President’s Excellence Award for Visionary Planning for Mobility, Livability, Prosperity and Sustainability
Southern California Association of Governments  

Award for Comprehensive Planning in a Large Jurisdiction
Los Angeles Section American Planning Association.

Nelson\Nygaard developed the City's first multi-modal Downtown Mobility Plan as part of a new Downtown Specific Plan initiative. The Plan is designed to address the challenge of accommodating growth without significantly increasing auto congestion or impacting Glendale’s quality of life. It combines strategies to broaden transportation choices for existing residents, employees and visitors with strategies to limit the traffic generated by new development. The Downtown Specific Plan and Mobility Study received the 2007 Award for “Comprehensive Planning in a Large Jurisdiction” from the American Planning Association (APA) Los Angeles chapter and the statewide 2007 Award of Merit for "Comprehensive Planning in a Large Jurisdiction" from the California APA.

Planning Excellence for Best Practice Award
American Planning Association - Los Angeles Section

Nelson\Nygaard was the lead transportation planner for the Downtown Newhall Specific Plan. The Plan is a form-based code, distinct from traditional zoning ordinances that cover the rest of Santa Clarita, that is designed to invigorate downtown Newhall by changing the built environment. The plan calls for mixed-use development that allows commercial and residential uses to co-exist on the same parcel and minimizes development costs while delivering high transit ridership. The Downtown Newhall Specific Plan was awarded first place by the Los Angeles Section of the American Planning Association and is now under consideration for a state-wide award in this category. Los Angeles APA annually recognizes organizations for work that "typifies excellence in planning and which generally advances the planning profession."

Nelson\Nygaard led the transportation planning for the 2005-2015 Master Plan for Occidental College. The plan as a whole aimed to retain and enhance the character of the original campus while applying infill and sustainability strategies to ensure future vitality. Nelson\Nygaard developed a comprehensive parking and transportation plan that allowed for the removal of scattered parking lots from the heart of the historic campus to create a more harmonious and livable campus environment. The plan also included a transportation demand management program to facilitate the parking strategy. SCUP, "the leader in the field of planning for higher education," annually recognizes the accomplishments of those who "advance the causes of higher education through excellent planning and design."

Leadership Award for Advocacy Planning
American Planning Association - Northern California Section

The PATH project developed a model to provide a workable blueprint for resource-limited local governments in rural regions to better plan for, fund, and implement multi-modal transportation projects. The PATH model recommended procedural and policy reforms of local transportation planning and funding in order to achieve community goals in the areas of public health/safety, social equity, economic development, and environmental sustainability. Nelson\Nygaard helped to research best practices, define measures to identify transportation-disadvantaged populations, identify federal and state funding sources, facilitate community outreach events, and refine recommendations based on the real-word feedback of government transportation planners and community-based transportation service providers. The Northern California APA awarded the project for its "social commitment to...support of the needs of society's less fortunate members."