Climate Action Planning: A New Area for Cal Poly's CRP Department
Over the 2008-2009 academic year, a group of 25 fourth year undergraduate students and two graduate students had the opportunity to develop a climate action plan in collaboration with the City of Benicia. The plan development took place over six months in two, one quarter long community planning studios. These capstone studios are structured to simulate the work of professional planners and expose students to innovative methods and techniques used in “real-world” planning situations. By developing a climate action plan, students were provided the opportunity to gain expertise in an emerging area of planning policy. The plan development process was conducted as a collaborative planning effort between Cal Poly and the appropriate City of Benicia Departments as well as community members and key regional stakeholders.