AWARDS PROGRAM
2021 Daniel Burnham Award for a Comprehensive Plan: Libertyville 2030 Comprehensive Plan
2021Strategic Plan Award: Oak Brook Reserve
2021 Awards Chair Tim Gustafson, AICP presents the 2021 Awards Program
2021 Daniel Burnham Award for a Comprehensive Plan: Libertyville 2030 Comprehensive Plan
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Each year, the Illinois Chapter recognizes the best in planning across Illinois with our annual awards program. These plans exemplify the tremendous planning efforts across the State of Illinois.
Awards News
2021 APA-IL Chapter Awards
The American Planning Association - Illinois Chapter (APA-IL) is proud to announce the 2020 APA-IL Project and Service Award Winners. These outstanding planning efforts from across the state exemplify the practice of urban planning and each stand as an example of ways our members are “Making Great Communities for All” in Illinois. Congratulations to all!
Thank you to the 2021 Awards Jury. It’s no small effort to read and review all the great project nominations we receive.
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Lesley Roth, AICP from Lamar Johnson Collaborative
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Cynthia Hoyle, FAICP from Hoyle Consulting
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Mark Rinnan, AICP from Jacobs
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Mercy Davison, AICP from the Town of Normal
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Cristen Hardin, PGAV Planners, LLC
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Steve Marciani, AICP from the Village of Skokie and Co-chair for the Awards Program
*note that jurors were not allowed to judge projects they were involved in
Award winning Projects were recognized and Service Awards were announced during the 2021 Awards Program on October 6th at the 2021 APA-IL State Conference in Normal, IL.
2021 APA-IL Project Awards
Scroll down for Service Award winners!
Daniel Burnham Award for a Comprehensive Plan
Libertyville 2030 Comprehensive Plan
Libertyville's 2030 Comprehensive Plan presents a compelling vision and planning framework in a concise, straightforward approach that reflects the community’s preference for a clear road map and direction for local action.
Strategic Plan Award
Oak Brook Reserve
The plan demonstrates short-term tactical enhancements balanced with long-term visionary thinking – fostering adaptation and resilience to uncertain ecological, social, and economic forces – ensuring enduring value and relevance which could be transferable to any community.
Best Practice Award
Woodstock Age-Friendly Livable Community Plan
Woodstock’s Age-Friendly Action Plan provides a new model that makes a strong case for the economic value of age-friendly planning, serves the entire community, is easy to use, and is implementable over time.
Advancing Diversity and Social Change Award (new for 2021)
PopCourts!
This new award for 2021 highlights a creative, temporary, flexible space for the Austin neighborhood. The planning process included robust community engagement and empowered the community throughout its construction and future programming.
Public Outreach Award
“Care About the Count”: North Central IL 2020 Census Campaign Under Pandemic
The amount of engagement in this plan can only be called one thing, aggressive. A clear goal with metrics that helped to focus the strategy enabled the region to surpass previous self-response rates locally and nationally plus created a template for future outreach efforts and provided a better understanding of the RPC's role in the community -- all during a global pandemic.
Healthy and Active Community Award
Northern Lakeshore Trail Connectivity Plan
This well organized, visual plan has an eye towards ease of implementation for municipalities as well as providing evidence of items already implemented.
Student Project Award
Connecting People to Power: South Shore Energy Plan
Project Completed By: Adam Beaver, Alicia Ruiz, B.J. Ryan, Becky Darling, Corie Anderson, David Schottky, Erik Orta, Irene Henry, Isobel Araujo, Liz Kersjes, Lobna Anous, Mary Szeliga, Molly Clark, Morgan Madderom, Samantha Lenoch, and Sarah Howe
Program: Master of Urban Planning and Policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)
This bold and innovative way of looking at "energy" sets a strong precedent for things that people used to think were beyond their control.
2021 APA-IL Service Awards
Distinguished Service Award
Laurie Marston, FAICP
Laurie is worthy of this recognition because of her work to create, and subsequently reboot, the APA-IL's highly successful Plan Commissioner Training program. She took her work as more than a series of tasks. Her drive to inform commissioners so that they can better serve their communities is in every bit of her effort whether leading a session, updating materials, or doing the research necessary to provide a learning experience specific to the community. The Training program could not have gotten off the ground and succeeded with any less effort, insight, creativity, and energy that Laurie brought to it. Then again, "thoughtful" and "all in" are the best ways to describe Laurie and her ongoing efforts to advance the cause of planning and make communities better places for all who live in them.
Emerging Planner Award
Cristen Hardin
Her leadership and initiative helped to renew and propel the Pro Bono Program into the award-winning program that it is today. Cristen became actively involved in APA-IL in 2018 as a member of the Pro Bono Committee. She provided valuable information and expertise to shape the program and project selection process. In 2020, Cristen volunteered to lead the Stites Township Park District project. Cristen is a regular attendee at APA-IL Coffee Talks, has served on the APA-IL Awards Jury, and has taken strides to get to know her peers and lend her experience and expertise. She embodies what it means to be a planner through her volunteer work and leadership and there is no doubt she will continue to achieve greatness throughout the course of her career.
Emerging Planner Award
Phillip Green
Phil is not only a joy to work with because of his positive attitude, quick wit, and thoughtful demeanor but because he is a creative thinker who has a keen mind when dealing with equity, justice, and kindness. Phil has been the Vice-Chair of the APA-IL Membership Committee and now serves as Chair. He has been a major contributor to APA-IL's "The Lowdown" happy hours and has also contributed greatly to numerous APA-IL events and state conferences. You may have most recently seen him as co-host for the 2021 State Conference Trivia Tour! There is no doubt Phil is just beginning his long and noteworthy career in planning and will surely contribute not just to APA-IL but the profession for many years to come.