2020 Recipients

For a comprehensive or general plan that advances the science and art of planning. 

Plan Lubbock 2040 (the Plan) sets the stage for a whole new era. As the first comprehensive plan in over 30 years, it encompasses all aspects of Lubbock’s growth and steps beyond the typical planning process. The Plan started with “the end in mind” and identified “big ideas” for formulation and development. In the true spirit of planning and collaboration, the process embraced current plans associated with city infrastructure improvements to develop a fully connected response to growth. As a result, the Plan outlines detailed strategic initiatives addressing future land use; transportation; water; wastewater; storm water; economic development; community livability; and parks, trails and open space over the next 20 years.

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For a comprehensive or general plan that advances the science and art of planning. 

Comprehensive Plans, being long range and high-level, sometimes are an imperfect mechanism for addressing the day-to-day issues and needs that are frequently expressed by leadership and residents. Plan 2040 overcame this disconnect by putting needs right at the forefront of the process. Plan 2040 kicked off with an “Issues and Needs” Joint Workshop with the Brenham City Council, Planning and Zoning Commission, and Board of Adjustment, providing an opportunity at the onset of the project for leadership to discuss their expectations for the planning process and lay out what they saw as the key needs of the city. A Town Hall on Brenham’s Future was held to kick-off the planning process publicly and similarly focused on the key needs and priorities of residents. Participants at both the Town Hall and the Joint Workshop were asked to complete the sentence “Above all else, this plan must address _____.” The ensuing discussions about needs and priorities were then tied to the purpose of a comprehensive plan and what the plan can and should address occurred at both the leadership and public level. 

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This award honors an individual, project, group, or organization that promotes diversity and demonstrates a sustained commitment to advocacy by addressing the concerns of women and minorities through specific actions or contributions within the planning profession or through planning practice. 

The Neighborhood & Housing Services Department (NHSD) in San Antonio crafted and implemented the Emergency Housing Assistance Program (EHAP) with equity and inclusion at the forefront. This program was created for the most vulnerable residents in San Antonio; a population that does not often have easy access to internet or a smart phone. NHSD operated on the principle that this program must serve those most in need and that everyone in San Antonio must be empowered to apply.

The program was formed to provide fiscal support for residents on a sliding scale based on family size and family income so larger families or families with lower incomes get more aid. This ensures that those families with the largest need receive the largest support. In addition to monetary funds for shelter and utilities, the program also provides direct cash assistance that can be used for residents’ most pressing needs. The program partnered the Family Independence Initiative to provide the cash assistance and have offered financial counseling services to the households in the months and years following the pandemic.

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This award honors an individual, project, group, or organization that promotes diversity and demonstrates a sustained commitment to advocacy by addressing the concerns of women and minorities through specific actions or contributions within the planning profession or through planning practice. 

The overarching objective of the project was to learn how racial equity, which often stays in the realm of theory in academic contexts, could be advanced or hindered in very pragmatic ways through city government policies and programs. If we, as planners, hope to advance racial equity in our professional careers, learning how to apply the theory would be vital. And so, we grounded our research in critical race theory and adopted a racial equity framework to guide our work. We then utilized a mixed methods approach—employing both qualitative and quantitative methods—to identify racial inequities in the water sector and in Austin. Through this process, we were able to connect the theoretical to the practical. 

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The Student Project Award recognizes an outstanding class project or paper by a student or group of students in Planning Accreditation Board-accredited planning programs that contribute to advances in the field of planning.

The “Hitchcock Comprehensive Plan” is an exemplar of a 1) collaborative trans-university student project and one that 2) authentically engaged a small town ravaged by Hurricane Harvey, for the APA Texas Chapter Student Project Award. Students across four universities collaboratively worked with the City of Hitchcock, a small rural community of less than 8,000 people in Galveston County. Roughly 70% of the city lies within the Special Flood Hazard Area, where 25% are in poverty, 46% are white, 28% African American, and 24% Hispanic. The process included 10 public forums, community engagement meetings, and a high school workshop to discuss the vision and goals. The community identified a roadmap toward increasing quality of life, fostering sustainable growth and development, and embracing their small-town charm. A total of 117 students across four universities participated on the project. The nominated project was led by Texas A&M University (TAMU) within six courses, including three graduate urban planning, one graduate geography, one undergraduate urban and regional planning, and one undergraduate landscape architecture course as part of the Texas Target Communities program (TxTC) and the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning. Additionally, students from three other Texas universities (University of Texas at San Antonio, Texas Southern University, and the University of Texas at Arlington) contributed to the plan through the APATX's Legacy Project in 2018. 

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This award honors an individual, appointed, or elected official who has advanced or promoted the cause of planning in the public arena. 

As an assistant city manager, Donna was assigned in 2013-14 to be lead staff for the Lewisville 2025 vision planning process. She clearly understood the importance of having talented city planners work closely with an outside planning consultant. She also ensured that public input was solicited and heard. More than 1,400 comments were received and formed the framework of the finished plan.  The result was a clear, shared community vision for the kind of community residents want Lewisville to be when the city celebrates it’s centennial in 2025.

After she became City Manager, Donna separated Planning from a larger department to give it more emphasis. She made Lewisville 2025 an integral part of the annual strategic planning and budget processes, educated employees in all departments about the benefits of their contributions to the plan, and drove community education efforts. Several other city plan documents were updated to incorporate the Lewisville 2025 vision. Two new small area plans were developed in targeted areas of the city, taking the Lewisville 2025 vision to a deeper level in locations ripe for new and renewed development.

Donna makes clear that departments are expected to be familiar with and follow direction from their strategic plans, from parks and open space to thoroughfares and utility infrastructure. New projects must further plan objectives to be considered for funding. Department directors regularly provide updates to management and elected officials on progress toward their relevant strategic plans. City Council has refocused its long-range goals based on the Lewisville 2025 plan and the public mandate it represents. 

Donna has elevated the profile of city planning among staff, residents, and Council. As a result, stakeholders better understand the value of careful city planning and the city’s planning team has enjoyed unprecedented success.