A Warm Welcome

Welcome to the Bio-regional Planning and Community Design (BIOP) program. Planners are dedicated to the improvement of communities, regions, natural resources and the quality of life for those who live in these communities and regions. In keeping with the University of Idaho’s land-grant mission, we are committed to inspiring good planning practices through an innovative and exciting planning program that focused on the planning issues in communities in Idaho and states like Idaho. States with vast open landscapes, a small but urbanized population and large federal land holdings.  While the romantic vision of the American West might be fading, the landscapes are still impressive, regulations are still frowned upon and solutions are often the result of local ingenuity and a sense of community that does not exist to the same extend in other places in the US.

With campus locations in Moscow and Boise, we have access to communities in unique bioregions statewide. To the North, UI’s main campus is situated among rural farming communities of the rolling Palouse where we maintain strong relations with Kootenai and Nez Perce tribes. To the South, is Boise, our state capitol—one of the fastest growing metropolitan regions in the nation that has still held on to its unique character and prides itself on being listed on one best of list after another.

We are working with local planning professionals and national experts to offer you a high quality planning education through an innovative curriculum design that provides flexibility but requires commitment and dedication to your education and the communities we work in.  I hope you enjoy your time learning about the BIOP program and urge you to contact me directly if you have any questions about our program, planning in Idaho or are just curious about the exciting things we are doing at the University of Idaho.

Sincerely,

Jaap Vos, Ph.D
Program Head
(208) 364-4595
jvos@uidaho.edu

Jaap Vos
Program Head