WWU | Urban Planning and Sustainable Development Program Update!

Tammi Laninga, AICP | WWU Program Director of Urban Planning & Sustainable Development 

Greetings from Western Washington University’s (WWU’s) Urban Planning and Sustainable Development (UPSD) program! We have a lot of updates and news to share. 

First, some of you may not know, but the UPSD program is in a new department called the Urban and Environmental Planning & Policy (UEPP) Department at WWU. The move from our Environmental Studies Department happened in 2021.  

Second, the Urban Planning program recently submitted its application for re-accreditation. Information about the program, including the extensive self-study report is available at this public information & accreditation page. The Planning Accreditation Board will make their final decision in December 2025, after an interview with myself, the program director, Dr. Laninga at their October board meeting. 

Third, the Urban Planning program received $200,000 from the state legislature’s 2023-2025 biennium budget to support cities and counties with their comprehensive plan updates. We supported fifteen cities and counties with paid interns, three projects with Washington Tribes, nearly doubled our student admissions, and offered eight additional sections, and two courses with student enrollment from WWU, the University of Washington, and Eastern Washington University. The UEPP program is hoping to receive additional funding in the 2025-2027 budget to continue supporting cities, counties, and tribes. 

Fourth, the UPSD program is committed to engaging students in the profession. We had nineteen students attend the 2025 National Planning Conference in Denver. To keep up-to-date on UPSD students, check out our Western Urban Planners Instagram page and check out the photo from our conference below. 

Our UPSD students attending the 2025 National Planning Conference in Denver. 

Finally, the UEPP Department is excited to launch our new graduate program, the Masters in Urban Planning and Environmental Sustainability. We are welcoming our first student cohort in fall 2025. Help spread the word about our urban planning program with high school and community college students you know. You can direct them to our urban planning website or our link at StudyUrbanPlanning.com.  

Please direct questions or comments about the Urban Planning program to myself, Dr. Tammi Laninga at [email protected]. For the UEPP Department, please contact Dr. Nabil Kamel at [email protected].