Engage with some of the key questions facing our society and economy. What are the challenges that come with how we use our natural resources? Who benefits? Who decides how they are used?

This major provides you with an understanding of the complexities of including the natural and cultural environment in planning decision-making and the knowledge to develop creative solutions.

Gain the skills and experience you need to help communities and regions to set priorities for our relationship with the natural world, and to help implement those priorities through decision-making.

This program addresses both project-level and large-scale environmental planning issues that occur in developments that impact the natural environment.

Learn about provincial land use planning, environmental assessment, watershed planning and integrated resource management.

The geographic and cultural context of Prince George and northern British Columbia provides you with a living laboratory to explore concepts, exchange ideas and discover solutions. Simply by living in the region, your life experiences will inform what and how you learn about the lives of people living in northern communities and First Nations, the impacts of resource extraction on the landscape and these people, and the need for new approaches to addressing long-standing social and environmental issues.

In addition to classes offered through the School of Environmental Planning, you will develop an interdisciplinary understanding of the world we live in through courses in biology, geography, environmental science, First Nations studies, forestry, economics, international studies, and outdoor recreation and tourism management.

The degree provides a broad education in environmental planning. The focus is on understanding the relationship between people and the environment, reducing the environmental impact of human activities, and responding and adapting to environmental change.

The study of planning examines public processes that improve the quality of decisions affecting the environment. Responsible planning integrates various private and public interests and identifies viable, workable options. Planners play a vital role in decision-making processes concerning the future of human settlements, resource management, environmental protection, human health and well-being, economic development, and many other areas. Ultimately, the work of planners becomes part of, or a catalyst to, public policy.

Environmental Planning offers a comprehensive program of courses, such as environmental assessment, ecological design, economic development, First Nations planning, land use planning, and sustainable communities. Each course provides a creative and challenging learning environment for students to tackle today's most contentious issues such as sustainability, climate change, biodiversity, environmental stewardship, and urban sprawl. Environmental Planning offers unique perspectives on a rapidly evolving field of study and solutions for an increasingly complex world.

Environmental Planning is dedicated to upholding professional standards of practice and is accredited by the Professional Standards Board (PSB) which is recognized by the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP) and the Planning Institute of British Columbia (PIBC). Accreditation is a system for promoting national standards of education in planning and for recognizing educational institutions for a level of performance, integrity, and quality.

Accreditation benefits students in Environmental Planning in three ways:

Current students can apply for Student Membership in PIBC;
Graduates are eligible for Full Membership in PIBC and CIP after two years of professional planning experience; and
Employers in the planning field look for students graduating from an accredited planning program, thus significantly improving graduates' job prospects.

The major in Natural Resources Planning is designed to provide students with an understanding of the complexities of including the natural and cultural environment in planning decision-making. The major is intended to address both project-level and large-scale environmental planning issues that occur in developments that have an impact on the natural environment.

The objective of this major is to familiarize students with planning and decision-making in a variety of sectors that include provincial land use planning, environmental assessment, watershed planning and integrated resource and environmental management. These areas of planning are characterised by complex and intricate questions about how to use our natural resources and who should decide. The multidimensional aspects of environmental management include natural and cultural complexity, different desired futures, value differences, assessment and monitoring tools, and integration methods. This major emphasizes an understanding of planning in both the substantive realm (natural and social sciences) and the procedural realm (the process of including people in the decision-making process).

Career Paths
Registered Professional Planner
Environmental planner
Sustainability planner
Project manager
Planning consultant
Local economic development professional
Provincial or federal civil service