Since our foundation in 2003, URPS has received ongoing recognition from planning and design professions at both state and national levels through the following awards:

Eyre Peninsula Regional Natural Resources Management Board
Review of Council Development Plans and Relevant Strategies, Plans and Policies as Input into the Eyre Peninsula Regional Natural Resources Management Plan
PIA (SA) Award 2009

The Alexandrina Council
The Alexandrina Council Rural Areas Strategy and Action Plan
PIA (SA) Award 2009

SA Recreational Trails Committee
Sustainable Recreational Trails Guidelines
PIA (SA) Award 2008

City of Charles Sturt
Industrial Land Study
Lead by Colliers International Consulting with URPS and Alistair Tutte
PIA (SA) Commendation 2008

Onkaparinga Catchment Water Management Board
Sturt River Linear Park Master Plan
with Swanbury Penglase Architects, Ecological Associates and Tonkin Consulting
PIA (National) Award 2006

Clare & Gilbert Valleys Council
Policy & Strategic Directions Review for Mintaro
with Swanbury Penglase Architects, Nicole Rolfe - Heritage Planner
PIA (SA) Commendation 2006

Planning SA
Planning Mechanisms to Support the Supply of Affordable Housing Development
with Southern Research Centre of the Australian Housing Urban Research Institute & Norman Waterhouse Lawyers
PIA (SA) Commendation 2006

Coastal Protection Branch of the Department for Environment and Heritage
Coastal Planning Information Package
with Harlen Graphics & Norman Waterhouse Lawyers
PIA (SA) Commendation 2005

City of Onkaparinga
Southern Social Planning Study 2005-2010
Southern Social Planning Alliance with Truscott Research
PIA (SA) Commendation 2005

City of Onkaparinga
Moana Foreshore Study
with Hilary Hamnett and Associates
Institute of Landscape Architects Award 2005

Planning SA
Neighbourhood Character Study
with Harrison Market Research and Jensen Planning and Design
PIA (SA) Commendation 2005

City of Unley
Residential Strategy With a Focus on Delivering Key Regeneration Areas
PIA (SA) Commendation 2005 and PIA National Merit Award 2005

City of Norwood, Payneham and St Peters
Residential Strategic Directions
with Alistair Tutte and Hassell
PIA (SA) Commendation 2004

The Minister for Urban Development & Planning released the Ministerial Mount Barker Urban Growth Development Plan Amendment (DPA) in June 2010 for public consultation. This DPA proposes to rezone approximately 1300 hectares of rural land on the edges of Mt Barker and Nairne for residential and light industrial use.

With the aim of ensuring that its community was well informed and empowered to comment on the Ministerial DPA, the District Council of Mt Barker engaged URPS to run a series of information sessions for the local community. These six sessions were extremely well attended, with more than 300 people able to hear about and ask questions regarding the Ministerial DPA process and how to go about getting involved in this part of the planning system.

In a letter to the editor of the Mt Barker Courier, Jean Lovell of Nairne said that "Mt Barker Council is to be congratulated for its commitment to proper community consultation" and that URPS was "highly professional and responded in detail to questions in an articulate, honest and informed manner".

This is evidence of the success of these types of community information sessions and the goodwill and engagement that Mt Barker Council has fostered with its community through the process. We also believe that this type of process leads to informed and valuable input from the community to key planning initiatives such as this Ministerial DPA."