DETROIT, May, 2, 2024 – Rodney L. Arroyo, Partner Emeritus with Giffels Webster, has achieved the planning profession’s highest honor by being selected to hold the prestigious title of American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) Fellow for his outstanding achievements in urban planning. Rod is one of 33 inductees into this year’s College of Fellows. Inductions are done biennially.
Fellowship is granted to planners who have achieved certification through the American Planning Association’s professional institute, the American Institute of Certified Planners, and have achieved excellence in professional practice, teaching and mentoring, research, public and community service, and leadership. Fellows are selected after a thorough nomination and review process, ensuring the nominee has had a positive, long-lasting impact on the planning profession.
“Members who have earned the FAICP designation are the true leaders of the planning profession,” said Karen Wolf, AICP President. “Their contributions and impacts to the profession serve as inspiration for future generations of planners of how to best serve our communities.”
Arroyo serves as Partner Emeritus with Giffels Webster, and he has over 35 years of planning consulting experience in Michigan in addition to work in Florida and Georgia earlier in his career. As a lifelong advocate for people and places, he has sought to innovate and advance the way planners approach community planning. He is the driving force behind the creation of Clearzoning™, which transforms zoning codes to be user friendly and accessible. His plans resulted in the creation of better places and boosted economic development, including the award-winning Big Beaver Corridor Study in Troy, Michigan, which ignited over $200 million in new investment in the corridor. Rod’s innovative educational efforts led to advancement of the profession through graduate coursework (serving as Adjunct Professor at Wayne State University), sharing best practices, and offering hands-on learning opportunities. He co-authored the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) Zoning and Development Best Practice training programs used in the Redevelopment Ready Certification process. While serving as Assistant Director of the South Florida Regional Planning Council, Rod’s projects included Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins, and other developments of regional impact. While in Georgia, he worked with former American Planning Association President Leon S. Eplan, FAICP to successfully obtain some of the first Federal Communications Commission (FCC) licenses for cellular phone service including Atlanta, Georgia.
“I have worked with Rod since 2008 and am delighted by this recognition for him,” said Jill Bahm, AICP and Partner at Giffels Webster. “Rod’s innovative spirit, willingness to share knowledge with others, and leadership style have been meaningful to countless professional and community planners. I’ve drawn from his example in the way I lead our planning team today.”
Rod Arroyo received his Master of City Planning degree from Georgia Tech and Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of South Florida. Rod is also a photographer and an enthusiastic supporter of jazz in Detroit. He and his wife Beth live in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan.
About Giffels Webster
Giffels Webster is a collection of people – civil engineers, landscape architects, planners, surveyors and GIS specialists – who choose every day to make communities better. The Michigan-based firm helps public, private and institutional clients throughout the United States with planning, land development and infrastructure needs. Since its inception in 1952, Giffels Webster has evolved to offer a broad scope of services centered on helping clients achieve their project or programming goals, including civil engineering, municipal consulting, planning, land development consulting, landscape architecture, traffic engineering, surveying and GIS consulting. For more information, visit giffelswebster.com.
About the American Planning Association
The American Planning Association is an independent, not-for-profit educational organization that provides vital leadership in creating great communities for all. APA and its professional institute, the American Institute of Certified Planners, are dedicated to advancing the profession of planning, offering better choices for where and how people work and live. The nearly 40,000 APA members work in concert with community residents, civic leaders and business interests to create communities that enrich people’s lives. Through its philanthropic work, APA’s Foundation helps to reduce economic and social barriers to good planning. APA is based in Chicago. Learn more at www.planning.org.