The American Planning Association’s (APA) New York Metro Chapter has awarded the Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment (GCPE) the 2010 Meritorious Achievement and Service Award, which recognizes the work of individuals or organizations of unusual merit or achievement in the planning profession. Officials from the APA’s Metro Chapter said they wanted to recognize Pratt for its 50 years of community service in planning. The award will be presented at the APA New York Metro Chapter’s annual meeting on October 1, 2010.

GCPE celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. As part of its mission, it works closely with the Pratt Center for Community Development – one of the nation’s leading college-based advocacy organizations – and connects graduate students looking to get hands-on planning experience, with community organizations seeking solutions for making their neighborhoods more livable, inclusive, and sustainable.
 
As part of Pratt’s School of Architecture, GCPE oversees Pratt’s City and Regional Planning, Historic Preservation, and Environmental Systems Management programs. It also partners with Pratt’s Construction / Facilities Management Programs and Brooklyn Law School to offer opportunities for joint degrees.

Each year, the APA New York Metro Chapter bestows recognition on individuals, organizations, and projects that exemplify the best of the metropolitan region’s planning work. Given at the Chapter’s Annual Meeting, the awards are meant to highlight excellence in the field and inspire planners of the next generation. The awards encompass a variety of achievements and include recognition for seasoned leaders as well as those just beginning to make their mark.

The APA’s New York Metro Chapter addresses planning issues that concern the physical, social, and economic environment in the metropolitan region encompassing New York City, Long Island (Nassau and Suffolk Counties) and the Hudson Valley (Rockland, Westchester, Putnam, Orange, Dutchess, Ulster and Sullivan Counties). The Chapter represents some 1,200 practicing planners and other people involved in the planning and design of the region’s communities.