2017 Chapter Awards

George I. Atta, FAICP, LEED AP, is well known for his creative and thoughtful approach to problem-solving and charitable nature. These attributes have made him a reliable member to many organizations including the American Planning Association, Aloha United Way, the Nature Conservancy, the Hawai’i Community Foundation, University of Hawaii Sea Grant, TARO Resource Center, East West Center, Honolulu Harbor Festival, and many others. For his many accomplishments and contributions to the Planning profession, the American Planning Association commends George Atta!

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The jury decided to give the Hawai‘i Bikeshare Planning Project the Transportation Planning Award. This project developed guidelines to identify over 450 potential bike-share stations. The guidelines included technical requirements, such as ADA clearances and setbacks to fire hydrants or utility covers, as well as other criteria including safety, integration with bicycle infrastructure and transit, and proximity to major trip generators and destinations. Additional station locations were added based on field observations and public or stakeholder recommendations. The jury commends the project for considering a variety of location criteria for these sites, including: visibility and accessibility; proximity to key attractions and destinations, bikeways, and transit; ADA considerations and other physical constraints; adjacent land use; and other variables.

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The jury commends the Plan for employing several urban design strategies commonly found in TOD planning: (1) a moderately dense mix of housing, amenities, and cultural venues; (2) a variety of commercial uses to attract a daytime population; (3) a walkable, dense street grid based on “complete street” principles; (4) an event street (known as “Warrior Walk”) to connect the new stadium with the rail transit station; (5) enhanced mauka/makai connections; and (6) an expansion of the event calendar to encourage more active use throughout the year. The Plan expects to generate 3,500 permanent jobs, more than 2,000 housing units, over 350,000 square feet of retail and cultural amenities within walking distance of the rail station, and more than five lineal miles of multimodal “green” streets.

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The “Ka Māla Lani: Re-Planning School Grounds for Growing Pono” project was submitted to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa School of Architecture in Spring 2015 by Alberto Henrique Ricordi. The project proposed a participatory design method that was used to develop a master plan for Blanche Pope Elementary School, based on the school garden “Ka Māla Lani” concept of growing pono (in righteousness). Ka Māla Lani is the place where students who struggle in passive academic methods can feel validated and successful, using active hands-on approaches, which are often lacking during school hours. The school garden is instrumental in fostering hope and guiding the community towards a pono way, inspiring students, teachers and other community members to step back and re-evaluate the way things are done.

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The Kapālama Canal Catalytic Project is the outcome of various community plans supported by the City & County of Honolulu (CCH) Planning and Permitting (DPP). These community plans include the Kalihi-Pālama Action Plan (2004) and the Kalihi Neighborhood Transit-Oriented
Development Plan (2014), and envision people places in the form of a linear park and waterfront promenade along Kapālama Canal, and Complete street improvements along the streets adjacent to the Canal to provide people-first multi-modal access to and along the Canal. Building on these neighborhood planning efforts, CCH DPP employed a collaborative planning process led by a team of consultants with expertise in planning, architecture, landscape design, and environmental engineering, and engaging the public at large, community stakeholders, and various City and State agencies.

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The jury awarded the Kapālama Canal Catalytic Project the small-scale urban design award as the project, in the words of the jury, "makes a compelling case for transforming the canal and adjacent areas in a meaningful way. The plan is anchored by community needs and priorities. It pays special attention to strengthening the public realm, which is the cornerstone of any urban design project. The envisioned spaces are not simply aesthetic interventions; they also address the spatial, social, and environmental dimensions of the canal site. The project therefore responds very well to a broader definition of urban design - one that considers place-making in addition to design."

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Kaopā Spring, and portions of several archaeological sites that elevate its cultural character. The project nurtures a rich educational experience by encouraging preservation of the land as a living landscape where cultural practices can continue to thrive. The project draws on a wealth of materials such as historical maps, field surveys, and talk story with kūpuna who have intimate knowledge of the area. The project also identifies historically significant landscape features (prehistory -1946) that can inform the management and preservation of culturally significant lands such as the Keauhou Bay. The jury commends the project for its quality of research, analysis, and effective use of a cultural landscape approach.

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