As the pressures of housing targets and planning / development challenges and opportunities continue to be front and centre of provincial, regional and local conversations, this year's PlanON Awards put the spotlight on the best in urban and rural planning projects across Ontario. The Ontario Professional Planners Institute (OPPI), the voice of the planning profession in the province, hosted the 2024 PlanON Awards at its annual conference to honour the exceptional achievements of Registered Professional Planners (RPPs) and other OPPI members at all career stages. 

The PlanON Awards are the highest honour OPPI can bestow. This year's 13 award winners have demonstrated excellence in creating thoughtful, innovative, and well-planned communities across Ontario and a commitment to advancing the planning profession. OPPI introduced a new award this year, Project of the Year, to recognize the top submission amongst the Award of Excellence winners.

"Our members work hard every day to plan great communities that have enough homes, hospitals, schools, greenspace, transportation options and more while protecting farmland, natural heritage, and water resources," said Claire Basinski, Chair, OPPI. "As an organization we're excited to honour this work through the PlanON Awards and are incredibly proud of this year's winners."

"The PlanON Awards recognize the ways our members are advancing the profession and improving the quality, livability, and sustainability of Ontario communities," said Susan Wiggins, Executive Director, OPPI. "Registered Professional Planners (RPPs) play a vital role in shaping future communities and these awards recognize their challenging but rewarding work."

All submissions underwent a rigorous review process including a peer-review by a jury comprised of six distinguished professionals with a wealth of knowledge and experience in planning.

All 13 winners and more information about their projects can be found on OPPI's website here; and a few projects are included below:

• The Growing Together planning framework in Kitchener, serves as a model for community engagement in the planning process to build more inclusive, sustainable, and transit connected communities. This project took home the top prize and was awarded Project of the Year and also received an Award of Excellence.
• The Vision Soho project in London, offers a guide for collaborative partnerships to deliver affordable housing to priority community groups, while preserving city heritage buildings. This project took home an Award of Merit.
• The Aging but not Forgotten study in Elliot Lake, created a new tool to assess the age friendliness and accessibility of public transportation connected to healthcare as a way to help address the current barriers in the healthcare system. Rachel Barber, a student at Queen's University took home an Innovative Research Award for this project.