and strategic plans for economic development; market studies, etc.

Eligibility:

Open to APA members and nonmembers. Nominated plan should have been completed in the last three (3) years before the nomination deadline.

Criteria:

• Originality and innovation — Document how your entry presents a visionary approach or innovative concept to address specific needs. Specify how planning principles have been observed, especially in consideration of your entry's effects on other public objectives.
• Implementation — Address what steps have been taken to build momentum and public support for your entry. Illustrate how your entry has potential application for others and how use of your entry's components and methodology would further the cause of good planning.
• Integration — Describe how your entry has been integrated into other planning efforts such as a corresponding comprehensive or master plan or other related initiatives. Detail how your entry will help further the cause of good planning and support the broader needs of the community and surrounding region.
• Engagement — Explain how various public interests were involved and the extent of that involvement. Show how your entry obtained public and private support. Clarify the role, significance, and participation of planners and any outcomes in terms of helping gain public support of planning.
• Effectiveness and results — State how your entry addressed the need or problem that prompted its initiation. Be explicit about how the results have made a difference in the lives of the people affected. Convey the level of effectiveness your entry can have over time.