By Kate McMahon, AICP

2023 marks the tenth year of the Chapter recognizing Great Places in Pennsylvania, which builds off of the national program. Started in 2014, the Great Places in Pennsylvania program seeks to recognize unique, memorable places that display community planning best practices, have an exemplary character, and provide a sustainable vision for tomorrow. In the past ten years, the Great Places in Pennsylvania program has recognized 55 Great Places across the Commonwealth, located in 33 counties. Each of the Chapter’s Sections are home to 5 or more great places. The Southeast Section has the most Great Places with 15 places recognized.

Since 2014, places have been recognized in five categories- Great Public Spaces, Great Greenways/Trails, Great Neighborhoods, Great Streets and Great Transformations. The Great Public Spaces category has been used each year while the other four categories have rotated. Below is a summary of the awards in each category:

• Great Public Spaces = 26
• Great Greenways/Trails = 15
• Great Neighborhoods = 6
• Great Streets =5
• Great Transformations = 3

A call for Great Places in Pennsylvania applications typically occurs each spring. The Great Places Committee, chaired by Pam Shellenberger, AICP, reviews the project applications and selects awards each year. The Great Places in Pennsylvania awards for 2023 will be announced in the coming weeks. Information about the Great Places in Pennsylvania program, including program guidelines, tips for submitting a good application, and an archive of all of the Great Places that have been recognized can be found online.