On Thursday, CNU and the Transect Codes Council presented the fifth annual Groves Award to Matthew Lewis of Austin, TX at the 23rd annual Congress for the New Urbanism in Dallas, TX. Named in honor of Ken Groves, the late Planning Director of the City of Montgomery, Alabama, the award honors outstanding leadership and vision by a public official in the promotion of Transect-based planning. Groves's vision and leadership in using land development and planning helped Alabama's capital city began its journey back to prominence and sustainability and set the standard for forward-thinking planners across America. The award was presented to Lewis by Nathan Norris and Susan Henderson, both founding board members of the Transect Codes Council.

Lewis is a city planner who currently leads the City of Austin Urban Design and Comprehensive Planning Division, and is a newly-elected member of CNU's Board of Directors. Until recently, he served as the Development Services Director for the City of San Marcos, Texas, and before that as the Community Development Director for the City of Hutto, Texas. In all three cities he worked to build new urbanist infrastructure and improve the quality of land-use planning and community engagement. 

Previous winners of the Groves Award include Rick Bernhardt of Nashville, TN and Matthew McElroy of El Paso, TX.