Map for Mobile recognized with Outstanding Planning Award

The American Planning Association Alabama Chapter recognized the City of Mobile with the 2017 Outstanding Planning Award for a Comprehensive Plan for Communities with a Population over 50,000 for “Map for Mobile: Framework for Growth.” Shayla Beaco, Executive Director of Build Mobile, accepted the award on the City’s behalf at the 2017 AL/MS APA Annual Conference in Birmingham.

Map for Mobile is a framework plan created to shape the city-wide, long-term vision for the community and provide guidance for future development. Through extensive citywide input, the project established seven principles to address as it moves toward the goal established by Mayor Sandy Stimpson “for Mobile to be the safest, most business and family-friendly city in America by 2020.”  These principles include: strong neighborhoods, functional roadway corridors, strategic infill and redevelopment, a connected community, high quality design of the built environment, a strong downtown and greater opportunities to enjoy natural and recreational assets.

GMC led the planning team, which included Planning NEXT, Dover, Kohl & Partners, and Kimley-Horn.  Critical to the success of Map for Mobile was the depth and involvement of outreach and engagement across the entire community. From the onset of plan development, the City promoted the value and significance of engaging the community through continuous and interactive outreach. Building upon that outreach and engagement, the planning team built a development framework representative of the seven community principles and a structure by which the plan could be integrated into the City’s operational process. Map for Mobile now serves as the cornerstone by which the community moves forward to accomplish the mayor’s goal.

The last comprehensive plan for Mobile was created in the 1960s.

Also receiving the Kenneth J. Groves, Jr. Distinguished Leadership Award for a Professional Planner at the 2017 AL/MS APA Annual Conference was Dianne Irby. During the development of Map for Mobile, Irby was a critical member of the City’s staff. She led the effort through coordination with the planning team and community.

For more information about Map for Mobile, visit mapformobile.org.