Vazquez is recipient of American Planning Association 2012 National Planning Leadership Award
Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP, director of the Arts Build Communities initiative at the Bloustein School, has been awarded a top honor in the urban planning field for his work in building more equitable and sustainable communities. Vazquez is the recipient of the 2012 National Planning Leadership Award in Advancing Diversity and Social Change in Honor of Paul Davidoff. The award is given annually by the American Planning Association, the nation's largest organization focused on urban planning.
Arts Build Communities (ABC), a Rutgers University center, is a partnership between the Office of the Associate Vice President for Academic and Public Partnerships (APP) in the Arts and Humanities and the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. ABC is at the forefront of the new field of creative placemaking, which integrates cultural planning and policy with community and economic development through sustainability.
The Advancing Diversity and Social Change in Honor of Paul Davidoff award is presented to a project, group, individual, or organization that promotes diversity, demonstrates a sustained social commitment to advocacy within the planning field or through planning practice, or addresses the concerns of women and minorities through specific actions or contributions to planning initiatives in the community.
For more than a decade, Vazquez has worked to influence how planners and other community professionals think about diversity, leadership, and power in communities so that they can more cost-effectively help communities be more inclusive and provide more opportunities for its residents and stakeholders. Since joining the Bloustein School in 2004, Vazquez has been an instructor, and developed four major initiatives at the school: Arts Build Communities, Bloustein Online Continuing Education Program, Professional Development Institute and The Leading Institute. He is a licensed and credentialed planner who specializes in community development, economic development, and management and alliance building. His research interests include ethnic and racial diversity in planning, and he teaches students how to diagnose problems and create solutions for multi-ethnic communities. For 15 years as a leader, educator, and author, Vazquez has been an advocate for social justice and ethnic diversity in the planning industry, making his mark in urban planning by shifting the focus to alleviate issues that plague Latino communities.
He has written numerous articles on leadership, ethnic and cultural diversity, strategic communications, and professional practice. He also founded and publishes two blogs: PDI Advisor and ABC NJ-ArtiFacts. He is the author of Leading from the Middle: Strategic Thinking for Urban Planning and Community Development Professionals (Rutgers University: Center for Government Services) and is co-editor of the forthcoming Dialogos: Placemaking in Latino Communities (Routledge). At the Bloustein School, he has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in planning history and theory, economic development, and leadership. He also developed or taught more than 60 continuing education courses in a wide range of topics, including community development, creative placemaking, cultural competency, economic development, planning practice, sustainable development, land use law, and urban design.
Vazquez played a key role in the conception of APA's Latinos and Planning Division, and is co-founder of the Planners for Ethnic and Cultural Diversity Committee for APA's New York Metro Chapter, which is helping other chapters establish diversity councils. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and a licensed New Jersey Professional Planner. He is also on the board of the Center for Non-Profits, a statewide advocacy organization for nonprofits in New Jersey. He can be reached at vazquezl@rutgers.edu.
