APA Louisiana State Planning Awards

Nominate a Place, Project, or Person

Louisiana Great Places

This initiative, sponsored by the Louisiana Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA LA), celebrates Great Places in Louisiana and the communities that sustain them. We seek to identify neighborhoods, streets and public places which exemplify local character, quality, and excellent planning. This program is modeled after APA's Great Places in America recognition program.
APA LA is focusing on those unique, memorable places that work not only for their community but draw outsiders in and are models for others to emulate.
The Great Places in Louisiana Award is an annual selection of places that represent the gold standard in terms of having a true sense of place, cultural and historical interest, community involvement and a vision for tomorrow.

What Makes a Great Place?

We all can think of a place that is unique or memorable, but what elements make it truly great? There are many characteristics that make a place special.  A Great Place:

• Promotes human contact and social activities.
• Is safe, welcoming, and accommodating for all users.
• Has design and architectural features that are visually interesting.
• Promotes community involvement.
• Reflects the local culture or history.
• Relates well to bordering uses.
• Is well maintained.
• Has a unique or special character.

Nominating a neighborhood, street, or public space for Great Places in Louisiana designation is easy.  First, check to make sure that place hasn't received recognition already from APA's Great Places in America or APA-LA's Great Places in Louisiana awards programs. If not, simply complete and return the application (link below,) along with supporting information such as photos and relevant metrics or descriptive narrative to the Chapter's Public Information Officer by the application deadline. 

Explore great places in Louisiana

Louisiana State Planning Awards

Each year the Louisiana Chapter recognizes the achievements of agencies, companies, groups, and individuals as they strive for excellence in the planning profession. Nominations are received each fall and an awards ceremony occurs during the annual State Planning Conference where winners are recognized by the Chapter President during a banquet luncheon. Award winners receive an award and are featured in a multimedia presentation at the conference and in APA Louisiana publications. Press releases are made available to winners for distribution to local media. Award winners are selected from qualified applications through a peer jury review process. There is typically a fee for applying for most categories which is used to purchase acrylic awards and plaques, but this fee has been waived this year. The planning awards process is managed by the Louisiana Chapter's Information Officer who works closely with the Chapter President.

Award Submission Criteria