(Washington, DC) – The Bowser Administration, led by the DC Office of Planning (OP), was commended during National Community Planning Month with three awards for innovative planning initiatives. OP closes out Community Planning Month celebrating the ways planning helps create DC communities where everyone is welcome and anyone can thrive.
“We are pleased to be recognized for centering people in our work on planning and zoning to transform neighborhoods, bring more housing, and activate public spaces,” said Anita Cozart, Director of OP. “We are also proud of our efforts to expand the ways that the Office of Planning can engage with residents and document the unique history of the District’s diverse neighborhoods.”
On October 11, the Downtown DC Public Realm Plan received the 2024 American Planning Association National Capital Area Chapter’s Award for Outstanding Plan. The plan was recognized at the chapter’s annual conference for its bold vision to harness one of DC’s greatest assets – public space – to elevate the way people experience Downtown DC.
The District’s 2025 budget includes $1.9 million for OP’s Streets for People grant program to implement the Downtown DC Public Realm Plan. The plan identifies catalytic projects to create engaging experiences and spaces that will draw people Downtown. The initiatives advance DC Comeback Plan goals of increasing the number of Downtown residents by 15,000 within 5 years. OP developed the plan, with extensive input from residents, stakeholders, business and urban planning leaders.
On October 28, the Lambda Alpha International Land Economics Society honored two of OP’s projects. OP received the Outstanding Plan or Program Award for a collection of neighborhood plans designed to advance the District’s housing goals west of Rock Creek Park. These plans allow for approximately 10,000 new housing units, of which over 2,000 could be dedicated affordable housing, enabling more DC residents access to the schools, jobs, transit, and other amenities this part of the city has to offer. District Crossroads, a new podcast launched to spotlight neighborhood history through compelling stories from residents, was awarded the Creative Community Outreach prize. The podcast was produced as part of a neighborhood planning effort to envision a transformational future for the area surrounding the intersection of North Capitol and Irving Streets. The project aimed to create a vision for more interconnected neighborhoods anchored by places to live, work, and heal.
For more information about the DC Office of Planning, please visit planning.dc.gov.