Puget Sound transportation plan wins national award

The American Planning Association (APA) has selected “Destination 2030: The Metropolitan Transportation Plan for the Central Puget Sound Region” as the winner of its 2003 Outstanding Planning Award for a plan.

Mary McCumber, executive director of the Puget Sound Regional Council, will be presented the award on April 1, 2003 at a luncheon held in conjunction with APA’s 2003 National Planning Conference in Denver, Colorado.

With a population of 3 million people expected to increase by more than 1.5 million in the next 30 years, the Central Puget Sound region is facing a serious traffic problem.

The APA Awards Jury recognized Destination 2030 as not only an innovative plan for the future of Puget Sound transportation, but as a model for other regions facing similar growth.

Destination 2030 is the long-range transportation plan for the four-county central Puget Sound region.

The plan provides a comprehensive and collaborative examination of region-wide needs and costs, with investment principles that support a regional land-use vision of revitalized urban communities linked by an efficient transportation system that preserves open space and limits sprawl.

“Destination 2030 is a premier example of multi-jurisdictional coalition building to be modeled by other regions,” noted Bruce Knight, AICP, Chair of APA’s National Planning Awards Jury.

The plan represents the coordination of discreet planning efforts already under way by local governments, the State government, transit agencies, and the State Blue Ribbon Commission on Transportation.

The process of collaboration included input from tribal, business, environmental, labor, and civic interests and was adopted unanimously by the Regional Council’s General Assembly, representing 85 jurisdictions and agencies.