Award honors Givens Park plan community engagement process

The Austin Parks and Recreation Department’s Givens District Park Master Plan has been named a runner-up for the International Association for Public Participation’s Core Values Award for Respect for Diversity, Inclusion and Culture. That may seem like a mouthful, but what it means, basically, is that parks department staff has been justly recognized for its sensitive community engagement process and effort to reach as many people in the community as possible while creating the master plan for Givens District Park. John Nixon, PARD’s communications and engagement manager, said in a press release, “We are deeply honored by IAP2’s acknowledgement and accept this award on behalf of the residents who helped make the Givens District Park Master Plan possible. The community earned this award by championing this project and making their vision a reality.” According to the release, “The IAP2 Core Values Awards recognize achievements in the field of public engagement, ensuring that people affected by a decision are given the opportunity to provide input and know how their input was used.” Take a look at the Givens Park plan here.

From left to right: Gregory Montes, Austin Parks and Recreation park development coordinator; Gwen Howard of the IAP2 board; Tina Geiselbrecht of Texas A&M Transportation Institute; and Justin Schneider, Austin Parks and Recreation community engagement specialist, receive the award at the IAP2 North American Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina.