Celebrating Excellence in Community Design

Polco is proud to announce the winners of the Housing and Community Design categories for  Polco’s Best in Governance Awards program. These recognitions honor local governments that excel in planning, design, and housing, areas that directly shape how people experience their neighborhoods and communities.

Housing and design are central to livability. From neighborhood layouts to affordability and the character of public spaces, these factors influence how connected and resilient a community can be. This year’s honorees are leaders in building places where residents want to live, work, and thrive.

The  Best in Governance Awards are based on extensive, high-quality data, including results from the National Community Survey (NCS) as well as a range of national indicators from Government Performance Action and Learning (GPAL). Together, these measures provide a powerful picture of how communities are performing and improving in one of the most essential aspects of livability.

Voice of the People Categories

These awards go to communities where residents themselves rated their city or county among the very best, or showed the greatest improvement, on housing and design. Measures include how residents view the livability of their neighborhoods, the design and planning of growth, the availability and quality of housing, and the overall appearance and character of the community.

Community Impact Category

This category highlights communities that perform strongly on independent, nationally benchmarked measures of housing and resilience. Drawing on GPAL metrics, this award category acknowledges jurisdictions that excel in housing affordability, stability, and access—while also standing out in land use areas such as job access, neighborhood walkability, and thoughtful growth patterns. These elements capture the ability of communities to open doors to opportunity while fostering vibrant, welcoming places to call home.

🏆Top Performers for Community Design

Excellence - Voice of the People

• City of Clive, Iowa
• City of Eagan, Minnesota
• City of Papillion, Nebraska
• Township of Schaumburg, Illinois
• Village of Schaumburg, Illinois

Transformation - Voice of the People

• Jackson County, Michigan
• Los Alamos County, New Mexico
• City of Milton, Georgia
• City of Redlands, California
• City of West St. Paul, Minnesota

Excellence - Community Impact

• City of Coral Gables, Florida
• Town of Highland Beach, Florida
• Village of Irvington, New York
• City of Medford, Massachusetts
• City of Newton, Massachusetts

What’s Next

Together, these communities set the bar for how local governments can design, plan, and deliver housing and neighborhood development that truly supports resident well-being.

🎉 The National Champions will be announced live at the ICMA Annual Conference in October in Tampa, Florida. 

👏 Congratulations to all of this year’s Top Performers! We’re honored to showcase your leadership in building stronger, smarter, and more connected communities. Visit our awards page for more information about Best in Governance Awards.