Honolulu City Agencies Win Top American Planning Association Awards

Four City agencies were presented with American Planning Association, Hawai‘i Chapter’s 2021 Chapter Awards at the 2021 Hawai‘i Congress of Planning Officials Conference on Oct. 7.

The annual awards recognize individuals, communities, private organizations, public agencies, and professional planning and design firms whose work exemplifies the planning profession’s highest goals and ideals. Award nominations were reviewed by a jury of professional planners from the APA Hawai‘i Chapter.

“We are very proud to see City staff and our consultants being recognized for their hard work and creative solutions,” said Mayor Rick Blangiardi. “They did exceptional work on adapting to climate change, making our streets safer, and including culture and history in the planning and maintaining of our neighborhood parks.”

The City agencies recognized this year are:

• The Department of Planning and Permitting, and the Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency, with the Best Practice Award for their “Climate Adaptation Design Principles for Urban Honolulu” project. The agencies shared the award with SSFM International and Arup. The objective of this project was to develop preliminary climate adaptation design guidance for development projects in Honolulu transit-oriented development (TOD) and other urban areas that are vulnerable to sea level rise.
• The Department of Transportation Services for its “South Kalaheo and Kailua Road Intersection Improvements” project. The award was shared with SSFM International. This intersection serves as the gateway to Kailua Beach Park and provides the only vehicular access to the Lanikai neighborhood. The project was initiated by the City with the goal of addressing operational and safety concerns.
• The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation for its “Mother Waldron Playground Cultural Landscape Report.” This award was shared with HHF Planners and JACOBS. The report is a comprehensive inventory and assessment of the playground’s landscape features. The report serves as a guide to making sound decisions about the management, preservation and use of the park.

The American Planning Association is a nonprofit public interest and research organization representing 37,000 practicing planners, officials, and citizens involved with urban and rural planning issues. The Hawai‘i Chapter was founded in 1962.