CDG Director Antonio M. Rosell, P.E., AICP was recognized as 2015 Planner of the Year by the Minnesota Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA) at this year's statewide conference. The conference, which took place in Bemidji from September 23 to 25, featured the participation of hundreds of planners working in public and private practice throughout the state.
Receiving the award, Rosell said "this is a wonderful surprise and a great honor, I am proud to be part of a profession working to create better places, improve communities, and elevate quality of life for all our residents."
Rosell has worked as a design professional since 1994, and has led Community Design Group since its founding in 2001. Over those twenty one years, he has led dozens of projects in our state, as well as in neighboring Midwestern states and in several cities in Mexico and Peru. Projects have included neighborhood and community plans, walk / bike / sustainable transportation master plans, community visioning initiatives, and infrastructure works.
He has helped to expand understanding of and participation in planning through collaborative work with community organizations, schools (through a partnership with Minneapolis Public Schools and Arts for Academic Achievement), and through public resources like Twin Cities Streets for People and its successor streets.mn. He has also been an active participant in the education of our next generation of planners, serving as Adjunct Professor at the Humphrey School and as a guest lecturer for a variety of classes at the University of Minnesota over the last fifteen years.
Asked about his next professional goals, Rosell said "I am not sure that I have thought about it enough - for now I'm just going to do like the wise man says and 'keep on keepin on' ... I enjoy the work that I do, and I think it's valuable and is contributing to making our cities better. I'm happy to be part of a profession that is full of committed, thoughtful people working to improve communities. I am very happy that I received this award but I also know that it could have been given to many other planners with whom I've had the privilege to work, and that they would be at least equally deserving of this honor as I may be."