City Wins National Planning Award For Vision 2034, New Haven’s 10-Year Development Comprehensive Plan

NEW HAVEN CT — The City of New Haven and Vision 2034, the city’s official Plan of Conservation and Development, has been awarded the prestigious 2026 American Planning Association Daniel Burnham Award for a Comprehensive Plan, Mayor Justin Elicker and City Plan Director Laura Brown announced

Every 10 years, Connecticut municipalities are required to develop a comprehensive plan for development. New Haven’s plan serves as the city’s official blueprint for decision-making about planning and land use topics over the next decade, including housing, economic development, transportation and climate resiliency, among other focus areas.

New Haven’s recently adopted plan, Vision 2034, took on special significance, as it involved planning for the Elm City’s future as it prepares to celebrate its 250^th anniversary as an incorporated city in 2034.

Vision 2034 was developed under the leadership of Brown and Assistant Director of Comprehensive Planning Esther Rose-Wilen.

"Vision 2034 isn’t just words and proposals on paper, it is our guide towards a more equitable and sustainable future that will help uplift all our residents," Brown said. "This honor is shared by the thousands of New Haven residents and stakeholders who participated in the planning process, ensuring that the plan reflected resident priorities and embedded the principles of equity and resilience across its recommendations and proposals."

The Elicker Administration advanced the plan after an "inclusive and robust community engagement process" that was adopted by the Board of Alders and City Plan Commission in October 2025, the city noted.

"We are honored to accept the national Daniel Burham Award for a Comprehensive Plan from the American Planning Association and we look forward to the next ten years of working with residents and stakeholders to implement the ambitious goals of this award-winning plan," Rose-Wilen said. "It is tremendously exciting to be recognized for a planning process that was creative, brought people together across neighborhoods and generations, and amplified New Haven’s spirit of civic engagement.”

In announcing this prestigious national award, the APA celebrated New Haven as a “thriving mid-size city and cultural hub” and highlighted its Vision 2034 plan as a model in equitable planning, inclusive growth, coastal resilience and community engagement – prioritizing voices historically excluded from planning processes with intentional outreach, initiatives and programs.

"New Haven is a growing city. Longtime residents are choosing to stay in New Haven and new residents are choosing to move here to live, work, and raise a family. This growth is exciting but also requires thoughtful planning so that we grow in a way that’s inclusive, equitable and sustainable for all our residents in every neighborhood. Vision 2034 is our planning roadmap towards that goal," Elicker said in a news release.

Vision 2034 builds on a long history of innovation, creativity and resourcefulness in planning in New Haven, and reframed the planner’s role beyond the realm of traditional physical design and architecture. New Haven has an important place in planning history as America's first planned city, designed in 1639 with a "Nine Square Plan" centered around a public green — and, later, leading the country in 19th-century industrial expansion, including sweeping parks plans by Frederick Law Olmstead Jr. and federally funded urban renewal.

Traditionally, planners in New Haven focused on both plot and urban/architectural design, largely driven by the strong tradition of Yale’s School of Architecture. Vision 2034, built on the City’s recent enthusiasm for equity-focused planning, including the 2022 artist-led Cultural Equity Plan, the “Together New Haven” participatory approach to pandemic recovery, the Yale & Slavery Project, and ConnCorp’s “First Haven” community development.

Vision 2034 has had a ripple effect in the region, with city planning staff asked to advise other city departments, partner organizations, and regional planners on long-range planning and engagement efforts, including participation on a panel on youth engagement at the Southern New England APA conference in November 2025. In May 2026, Vision 2034 was also honored with an award in Social Equity and Inclusion from the Connecticut Chapter of the American Planning Association.

"Vision 2034 puts residents at the center of planning by recognizing community members as partners and experts," said Samantha Castro, AICP, chair of the 2026 APA National Planning Awards. "New Haven created meaningful opportunities for people to help shape a plan rooted in the experiences, ideas, and priorities of the community."

The plan was supported by consultant teams FHI Studio now IMEG, Led by Us, RKG Associates Resilient Land & Water and CH Planning.

The APA’s Daniel Burnham Award for a Comprehensive Plan is granted to a comprehensive or general plan that advances the science and art of planning. The award honors America's most famous planner, Daniel Burnham, for his contributions to the planning profession and to a greater awareness of the benefits of good planning. The awarded plan helps advance communities toward a safe, stronger and more equitable future.

"It is an honor to receive this recognition from the American Planning Association," Elicker said. "I’m so incredibly proud of our City Plan Department for spearheading the development of our Vision 2034 plan, and so incredibly grateful to all our residents who participated in the process. Now, we’re working to turn the Vision 2034 plan into a reality. It’s an exciting time to be in New Haven."