Congratulations to our client Valparaiso, Indiana in their recent selection as one of 15 communities nationwide to move forward in the America’s Best Communities Competition. Planning NEXT assisted with the development of the Valparaiso Creative District Plan, which caught the eye of the judges for its clarity, power of the vision and as an innovative approach to community revitalization. Valparaiso will attend the America’s Best Communities Summit in late April to “pitch” their revitalization plan before a panel of independent judges for a prize of $100,000 to be used as seed money to begin implementation of the plan. The award-winning ValpoNEXT City-wide Vision Plan initially served as a catalyst for the early rounds of this competition and was instrumental in Valparaiso getting to this point in the competition. The competition started with over 350 communities and is now down to the 15 semi-finalists. Planning NEXT is proud to have been working alongside Valparaiso for this special moment in time for the city. Take a look at local coverage from the Chicago Post-Tribune and Indiana105 radio for more details about Valparaiso’s advancement in the competition.
In addition to Valparaiso, we’re proud to announce the successful advancement of One Madison, to the semi-finalist of the America’s Best Communities Competition. The city’s submission relied heavily on the input collected through the ENVISION Jefferson County process facilitated by Planning NEXT. The proposal calls for a new bicycle trail network to connect the city’s downtown with the communities on top of its bluffs. We’re proud to have facilitated a process that has been leveraged for such an exciting project.
