The University of Pennsylvania School of Design has received a $1.25 million gift from William Witte (C’73, MCP’75) and his wife, Keiko Sakamoto, Esq., to establish an annual prize for an outstanding planning student at PennDesign, along with a professional award for innovation and impact in planning.

The Witte-Sakamoto Family Prize in City and Regional Planning carries a $50,000 fellowship and will be awarded to a student entering his or her final year in the Master of City and Regional Planning program.

“We’re deeply grateful to Bill and Keiko for their commitment to the next generation of planners,” said Frederick Steiner, dean and Paley Professor at PennDesign.

In conjunction with the prize, the School will present an annual award to a firm, team or professional for an exemplary plan that advances plan-making in at least four of the following areas: social equity, environmental quality, design, public health, mobility, housing affordability and economic development.

“It’s incumbent on those of us who work on cities to make sure that we not only practice responsible development, but that it’s holistic and we deal with all these different issues,” said Mr. Witte, a PennDesign alumnus and member of the School’s Board of Overseers, who has had a lifelong interest in cities. “I want to encourage students to think big, think in a multi-disciplinary way and make a difference in a community.”

Lisa Servon, professor and chair of city and regional planning, said, “The Witte-Sakamoto Family Prize will help one of our exceptional students pursue his or her dream without worrying as much about financial obligations.” Dr.  Servon is the author of The Unbanking of America: How the New Middle Class Survives and conducts research in the areas of urban poverty, community development, economic development and issues of gender and race.

The inaugural winners will be announced in the spring of 2019.

Mr. Witte is chairman and CEO of Related California, a subsidiary of the New York–based international real estate development firm. He founded Related California in 1989 and oversees Related’s multi-family and mixed-use development activity in California. He served as deputy mayor for Housing and Neighborhoods under San Francisco Mayor Art Agnos, a position in which he oversaw housing, development and redevelopment activities for San Francisco. He was director of Housing and Economic Development under San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein and served as an appointed commissioner of the San Francisco Housing Authority. Mr. Witte earned a BA from Penn in 1973 and a Master in City Planning in 1975.