The Illinois Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA-IL) is pleased to announce the 2022 Project Award recipients. The Chapter received a total of 22 nominations for outstanding examples of planning in Illinois. Congratulations to all who are recognized for their hard work, which seeks to advance the profession of planning in Illinois and nationwide!

Daniel Burnham Award for a Comprehensive Plan West Chicago Forward/Adelante

This plan clearly demonstrates that planning can go beyond land use and address social and economic capital. The intentional and radically inclusive process for the West Chicago Forward/Adelante Comprehensive Plan (WCFA) drew on the City’s assets to present a unified vision for all West Chicagoans.

Strategic Plan Award Climate Action Plan for the Chicago Region

Action to mitigate the root causes of climate must be taken at a scale and speed that can only be accomplished through regional and international collaboration. The Climate Action Plan's multi-agency approach to the process illustrates how planners can partner with science-based knowledge to create a plan for resiliency. The process, metrics and outcomes can serve as a model for communities.

Strategic Plan Award Alton Great Streets

The Alton Great Streets Plan creates a complete roadway framework using Great Streets© as a way to rebuild and better serve the community. The plan's scope extends well beyond the focus corridor to connect districts, the downtown to the riverfront, and support community development in the neighborhoods around the corridor.

Best Practice Award

1212 Larkin

The 1212 Larkin redevelopment is an exemplary model of providing affordable housing and preserving historic buildings, grounded in extensive public participation. The effort required innovative planning, design and outreach to create a historically sensitive redevelopment. The transferability of the site planning approach for other suburban communities is what makes this a model for implementing increased density and providing affordable and supportive housing.

Advancing Diversity and Social Change Award

Hedge POP! Park

The Hedge POP! Park showcases the City of Champaign's ability to build support for a project through community engagement within a historically underrepresented neighborhood and under an extremely constrained timeframe and budget. The community engagement in the Garden Hills neighborhood went beyond typical meetings to deeply engage third-party entities that could provide programming and capacity building to meet the needs of the neighborhood youth.

Healthy and Active Community Award

Illinois Veterans’ Home Quincy Campus Master Plan

While the Campus Master Plan needed to respond to the tragedy surrounding an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in 2015, the plan provides dignified, holistic, and long-lasting solutions for the unique needs of the veteran population. The resulting campus demonstrates a commitment to mental health, wellness, and connection. The plan's progressive approach to adaptive reuse, integration with the broader community, and approach to phasing and implementation with existing residents in mind is noteworthy.

Historic Exploration Award

Uncover Antioch

How do you take history and turn it into an adventure? This month-long scavenger hunt through out the Village of Antioch featured the incredible stories of local people and places. The educational approach is transferable to any community and is a creative way to educate the community and while creating pride and potential preservation impacts.

Student Project Award

35th Street Reimagined: Codesigning Neighborhood Improvements with McKinley Park Neighbors

A month-long research, community engagement, and planning/ design process laid out the initial steps to a longer neighborhood improvement process which will be spearheaded by the McKinley Park Development Council (MPDC). Community input was masterfully translated into implementable and innovative design ideas.

Join these Award Winners at the 2022 APA-IL State Conference

Award winning plans will be recognized and 2022 Service Award winners will be announced at the 2022 Awards Ceremony during this year's State Conference in Chicago, IL:

2022 APA-IL State Conference

• 9/28/22 @ 5:00 - 6:00 PM Awards Ceremony

• 9/28/22 @ 6:30 - 7:30 PM Awards Reception & Exhibitors Meet and Greet in the Old Post Office's rooftop garden, The Meadow (pictured above)

Conference Details at a Glance

September 28-30, 2022

The Old Post Office

433 W Van Buren St, Chicago, IL 60607

#APAIL22

ilapa.org/apail22

The 2022 Awards Program is complimentary to all 2022 State Conference attendees. Conference registration rates increase on September 17, 2022 so be sure to register now. Please be sure to register for the both Awards Ceremony and the Awards Reception to save your seat at the program.

About Us

The American Planning Association - Illinois Chapter (APA-IL) is Illinois' source for networking and professional development in the field of urban planning. The Illinois Chapter strives to enhance planning skills and knowledge through a number of activities including an annual Statewide conference, section meetings, planning awards, professional development, a newsletter, the website, and more. The Chapter exists as part of the larger American Planning Association. For more information about the APA-IL, visit https://www.ilapa.org/. Questions regarding the Awards Program should be directed to APA-IL Awards Chair, Sara Egan, AICP at awards@ilapa.org.