Environmental Planning

Planning + stewardship

The environmental planning concentration provides essential background in environmental economics and environmental law and policy. This background prepares students to work at government environmental agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private firms that protect the environment and seek to develop sensible policy solutions regarding our natural resources.  

What students in this concentration study

Students of environmental planning study the relationship between infrastructure development and human settlement and how this relationship affects the environment. Students use political, legal, and practical lenses to learn how to develop and implement smart land-use planning policies. Depending on your course selections, you might develop a focus on a particular resource, such as water or air, or on broader issues, such as climate change and sustainability.

Possible courses in the concentration

Below is just a small sampling of the dozens of courses related to environmental planning. You can find additional ideas on the concentration sheet.

• PA 8201 Environment and Infrastructure Planning
• PA 8202 Networks and Places: Transportation, Land Use and Design
• PA 5722 Environmental and Resource Economics Policy
• LAW 6215 Environmental Law
• EEB 5053 Ecology: Theory and Concepts

Research centers

If you are interested in environmental planning, you may be interested in the following Humphrey School research centers:

• Center for Science, Technology, and Public Policy
• State and Local Policy Program

Concentration forms

• Concentration sheet.
  Complete list of required courses
• Concentration exception request form
  Used to request an exception to the concentration requirements