10 Urban Theory, Systems & Design

“It was an incredible learning experience working with the city of Idaho Falls. The opportunity to work directly with city representatives greatly improved my ability to learn first-hand what proper city planning can accomplish.”

This class-wide, semester long project emphasizes the relationship between the built environment, natural amenities, and natural resources. The Fall 2022 Urban Theory and Design studio aimed to analyze the built and unbuilt areas of Idaho Falls to meet the needs of the city’s growing population, and incorporate existing initiatives stated in the client’s guiding documents (Imagine IF and Connecting our Community). The forward-thinking city and its planning department were keen on having teams of students work on envisioning the future growth of the city.

The city of Idaho Falls serves as a gateway to Yellowstone, Jackson Hole, and other recreational destinations. Patterns of development have been influenced by pioneers, the Union Pacific Railroad, industrialization, agriculture, education, and tourism. Gateway communities tend to overlook the needs of their own citizens in pursuit of serving the tourist industry. Idaho Falls and the community have united forces to combat these challenges and issued the Imagine IF document, which describes a collective aim for community amenities. Missing “Middle Housing,” walkable centers, and celebration of the river are central themes that the city wanted to focus on. The studio aims to address this need by investigating various parts of the city as candidate sites for housing and mixed-use development. All teams focused on connecting the habitable spaces and the buildings to a walkable public realm.

Six sites were selected to demonstrate the incorporation of middle housing and walkable centers. Different parts of the city come from different growth histories, have different assets, and offer specific challenges. By addressing a variety of districts and areas of Idaho Falls, the city explores how they might reinforce its identity under the pressures to grow in place-based approaches.

“Collaborating with Idaho Falls on the trajectory of growth throughout their city was an incredible opportunity to gain hands on experience in understanding and implementing, stabilizing, and empowering urban design principles. Working with an incredible team and phenomenal mentors on challenging opportunities within our district made for an exciting and rewarding experience in the Urban Theory studio!”

- RaeLee Yancey

“The UD studio was fast-paced, in-depth look at Idaho Falls. Students worked directly with community planning staff and heard from local developers and housing experts. The class explored regional and site-specific issues in developing a vision for walkable centers throughout the city. I was impressed by the students’ attention to local distinctiveness and consideration for connectivity of green space and walking/ biking paths.”