Contact: Kevin Elwood
Phone: (336) 412-6309; (336) 373-2809

Greensboro BiPed Plan Wins State Award

GREENSBORO, NC -- (October 5, 2007) -- The Greensboro Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and the City of Greensboro Parks & Recreation Department have received an Outstanding Planning Award for the Greensboro Urban Area Bicycle, Pedestrian and Greenway Master Plan, known as BiPed.

The honor was awarded during the 2007 Marvin Collins Planning Awards Ceremony held by the North Carolina Chapter of the American Planning Association (NCAPA) in Chapel Hill on September 28. The award recognizes the highest standards of achievement in the planning profession in North Carolina. NCAPA recognized the plan in the Comprehensive Planning for a Multi-jurisdictional or Regional Project category. Outstanding planning awards for comprehensive planning are presented to plans, programs or processes of unusually high merit adopted or enacted in the current or past two calendar years.

The BiPed Plan successfully integrated planning for non-motorized transportation facilities with planning for off-road greenway trails in the Greensboro area. Coordination with public health organizations added value to the Plan’s recommendations. An open, participatory planning process increased buy-in and created a groundswell of support for implementation activities, and an inventory of these implementation activities testifies to the Plan’s usefulness as an agent of change. 

The NCAPA committee that conferred the award was impressed with the comprehensive nature and quality of the Plan. By combining bicycle, pedestrian and greenway planning into a single document – which is not frequently done – the Plan provides for a non-motorized transportation network, rather than separate disconnected facilities. The committee hopes that Greensboro’s plan can become a model and set a new standard for other communities in North Carolina.

“This award validates the cooperative efforts of the public, City staff, and elected officials to create and implement plans to make alternative modes of transportation and recreational opportunities available to all segments of our community,” said Sandy Carmany, Chair of the MPO’s Transportation Advisory Committee. “When Greensboro does something, we do it right. Congratulations to everyone who contributed to this award-winning planning effort!”

The MPO, which coordinates transportation planning for Greensboro and most of Guilford County, adopted the BiPed Plan in October 2006. The City of Greensboro and Guilford County followed suit in December 2006 and June 2007, respectively.

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