2024 APA MISSISSIPPI CHAPTER AWARDS

 The American Planning Association Mississippi Chapter (APA Mississippi) honored innovative planning efforts and inspiring individuals with its 2024 Annual Awards. APA Mississippi’s awards program is a proud tradition established to recognize outstanding community plans, planning programs and initiatives, public education efforts, and individuals for their leadership on planning issues. These efforts help create communities of lasting value throughout the state.

These awards were selected through a juried process and were awarded at the October Annual Alabama/Mississippi Joint Conference Awards Program in Tuscaloosa, AL.

Planning Advocate - Mr. Mike Reso, City Clerk and Chief Financial Officer for Bay St. Louis. This award honors an individual appointed or elected official who has advanced or promoted the cause of planning in the public arena. Examples include engaged citizens demonstrating outstanding leadership in a community, region, or state; appointed officials; elected officials holding office at the local, regional, or state level; and citizen activists or neighborhood leaders.

Best Small Area Project - The Railroad District - A West Jackson Street Master Plan, City of Ridgeland, MS & Kimley-Horn & Associates. This award recognizes an outstanding small area plan that advances the art and science of planning for a community, county, or region. Examples include neighborhood plans, downtown plans, district plans, corridor plans, college or university campus plans, military base plans, and other plans for small discrete (self-contained) areas. This award is given for an area that is smaller than an entire jurisdiction, without regard to population size.

Public Outreach Effort by a Community - Right Down Broadway - A Night off Broadway, City of Hattiesburg, Asakura Robinson Planning. This award recognizes a community project, program, or initiative that uses information and education about the value of planning to create greater awareness among citizens generally or to specific segments of the public. The award celebrates how planning improves a community’s quality of life. Examples include community efforts to teach and demonstrate how planning can make a difference, neighborhood empowerment programs, use of technology to expand public participation in planning, newspaper articles, a series of blog posts, publications, websites, podcasts, and/or films about planning.