About NPZA | NPZA

our MISSION STATEMENT

To provide quality education and training opportunities for individuals who make and impact land use decisions.
To provide a collaborative network for the exchange of ideas and issues to effect sound planning and zoning practices.
To provide support for developing local and statewide planning policies and legislation.
our PURPOSE
To provide a fellowship for exchanging ideas and disseminating information among persons interested in planning and zoning.
To foster a complete educational program on village, city, county, metropolitan, and regional planning and zoning as it applies to Nebraska.
To encourage and assist in the formation of village, city, county, metropolitan, regional, and state planning commissions.
To promote a high standard of physical welfare through sound planning and zoning.
To encourage and assist in the passage of necessary legislation to carry out comprehensive village, city, county, metropolitan, regional and state planning and zoning.

our HISTORY

In 1965, an advisory committee was formed and meetings were held to prepare for the organization of the Nebraska Planning and Zoning Association NPZA. 35th Anniversary Newsletter
On March 18, 1966, NPZA was officially organized. A Tentative Program of the First Meeting of NPZA was held at the Hotel Yancey in Grand Island. Howard Peterson was the Mayor of Grand Island. First Conference Program
The first slate of officers of the newly formed Nebraska Planning and Zoning Association was elected it Grand Island they were: Bill Dawson of Nebraska City, president; John Abramson Kimball, first vice president; Harry Anderson of Millard, second vice president; Larry Reeren of Lincoln, secretary-editor; and, Mitsuo Kawamoto of Elkhorn, secretary/treasurer. Article
To promote excellence in planning in Nebraska NPZA established two primary awards:
- In remembrance of Mitsuo Kawamoto, professional planner and landscape architect NZPA has established the Excellence in Planning Award. Mits, a long time supporter of NPZA came to Omaha in 1951 and eventually set up his own land-use planning business.
- In remembrance of Loretta Ludemann of Norfolk, NPZA established the Excellence in Planning by a Nebraska Woman Award. Loretta inspired many of Nebraska’s Citizen planners, male and female alike to get involved and do their best.
Some previous award winners
Gone are the days of making copies of the Conference program on the stenograph machine. Now the programs are done on computers and have all the fancy graphics and type faces. Regardless of how the paper program is prepared the programs as presented have always been well attended and feature many outstanding and well regarded speakers. 1980 Conference Program or the 2008 Conference Program or the 2020 Conference Program.