Program Description
Community and regional planning is a field of study aimed at understanding the ever-changing socioeconomic and physical environments of communities and planning for their future. Planners evaluate and seize opportunities to solve problems. Planners work at multiple levels, and they are concerned with issues that affect every corner of the world: the preservation and enhancement of the quality of life in a community, the protection of the environment, the promotion of equitable economic opportunity; and the management of growth and change of all kinds.
Graduates of the Community and Regional Planning department are able to integrate planning knowledge and skills in a variety of practical applications, and can communicate effectively in written and oral form. Graduates will be qualified for a variety of entry-level positions. They will also be well prepared for graduate study in a variety of fields, including law, public policy, public health, environmental science, geography, sociology, urban design, and architecture.
Graduates of the Community and Regional Planning department are expected to understand the structure and functions of urban settlements, including the history of planning and urban development and the processes for plan and policy making. Graduates should have skills in problem formulation, quantitative analysis, written/oral and graphic communications, and collaboration, and in synthesizing and applying knowledge to practice. Graduates are expected to be able to assess the impact of plans and alternatives based on equity and social justice, economic welfare and efficiency, environmental sustainability, and cultural heritage in the context of citizen involvement in decision making.
The curriculum is accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board of the American Institute of Certified Planners and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning. ISU students gain an education that, when combined with experience, supports eligibility for membership in the American Institute of Certified Planners.
