The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) has been honored by The Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO) with the National Award for Outstanding Overall Achievement for a TMA MPO. The award was presented to MORPC at AMPO's Conference on October 27, 2011 in Dallas, Texas for its work on Complete Streets and Lifelong Communities.

MORPC's Complete Streets Policy was the first policy of its kind for a large MPO in the nation and was rated number one among MPOs by the National Coalition of Complete Streets. MORPC has received praise from community members in the region, as well as other MPOs and regional councils in Ohio for its Complete Streets Toolkit. MORPC is also actively distributing the information in the toolkit through individual community visits, which provide member agencies with guidance on how to implement their own complete streets policies and projects.

"AMPO is pleased to honor MORPC with the National Award for Outstanding Achievement for a large MPO for its 'Complete Streets and Lifelong Communities,'" states DeLania Hardy, Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations Executive Director. "Our annual award is based on a peer review assessment of projects. The honor is one coming from the MPO community and reflects true progress within MPO efforts. MORPC is a strong leader in our profession and certainly will have more exciting successes in the future."

MORPC's efforts in the Complete Streets realm are part of a broader effort to foster Lifelong Communities that allow residents to enjoy a high quality of life throughout their lifespan. Over the next 40 years, central Ohio will undergo dramatic changes in demographics (a population that is growing, aging and more diverse), with resulting changes in housing demand, the workforce, and costs related to transportation, the environment, and health.

The Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO) is a nonprofit, membership organization established in 1994 to serve the needs and interests of "metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs)" nationwide. AMPO chose to recognize the tremendous work MORPC has done to further the community and will continue to do for central Ohio.