Kansas City architecture and planning firm, Gould Evans, honored by APA with top national awards for their work in Kansas and Missouri

KANSAS CITY, MO – October 14, 2019 – Nationally-recognized architecture, design, and planning studio Gould Evans recently received two celebrated awards from the American Planning Association (APA). Gould Evans’ planning work, for both the Westport District Master Plan and the Wichita: Places for People Plan, won the 2019 Outstanding Plan award from their individual state chapters of the APA. Each year, these awards honor the extensive planning efforts, initiatives, and individuals working to make healthier and stronger communities.

“The communities of Wichita and Westport are reprioritizing people,” said Graham Smith, Associate Principal at Gould Evans. “Both plans help establish people-centric areas within existing neighborhoods. They focus on public space design and development to create and protect walkable, human-scaled places. Our partners are improving quality of life in their communities — and we’re proud to collaborate with them in that process.”

The Westport District Master Plan is a neighborhood plan led by the Kansas City Planning Studio of Gould Evans and supported by the Westport Regional Business League, Historic Kansas City, and the City of Kansas City, Missouri. The Westport neighborhood is an attractive place for businesses and new residents seeking an urban, walkable environment. The Westport District Master Plan was the first plan in nearly 50 years to provide more definition and specifics of what this historic neighborhood needs to encourage future development, preserve its pedestrian-friendly character, and continue to thrive as the most authentically walkable area of Kansas City.

In partnership with the Wichita-Sedgwick County Metropolitan Area Planning Department, The Wichita: Places for People Plan won the APA Kansas Outstanding Plan Award for its study of key areas of potential redevelopment, along with opportunities to provide more walkable communities through infill development. The comprehensive plan identifies significant neighborhood development areas that can provide sizable impact to the community.

Gould Evans accepted these awards on October 10 at the 2019 APA Quad State Conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Gould Evans planning team members Dennis Strait and Abby Kinney also presented Productive Neighborhoods: Doing the Math to Uncover Hidden Realities in Our Communities, focused on the fiscal sustainability of cities and neighborhoods, at the conference on October 11.

For more information, see the client spotlights with Kim Kimbrough on the Westport District Master Plan and Mary Hunt on the Wichita: Places for People Plan.

Image From left: Dennis Strait, Principal at Gould Evans; Diane Binckley, Deputy Director of City Planning and Development at the City of Kansas City, Missouri; Abby Kinney, urban designer at Gould Evans; and Jeffrey Williams, Director of City Planning and Development at the City of Kansas City, Missouri, accepted the 2019 Outstanding Plan Award for the Westport District Master Plan at the APA Quad State Conference on October 10, 2019.

About Gould Evans Gould Evans believes that design enriches life and elevates the human spirit. We continue to rigorously reimagine our practice focusing our work on people and place, innovations and outcomes. We strive to exceed client expectations, integrate symbiotically with the earth and the environment, and promote discovery and diversity. Learn more at gouldevans.com.

Gould Evans Media Contact Jessica Kleoppel 816.263.2636 jessica.kleoppel@gouldevans.com

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