APA honors community planning efforts

The American Planning Association, Washington, D.C., has announced the recipients of its 2000 National Awards for Planning. The awards were presented at the APA National Planning Conference in April. The winners include: * the Southside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance (SINA), in Hartford, Conn., which is receiving an Outstanding Planning Award for a Special Community Initiative. The alliance of Trinity College, the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, Connecticut Public Television, Hartford Hospital and the Institute for Living has implemented revitalization strategies, including the expansion of education, support services and affordable housing, in a distressed community just beyond the city’s boundaries; * Palm Beach County, Fla., which is receiving the Current Topic Award for Growing Smart Initiatives and Applications. The county has created the Managed Growth Tier System to control sprawl; * the El Arco Iris Youth Power Project, Holyoke, Mass., which is receiving the Outstanding Award for Public Education. The project involves students in after-school community planning projects; * Hancock County, Maine, which is receiving the Outstanding Planning Award for Project/Program/Tool. The program helps develop niche markets for the county’s small-scale, natural resource-based industries; * Liberty, Mo., which is receiving an Outstanding Award for a Plan for engaging local residents in the creation of a comprehensive 10-year plan for the city; * St. Louis, which is receiving an Outstanding Planning Award for creation of a master plan for a $100 million restoration of the city’s 1,293-acre Forest Park.