Students, faculty, alums recognized with local APA awards

Every year students, academics and professionals in the planning field come together to celebrate planning innovation in Western New York. Among the 11 awards presented at the 2017 WNYAPA awards ceremony last month, six were given to individuals or projects representing students, faculty and alumni of the School of Architecture and Planning.

Enjoli Hall (MUP ‘17), a 2017 graduate of the Master of Urban Planning program and an award-winning student, was presented with the AICP Excellence Award. (Hall received the Academic Excellence Award and Best Final Project Award in urban planning at the school's 2017 Commencement). Current MUP student David Riley received the Michael J. Krasner Memorial Scholarship Award, including a $1,500 tuition scholarship. The scholarship is awarded to a student in their final year of graduate study in urban planning at UB with academic and career plans dedicated to addressing planning issues in WNY.

Alumnus Brian Kulpa (MArch/MUP '03, BPS '00), AIA, Mayor of the Village of Williamsville, was recognized with a "Distinguished Leadership - Elected Official" award. Kulpa, an associate at Clark Patterson Lee, has served as Williamsville mayor since 2011. 

Three projects engaging the school and addressing significant planning issues for the Buffalo region were recognized with best practice awards.  

• UB’s Regional Institute received Honorable Mention in the Public Outreach category for their role in engaging stakeholders in the Niagara NOW project. UBRI is a member of a consultant team led by Watts Architecture and Engineering to coordinate the redesign Niagara Street for increased safety, accessibility and corridor vibrancy. UBRI successfully assembled a stakeholder group of 50 organizations including nonprofits, business and block clubs to facilitate direct conversation with communities surrounding the corridor.
• Students from a graduate studio led by Kerry Traynor, clinical associate professor of urban planning, received the Outstanding Student Award for their project, “Scajaquada Creek Uncovered: A historic cultural landscape in the City of Buffalo." The master plan explored the historic and cultural fabric of the Scajaquada Creek and opportunities to expose, or daylight, sections of the creek that are largely buried under the Scajaquada Expressway.
• The school, through its former Urban Design Project and in work led by Dean Robert Shibley, was also recognized for its contributions to community outreach and 3D modeling for the Richardson Olmsted Complex master plan and restoration. The “Richardson Olmsted Complex: A Towering Success” received the Best Practice award. Planning alums are now leading the historic restoration effort, which is set to open later this year: Monica Pelligrino Faix (MUP '06) is executive director of the Richardson Olmsted Complex/Richardson Center Corporation, and Christine Krolewicz (MUP '13), is a project manager. The restoration of the South Lawn was completed in 2013 while the renovation of the first three buildings, including the iconic Towers Building, opened this spring as the 88-room Hotel Henry and conference center.