2023 Award Winners

The winners of the 2023 Western Planner Awards were announced and awarded during the Alaska APA / Western Planner Conference in Anchorage, Alaska, September 20-22 . A sincere congratulations to each of our award winners, for their efforts and achievements for planning in the West.

Planner of the Year

Scott Harmstead, AICP

Project Director, SRF Consulting, Bismarck, North Dakota

Scott has been with SRF since 2012 and since then has been involved with planning and zoning assistance for several cities and counties across North Dakota and beyond. Before joining SRF, Scott worked for a county planning department in central California. At work he most enjoys engaging with clients and the public to find common ground and a path forward. Scott is proud to be a contributing author of the North Dakota Planning Association and Vision West ND’s planning and zoning guide. At home, he most enjoys spending time with his wife and his five kids, including a set of triplets. Scott’s LinkedIn Profile.

Citizen Planner Of The Year

Carrie Hamblen

President / CEO - Las Cruces Green Chamber of Commerce

Carrie demonstrates a commitment to taking action to protect culturally and environmentally significant resources, to promote sustainable business practices, to foster community engagement through broadcast journalism and mass communications, to advocate for and support people to live their authentic lives, and elevate policies and legislation to protect human rights and the environmental integrity of New Mexico. Carrie’s LinkedIn profile.

Kenneth G. Waido Award, For Planning Team Of The Year

City of Nampa & J-U-B Engineers, Inc.

Sh-16 Corridor Specific Area Plan Planning Team

This team included Rodney Ashby, AICP – Planning Director (City of Nampa), Doug Critchfield, PLA – Principal Planner (City of Nampa), Breanna Son, MPA – Associate Planner (City of Nampa), Sheri Freemuth, AICP – Senior Planner (J-U-B Engineers, Inc.), Rebecca Coulter – Project Manager (J-U-B Engineers, Inc.), and Alison Tompkins, PLA, AICP – Lead Planner (J-U-B Engineers, Inc.). In addition, a comprehensive steering committee was formed with over fifteen individuals and made for a dynamic group that produced an illustrative plan that gives a clear vision and implementation strategies for an area interrupted by a major transportation corridor. Check out a storymap of the plan.

Rural Innovation Award

Mary Huff, Mauri Knott & Jaap Vos

For Idaho APA Ag Chat

Beginning in October 2020, Mary, Jaap, and Mauri began hosting a monthly "Ag Chat" discussing the interplay of planning and agriculture, the importance of agricultural zones, and the impacts of agriculture on our local economies. Lively, participative, informal, and educational, these chats featured a wide variety of presenters including planners, elected officials, and citizen planners. This wide reaching approach has allowed for ongoing conversion about the loss of our limited agricultural lands.

Sheldon D. Gerber Merit Award, For Excellence And Outstanding Achievements In Environmental Planning

Bureau of Land Management, Fairbanks District Office

The pioneering efforts to manage the BLM White and Steese Mountains Travel Management, two of the largest trail networks in Alaska and the nation, is an outstanding example of balancing access, environmental stewardship, and respect for Native American rights. This complex task has required innovation, collaboration, and a deep commitment to the principles of sustainable recreation and ecological preservation. Read the press release.

Student Planning Project Of The Year

Arizona State University's Spring Planning Workshop

The Spring 2023 Planning Workshop showcased an original and exemplary project, demonstrating professional-quality, innovative outreach plan for bringing youth into public engagement efforts. The youth engagement strategy was student-led and produced. It demonstrates a high degree of competence around planning techniques, as well as a commitment to best practices. See a description of their efforts.

Stan Steadman Award, For Article Of The Year

Arthur C. Nelson, Ph.D., FAICP

for the Article Series, Homes on the Range, Addressing Housing Needs in the West

From the article: "...in my view we cannot be lulled into kicking the planning can to future generations of planners to solve. Put bluntly, unless we create the mechanisms to solve our housing problems now, they won’t be solved by 2040 or 2060 or 2100." Read the first article in the series.

President's Award

Teton County & Town of Jackson

While cities and counties don’t always align, and in an area with particularly severe housing challenges, Teton County and the Town of Jackson worked to adopt a large neighborhood plan that requires a minimum of 70% affordable and workforce housing.

Lester Award

Kelsey Anderson

Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska