Lifetime Achievement Award
The Lifetime Achievement Award honors individuals who have shown a dedication to extraordinary civic service with a commitment to improving livability for all.
Henry R. Richmond is being honored for his leadership as the cofounder of 1,000 Friends of Oregon. Richmond cofounded the organization in 1975, and his leadership and example incited the growth of 1,000 Friends across state-lines, creating a national network of 1,000 Friends organizations advocating for sustainable communities, the protection of farmland and forests, and the conservation of natural resources.
As a 32 year-old attorney, Henry R. Richmond founded 1,000 Friends of Oregon in 1975 with noted environmentalist and then-Governor Tom McCall to protect the state’s new land-use law and advocate for sustainable communities. With the grassroots financial support of 1,000 Oregon residents pledging $100 per year, 1,000 Friends won dozens of court rulings protecting the law and built a diverse coalition of homebuilders, farmers, timber companies, and high tech companies.
Richmond’s incredible foresight in creating this unique organization to protect Oregon’s progressive land-use laws was key to shifting the dialogue and ensuring the protection of the state’s natural beauty, productivity, and overall livability. The broad coalition he helped build was essential for continued legislative support and implementation in 36 counties and 241 cities. Forty years later, the law remains a success — each city has an urban growth boundary (UGB) and 25 million acres of farm and forest land are protected outside of UGBs.
Richmond has created one of the most effective leadership devices for land-use management in the country today. He is seen as a founder of “smart growth” policies across the country, improving the quality of life for countless communities throughout the nation.
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Last month the nonprofit group America Achieves released a report titled Geek Cities: How Smarter Use of Data and Evidence Can Improve Lives through their Results for America initiative with support from Bloomberg Philanthropies. The report dissects how leaders in six major cities throughout the United States (and one initiative in London) are using data and technology to improve the lives of their residents. Rapidly improving technology and the digitalization of information has made mass data collection easier than ever, and cities are using this data to find effective programs and measures to combat social, economic, and physical challenges that many face today.
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As climate change remains contentious topic in American politics on the federal level, more and more cities are taking it upon themselves to find solutions that will address this growing problem. Key West, Florida, is a popular tourist destination and also one of the most vulnerable places in the United States to rising sea levels. Like many places in South Florida, Key West is very flat, with many neighborhoods, including the downtown hub of tourist activity, reaching no higher than 3 ft. above sea level.
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Cincinnati Magazine published an article on October 30th outlining the recent history of Wilmington, Ohio. Wilmington, like so many small towns across the country, suffered immensely during the recession. In 2008 the town’s largest employer, DHL Shipping, announced that it planned to end its partnership with Airborne Express, who operated the Wilmington Air Park, and find another U.S. partner. The loss of nearly 10,000 jobs meant the city’s unemployment rate skyrocketed from 3 percent in 2007 to 19 percent by 2010. Wilmington quickly became the face of the recession, and large scale impact the economic downturn had received media attention from many major news outlets, including the New York Times and 60 minutes.
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Partners’Board member Geoff Anderson, President of Smart Growth America, was recently named one of the “most influential leaders” in sustainable community planning and development, by Partnership for Sustainable Communities. Alongside Partners’ recent Bridge Builders Award recipient Christopher Leinberger, Geoff Anderson was acknowledged for his dedication and achievements instrumental in growing the Smart Growth field.
With a 13 year tenure at the EPA, Anderson was central to creation of the agency’s Smart Growth program, and cofounded the Smart Growth network, the New Partners for Smart Growth Conference, and popular website smartgrowth.org.
Smart Growth America continues to function as one of the nation’s premiere clearing houses reporting on and devising the latest methods for smart growth development. SGA is, “ the only national organization dedicated to researching, advocating for and leading coalitions to bring smart growth practices to more communities nationwide.” Through coalition building, policy development, and research, SGA explores cross-sector efforts dedicated, in the simplest form, to enhance livability for all.
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