The City of Danville has been recognized as a winner in the American Planning Association’s 12th Annual Awards for Excellence in Sustainability. The city received the Community Award for its initiative, PLAN Danville | A Comprehensive Guide to the Future.
Renee Burton, division director of planning for the City of Danville’s Community Development Department, said, “This award is a recognition of the efforts of the residents, city staff and community ambassadors to ensure our Comprehensive Plan is a representation of all as we developed a guide for the future development of our home and how we engage.”
The awards honor projects, plans, policies, individuals, and organizations whose work is dedicated to supporting sustainable communities. They were announced during American Planning Association’s 2025 National Planning Conference in Denver.
The categories and winners are:
- State and Regional Award: San Francisco Bay Regional Shoreline Adaptation Plan, San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission
- Community Award: PLAN Danville | A Comprehensive Guide to the Future, City of Danville, Virginia, and SmithGroup
- Environment, Climate, and Energy Award: Envision Contra Costa: 2045 General Plan and Climate Action & Adaptation Plan 2024 Update, Contra Costa County, California, Department of Conservation and Development
- Quality of Life Award: Gwinnett County 2045 Unified Plan, Gwinnett County, Georgia
- Policy, Law, and Tool Award: Global Methane Hub CH4 Pathways Tool, Sustainability Solutions Group USA Inc.
- Student Award: Be Prepared Gilroy: A Community Disaster Preparedness Toolkit, Mariah Padilla, UC Berkeley Masters of City Planning Candidate and Greenbelt Alliance Resilience Fellow
About the American Planning Association (APA): APA is an independent, not-for-profit educational organization that provides leadership in the development of vital communities. APA includes a professional institute for certified planners, 48 chapters, and 25 divisions. Find out more about APA at https://www.planning.org.
About the APA Sustainable Communities Division: The Sustainable Communities Division (SCD) provides resources, information, and best practices to support planners in creating sustainable, resilient, and equitable communities. Through its forums for dialogue, collaboration, advocacy, and professional development, the SCD engages planners in innovatively addressing the evolving ecological, social, and economic factors that shape our communities. More about the Division can be found at apascd.com and planning.org/divisions/sustainable/.