APA Nebraska Announces Winners of 2026 Chapter Awards
The Bellevue–Papillion Housing Resilience Plan, completed in partnership with RDG, has been recognized for demonstrating how planning helps create stronger, more equitable communities.
The Nebraska Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA Nebraska) recently announced the winners of its 2026 chapter awards, including the Bellevue-Papillion Housing Resilience Plan, which received a Planning Excellence in Housing Award. APA Nebraska’s Planning Excellence awards recognize planning’s essential role in addressing the desires, needs or challenges within a community, county, region or a specific geographic location.
In response to the accelerating impacts of severe weather on housing stability, affordability and community well-being, the cities of Bellevue and Papillion partnered with RDG Planning & Design to develop one of the first comprehensive housing resilience plans undertaken in the Midwest, expanding the practice of resilience planning beyond the Gulf Coast and coastal hazard models. Rather than reacting after disasters occur, this study positions both communities to proactively reduce risk, shorten recovery time and protect long-term housing stability.
An interactive online mapping tool allowed residents to identify localized flooding and stormwater concerns that are often absent from traditional datasets. This community-generated data directly shaped stormwater strategies and infrastructure priorities, demonstrating how digital engagement tools can meaningfully inform technical planning outcomes. The success of the Bellevue–Papillion Housing Resilience Study will be tracked through clear, measurable outcomes.
Ultimately, this study demonstrates that planning is essential to increasing safety during severe weather, protecting vulnerable populations, preserving affordable housing and ensuring that the future housing stock is better prepared for changing weather patterns. The Bellevue–Papillion Housing Resilience Study positions both communities — and the planning profession — for a stronger, more resilient and more equitable future.
Conferred annually, the APA Nebraska Chapter Awards honor plans and professionals who work to advance the practice of comprehensive planning across Nebraska. Judging for the 2026 awards was performed by an out-of-state jury of planning professionals, with winners recognized at the APA Nebraska Annual Conference on March 5, 2026, in Kearney, Nebraska.