Planning Institute of British Columbia Awards 2009 Winners

The Planning Institute of British Columbia is pleased to announce the 2009 Award Winners, for the following Awards:

• Awards for Excellence in Planning
• Planner of the Year Award
• Education Committee Student Fellowship Award

Awards for Excellence in Planning
The Planning Institute of British Columbia annually honours the best in professional planning work undertaken by members in communities and regions across British Columbia and the Yukon through the Awards for Excellence in Planning program. Early each new-year a call for submissions is made, for projects, plans and policies in two major categories:

• Site Planning & Design
• Comprehensive Policies & Plans

In addition, to give recognition to submissions at different levels and scales, consideration is given to the size and budget of projects submitted. The Institute’s Awards Committee serves as the jury for the Awards for Excellence in Planning, and reviewed eleven complete submissions for the 2009 program. The 2009 winners, announced at the 2009 AGM & Conference – the 2009 BC Land Summit, included the following:

Site Planning & Design:
City of Nanaimo – Downtown Urban Design Guidelines
The vision for Nanaimo's downtown core, as articulated in the Official Community Plan, is for a high-density, mixed-use centre that will continue to serve as the civic, cultural, and business centre of Nanaimo.

The Downtown Urban Design Plan and Guidelines was the third phase of a series of recent initiatives for the area.  The first and second phases included a Downtown Plan (2002) and a comprehensive Downtown Zoning Bylaw (2005).

The City commissioned D'Ambrosio architecture + urbanism, in conjunction with Citizen Plan to work with the Design Advisory Panel, acting as steering committee for the project to create the guidelines for the 12 distinct areas comprising the downtown area.

The project involved a design charette with design professionals, and representatives from each of the Planning Commission, Neighbourhood Associations and the Downtown Nanaimo Partnership (Business Improvement Association).  Draft design guidelines were then showcased at a public open house and presentation to the original charette participants, both allowing for input.

The Guidelines enforce development opportunities in the Downtown, identifying infill opportunities and is recognized as a living document that will change over time through regular reviews.

The presentation of the document is quite impressive.  Clearly intended for both professional use and public consumption, the document is laid out like a text book.  Educating the reader on how to use the document, the information is presented in a clear and concise manner with simple, but well developed graphics and maps representing Nanaimo's downtown urban form history, heritage registry, urban design, street design, open space network, and defining an urban design plan.

Colourful sections and plans are informative, clear and easy to follow, with each page spread detailing recommendations for a new area.  Walking through all 12 distinct areas of the core, the document reads like a well written urban design text book using Kevin Lynch's theory of the City as its influence.  A must-read for everyone practicing or studying urban planning and urban design.

Comprehensive Policy & Plans (Projects $75,000 and over):
City of Colwood & City of Langford – Joint Official Community Plans
This was a joint planning process undertaken by the Cities of Langford and Colwood to build an inter-jurisdictional plan.  The two municipalities shared resources and held joint public meetings and workshops, and worked with one consultant firm in order to realize this vision.

The planning process was a highlight, emphasizing the importance of disseminating information and educating the public, while balancing the regional context balanced with local issues.  Another highlight was testing the policy directions against the outcomes of the design charrette.

The outcomes of this effort were the adoption of both plans by their respective Councils.  The alignment of policies between the two plans was approximately 95% with some slight variations, reflecting the individuality of each jurisdiction.

Combining the two municipalities to align policies across the sub-region is highly innovative.  Additionally, these slightly different and flexible documents contain energy emissions reductions for built form, transportation strategies and Development Permit guidelines. 

Comprehensive Policy & Plans (Projects under $75,000):
District of West Vancouver – Community Dialogue on Neighbourhood Character and Housing
The Community Dialogue on Neighbourhood Character and Housing was a process of “people talking to people” about the future of their neighbourhoods and issues related to housing choice and affordability. It provided a forum for engaging the community in developing its own policy directions for housing and neighbourhood character. Hundreds of West Vancouver residents participated in each phase of the Dialogue.

The planning process was developed and implemented by District planners and a citizens’ working group, and was undertaken over 15 months. While the product of the Dialogue is a strategic plan for addressing housing and neighbourhood issues, the process for arriving at that plan is a good example of effective community engagement.

The PIBC Awards Committee appreciated the creativity and approachable style of this public process. The planning team used multiple engagement techniques ranging from a Council-appointed working group; a logo to brand the process; regular community newsletters; as well as panel forums and workshops to reach out to individuals. The initiative incorporated fun into the process by including a housing “therapist” and a housing designer to visually illustrate people’s ideas. Personal stories were also used as an effective messaging technique. Overall, the combination of approaches demonstrated that long-entrenched planning challenges can be overcome when residents believe that their voices are truly heard and the public process can earn the trust and confidence of the community. Well done.

Planner of the Year Award:
This award recognizes the efforts of individual PIBC members and is based on the impact that a nominee's work and personal commitment to planning and the effect that they have in their community and within our profession.

No award was granted in 2009.

Education Committee Student Fellowship Awards:
This award provides funding to support Student members’ attendance at and participation in the Institute’s Annual Conference, in order that they may present their academic work to professional colleagues and conference attendees as part of the program of the Annual Conference. This year’s winners, who presented at the 2009 BC Land Summit conference, included:

Nancy Hofer – from the University of British Columbia School of Environmental Planning. Submission title: What do Residents think of their High-Density, Mixed-Use Downtown Community? A Post-Occupancy Evaluation of the False Creek North Development in Vancouver, BC.

Jeff Zukiwsky – from the Simon Fraser University School of Resource & Environmental Management (Planning) program. Submission title: Amenity-led Development and the Quality of Life in Fernie, BC.

Congratulations to all the 2009 award winners!!