Sasaki Associates, Inc. was awarded the 2012 American Planning Association's National Planning Excellence Award for a Planning Firm. Sasaki was recognized for the enduring high quality of their project work and for their leadership in charting the future of planning, including a significant commitment to sustainable design practices. The award recognizes a firm for its body of distinguished work influencing the planning profession. APA's national awards program, the profession's highest honor, is a proud tradition established more than 50 years ago to recognize outstanding community plans, planning programs and initiatives, public education efforts, and individuals for their leadership on planning issues. Sasaki's work endures the volatility of time with inspiring planning and urban design frameworks that strike a balance between context, culture, and invention. Sasaki's plans also address sustainability in regard to economics, social context, and the environment—and the firm's global experience gives them the ability to do this work at all scales and in a variety of contexts. Examples of Sasaki's portfolio include the on-going "Tomorrow Plan," a HUD-funded effort to develop a regional plan for sustainable development in Central Iowa; the "One Ohio State" Framework Plan for The Ohio State University; and the design of the master plan for the main site of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. "We are honored to be recognized with the 2012 National Planning Excellence Award from the American Planning Association," said James Miner, AICP, a managing principal at Sasaki. "While the award is a testament to Sasaki's long and storied history, the award also recognizes our leading role in shaping the future of the discipline of planning through our ideas and use of innovative technologies and our approach to helping clients make smart, long-term decisions that result in greater value in their markets." Sasaki's ongoing and completed projects across include the Brighton / Guest St. Planning Study with the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) in Mass.; a Parks Master Plan in Bridgeport, Conn.; the Providence 2020 Master Plan in R.I. the Buffalo Riverbend Site Development Plan in N.Y.; the Greater Hill District Master Plan in Pittsburgh; the rehabilitation of the Lincoln Memorial Landscape and Reflecting Pool on the National Mall in Washington, DC; the "Penn Connects" Development Plan at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. ongoing strategic master planning services for the University System of Georgia; the Charleston Waterfront Park in S.C.; and continuing work with the Reston Town Center in Virginia. Other recent Sasaki awards include a 2012 National AIA Honor Award in Urban Design for the Jordan Dead Sea Vision Plan, a project that involves a comprehensive strategy for 40 square kilometers around the north eastern edge of the Dead Sea - outlining a dynamic, robust, and sustainable plan for growth and evolution of the region. The firm has received more than 500 awards from planning and design organizations, including the 2011 APA National Planning Excellence Award for Best Practices in Hazard Mitigation and Disaster Planning for Cedar Rapids' River Corridor Redevelopment Plan, a 2011 ULI Award of Excellence for the Euclid Avenue HealthLine BRT Project in Cleveland, the 2011 SCUP Honor Award for Excellence in Planning for the Master Plan for the new Singapore University of Technology and Design, and the 2007 ASLA Firm Award. Sasaki received its award at a special luncheon on April 16 during APA's National Planning Conference in Los Angeles. To view all of the APA 2012 National Planning Excellence, Achievement, and Leadership Award recipients, visit www.planning.org/awards/2012. "Sasaki Associates was a pioneer in creating a collaborative practice that brings together planners, urban designers, architects, landscape architects, interior designers, and engineers to achieve extraordinary results," said Marie York, FAICP, APA board director and 2012 Awards Jury co-chair. "The firm continues to evolve to solve complex problems and improve the quality of life." Shown (from left) are: Marie York, FAICP, co-chair of the 2012 National Planning Awards jury; Fred Merrill, AICP, LEED AP, principal, Sasaki; James Miner, AICP, principal, Sasaki; Dick Galehouse, AICP, AIA, principal, Sasaki; Brie Hensold, associate, Sasaki; Justin Fay, associate, Sasaki; Philip Perlin, senior associate, Sasaki; and Ann Bagley, FAICP, co-chair of the 2012 National Planning Awards jury.