San Joaquin Valley Blueprint Awards Nominations Due

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February 26, 2025

All Day

2025 San Joaquin Valley Blueprint Awards:
Call for Nominations Now Open!

The San Joaquin Valley Blueprint Awards program recognizes outstanding planning and development achievements in the built environment. By showcasing projects that reflect the Blueprint Principles, we aim to highlight visually appealing, functional, and eco-friendly initiatives that can serve as models for the Valley.

The San Joaquin Valley Regional Planning Agencies, along with the Merced County Association of Governments (MCAG), which is hosting the 2025 Policy Conference, are proud to announce the 2025 San Joaquin Valley Blueprint Awards! This event represents a collaborative effort between the regional planning agencies and the California Central Section of the American Planning Association (APA).

Each year, we celebrate outstanding development projects, planning initiatives, and individuals who embody the spirit of the San Joaquin Valley. These awards highlight the significant contributions we make together to improve the quality of life in our region.

The awards program is based on the Blueprint Process, a regional planning initiative that began over 16 years ago. This process established guiding principles* for smart land use, multimodal transportation, and environmentally responsible policies, with the goal of fostering vibrant, inclusive, and thriving communities throughout the Valley.

Awards will be presented during the 18th Annual San Joaquin Valley Regional Policy Conference on Friday, April 11, 2025, at the Merced Theatre located at 301 W. Main Street.

Please review the Nomination Packet and nominate deserving recipients who reflect the dedication and innovation of our region.

The link to the Nomination Packet is:  https://bit.ly/40rGmRG.

Nomination Deadline: February 26, 2025, 11:59 pm (via email)

Georgiena Vivian, San Joaquin Valley Regional Planning Agencies’ Coordinator

Email: gvivian@vrpatechnologies.com

*Blueprint Principles

On April 1, 2009, the San Joaquin Valley Regional Policy Council adopted a list of Smart Growth Principles, known as the “Blueprint Principles,” to guide Blueprint planning in the San Joaquin Valley, including:

  1. Create a range of housing opportunities and choices
  2. Create walkable and bikeable neighborhoods
  3. Encourage community and stakeholder collaboration
  4. Foster distinctive, attractive communities with a strong sense of place
  5. Make development decisions predictable, fair, and cost-effective
  6. Promote a mix of land uses
  7. Preserve open space, farmland, natural beauty, and critical environmental areas
  8. Provide a variety of transportation choices
  9. Strengthen and direct development toward existing communities
  10. Take advantage of compact building design
  11. Enhance the economic vitality of the region
  12. Support actions that encourage environmental resource management
  13. Plan for future water needs

These principles remain applicable today and align with current climate, social, environmental, transportation, and housing goals at the state and federal levels.

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