APA Nebraska Recognizes Excellence in Community Planning
Lincoln, Nebraska’s Affordable Housing Coordinated Action Plan, developed through a partnership between RDG and the city, has been honored with APA Nebraska’s Best Practice Award.
The American Planning Association’s Nebraska Chapter (APA Nebraska) has recognized the City of Lincoln Nebraska Affordable Housing Coordinated Action Plan with the 2021 Best Practice Award. Conferred annually, the award focuses on innovative and state-of-the-art planning methods and practices that help create communities of lasting value. Representatives from RDG Planning & Design, which partnered with the City of Lincoln to develop the plan, joined representatives from the City to receive the award during a ceremony on Thursday, September 16, 2021.
Lincoln, Nebraska’s Affordable Housing Coordinated Action Plan was adopted in December of 2020 and forms a comprehensive picture of Lincoln’s housing market. RDG worked with the City to engage the public and a variety of additional stakeholder groups to gain feedback and then combined this feedback with data on historic trends, population demographics, the economy and housing market conditions to generate a comprehensive market analysis. The plan is designed to support the development of a housing market in Lincoln that reflects the diversity of residents, improves the City’s overall economic health and protects and advances the health, safety, economic opportunity and quality of life of all residents.
“The need for affordable housing has only become more apparent in the last 18 months. It’s exciting to see the City of Lincoln begin implementing elements of the strategic direction laid out within the action plan that addresses this need,” said RDG Principal Amy Haase, AICP. “RDG has been privileged to be a partner on the development of the action plan, and APA Nebraska’s Best Practice Award further validates the importance of it and its impact.”
Participation in the APA Nebraska Awards program helps increase awareness of planning and its impact on people and their environments. The Best Practice Award is judged against four main criteria: originality and innovation, implementation and transferability, participation, and effectiveness and results. As a professional organization, APA Nebraska encompasses approximately 150 members including practicing planners, elected and appointed officials, academicians, citizens who care about planning and students.
“[Lincoln, Nebraska’s Affordable Housing Coordinated Action Plan] is a great example of stakeholder outreaching and obtaining info from hard-to-reach constituencies,” expressed the APA Nebraska jury. “[The plan] addresses a huge need and also targets local barriers to improvements while informing the greater community.”