The Virginia Association of Planning District Commissions (VAPDC) has awarded the Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC) with the 2020 Robert M. de Voursney Best Practices Award for its environmental resources initiatives.
 
Corey Miles, Senior Environmental Planner for NVRC accepted the award on behalf of the Regional Commission. NVRC was recognized for their initiatives in resiliency planning, stormwater education management and the Plant NoVA Natives program. These efforts have led to improving wide swaths of the region while making it easy for others to replicate.
 
The Robert M. de Voursney Best Practices Award recognizes organizations that have initiated innovative regional activities which have contributed significantly to the effectiveness of a region. In making their selection, the VAPDC Awards Committee was impressed by the great success of the NVRC initiatives. Of particular note was NVRC’s development of a resiliency roadmap leading to the formulation of recommendations for NVRC’s local government partners and others to use to improve the resiliency of their communities. Also noteworthy was the organization’s public education campaign focused on critical stormwater management and MS4 permits in the region. Finally, the Committee applauded the Plant NoVA Natives program, supported by multiple volunteers and garden centers to help promote native plants in the region. This initiative helped inform work undertaken by a neighboring regional commission and their native plant program.
 
Planning District Commissions were enabled by state legislation in 1968 and most were established the following year. There are 21 PDCs and Regional Commissions in Virginia made up of elected officials and citizens appointed by local governments. The purpose of Planning District Commissions is to encourage and facilitate regional solutions to problems of area-wide significance. This is done by promoting the efficient development of the physical, social and economic policies of all districts by assisting local governments to plan for the future. The PDCs of Virginia created the Virginia Association of Planning District Commissions in 1987 to share best practices and further regionalism across the Commonwealth. For more information about VAPDC, visit our website at https://www.vapdc.org/. 

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