Welcome!

Defined by a truly interdisciplinary approach that brings together experience and expertise from nine academic departments in eight colleges, the relatively new bioregional planning program at the University of Idaho is quickly gaining momentum and recognition as a top program. The program is driven by faculty, students, and community members who are committed to sustainable community development, and planning and design in the Intermountain West and beyond. 

The program offers the following:

• Master of Science in Bioregional Planning and Community Design: Includes specializations in land use planning; environmental planning; economic development planning; transportation planning; public land planning; and housing, social and community development planning.
• Graduate certificate: Designed for those who want to incorporate sustainable planning principles and concepts into a related professional discipline, such as transportation engineering, environmental and natural resource management, architecture, landscape architecture, and public administration.

The program features a diverse group of faculty members with expertise ranging from architecture and design to conservation and political science. Through our innovative Learning & Practice Collaborative (LPC), you'll partner with students and professors on real-life projects to help Idaho communities fulfill visions for sustainable growth. You'll develop solid research and problem-solving skills, as well as the ability to implement systematic conservation planning and management strategies to positively shape communities for generations to come.

You'll graduate with the hands-on experience to make an immediate impact on your chosen career, whether you become a city planner or a consultant that works with engineering and architectural firms to implement sustainable design concepts across multiple project types in a cost-effective manner.

University of Idaho Wins Western Region Outreach Scholarship Foundation Engagement Award

BSCI and the Idaho Horizons Program, run by University of Idaho Extension, is the winner of the Western Region Outreach Scholarship Foundation Engagement Award, bestowed by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU). Established in 2006 with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the awards recognizes colleges and universities that have redesigned their learning, discovery, and engagement functions to become even more involved with their communities.

The nomination is based on a partnership between the University of Idaho and the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and communities of Plummer, Worley, Tensed, and DeSmet. Bioregional planning graduate students have participated in several service-learning projects in the communities including a bioregional atlas, zoning code update, plans for a Tribal Education Institute, and a housing development for the Coeur d’Alene Tribal Housing Authority. The Tribe has received two large HUD grants for this housing development based on student work.

An innovative university-community partnership

The three interdependent components of this initiative are:

Why?

» Since 1990 Idaho's population increased 41%

» By 2050 Idaho is expected to lose 4.5 million acres of ranch, farm & open space land to development.

» Community leaders and professionals need the skills and knowledge to guide this growth.

» College of Agricultural & Life Sciences
   Department of Agricultural Economics & Rural Sociology
» College of Art & Architecture
   Department of Architecture
   Department of Landscape Architecture
» College of Education
   Department of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance
» College of Engineering
   Department of Civil Engineering
» College of Graduate Studies
   Department of Environmental Science
» College of Letters, Arts & Social Sciences
   Department of Political Science
» College of Natural Resources
   Department of Conservation Social Sciences
» College of Science
   Department of Geography
   Department of Environmental Science
» UI Extension