Students received their award for their plan, "Action Plan for the Fort McPherson Community," for the closing army base located in south Atlanta bordering East Point, Georgia.

A major focus of this studio was an approach to redevelopment of Fort McPherson from the perspective of the neighboring communities and how future development can complement surrounding community characteristics rather than considering redevelopment of the base in isolation, as most plans have.

The studio report states: "Responding to growing community concern, Georgia StandUp, a community based think tank and action organization, spearheaded the move to create a community-driven plan to build community benefits into any base redevelopment strategy. Convening diverse representatives and elected officials from all the affected communities, Georgia StandUp, supported by Georgia Tech’s School of City and Regional Planning studios, have conducted a thorough analysis of the problems and opportunities, resulting in this action plan."

The studio course from spring 2010 was led by faculty adviser Professor Michael Dobbins. Regarding the project, Professor Dobbins shares, "our students are very pleased with the recognition from the GPA. It confirms the principle that in planning work, as much attention should be given to the impacts of a project on surrounding neighborhood as on the project itself, with the goal of assuring that community benefits outweigh community costs. Further, affirming the support we received from the Ford Foundation, it shows that working on behalf of communities that lack ready access to technical support from our profession is a worthy and respected endeavor.”

The students that developed the plan include Rati Akash, Zachary Adriaenssens, Kia Ball, Leslie Caceda, Carlos Campo, Chris Faulkner, Carolyn Knabel, Jenna E. Lee, Moki Macías, Drew Murray, Susan Prater, Neela Ram, Ruma Ram, Andrea Rattray, and Stephanie Wansley.

Other award-winning student work is available on the Student Research page.