Bioregional Analysis & Planning

The fall Bioregional Planning course saw its largest cohort ever in the history of the program. Twelve students from the BRP and MLA programs partnered with the Office of Sustainability and Park City to develop a longrange plan for addressing climate change and mitigating emissions to meet the City’s new goal of carbon neutrality by 2032. This effort engaged students, under the direction of Professors Brent Chamberlain and Todd Johnson, in researching geospatial methods for impact analysis from future development, understanding water cycle predictions and identifying areas in the community and county for potential ways to increase carbon sequestration to offset emissions.

Erin Mann, Tiffany Woods, & Aaron Bliesner at the Student Research Symposium

Additionally, the BRP students continued this work into the spring by focusing on another city initiative to plant thousands of trees within the city limits. Using concepts derived from defensible space, identifying available water sources, and combining knowledge of plant physiology, soils and geology, students created new models for future scenario planning and impact modelling. Students engaged with a variety of partners in the city and county for the project.

Time lapse photo of downtown Park City