Department of Community and Regional Planning

Dr. Susan Mason
Interim Director, Department of Community and Regional Planning
Director, Master’s and Graduate Certificate in Community and Regional Planning

Phone: 208-426-2658
Email: susanmason@boisestate.edu
Location: Environmental Research Building, Room 4135

Dr. Susan Mason is the Director of the Department of Community and Regional Planning.  She has a diverse academic background with bachelor degrees in Economics and Psychology from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a Master of Public Administration and PhD. in Political Science from the University of Missouri- St. Louis.  She brings experience to her work and classroom from the non- academic world as well through her previous work as community development extensionist  for the United State Peace Corps, GIS consulting for St. Louis Development Corporation, and work as Planner for the metropolitan planning organization in St. Louis.

Mason teaches courses in planning, research methods and urban issues.  She has co-authored two book chapters one in the Handbook of Research Methods in Public Administration and another in the Public Human Resource Management: Problems and Prospects. She has authored and co-authored articles that appear in Economic Development Quarterly, Community Development Journal, Community Development: Journal of the Community Development Society, State and Local Government Review and the Journal of Public Affairs Education. Her professional interests revolve around public administration and urban and community development.

Selected Works of Dr. Susan Mason

Dr. Amanda Johnson
Phone: 208-426-2605
Email: amandajohnson4@boisestate.edu
Location: Environmental Research Building, Room 4125

Dr. Amanda Johnson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of  Community and Regional Planning. She received a PhD in City and Regional Planning in the School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political of Science and International Studies from the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern University. Her areas of expertise include planning history, economic development, community development, urban revitalization, and public health.

Johnson’s current research studies the economic and community development aspect of urban sustainability. Specifically, she studies redevelopment and revitalization through the lens of arts economic development. Her dissertation, “Developing Urban Arts Districts: Analyzing Mobilization in Dallas, Denver, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Seattle” explores arts anchored redevelopment districts over sixty years and answers whether such interventions are viable policy. As a secondary research emphasis, Johnson also looks at the evidence-based nexus between public health and planning. She has presented work at the American Collegiate Schools of Planning, Urban History, and Society for American City and Planning History conferences. In addition to authoring policy reports for the Penn Institute of Urban Research and Penn Praxis, she has co-authored two publications, including Crossover: How Artists Build Careers across Commercial, Nonprofit, and Community Work, and Artists’ Centers: Evolution and Impact on Careers, Neighborhoods and Economies.

Selected Works of Dr. Amanda Johnson

Dr. Thomas Wuerzer Phone: 208-426-2604
Email: thomaswuerzer@boisestate.edu
Location: Environmental Research Building, Room 4133

Dr. Thomas Wuerzer is an Assistant Professor at Boise State University and teaches classes in the Department of Community & Regional Planning.  He holds an B.A./M.A. in Geography from the University of Bayreuth, Germany, an a M.A. in Urban Affairs and Public Policy from the University of Delaware, and a Ph.D.  from the University of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Prior to Boise State University, he taught courses in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) at Cincinnati.  Wuerzer was the first Doctoral Fellow of the Cincinnati Area GIS consortium (CAGIS) and received with the CAGIS team national recognition for his GIS software in emergency and infrastructure (asset) management.  Until July 2011, he was the GIS project lead for the Community Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) program in Hamilton County, OH – a CDC funded program to fight and prevent obesity among the residents.  His dissertation, “Mixed-Use Developments in Planning and Real Estate as Urban Infill and Development Strategy: An Optimization Problem?” set emphasis on optimization modeling of land use combinations within mixed-use developments at inner urban locations.  Overall, he brings international and domestic experiences in economic geography and planning, especially in Germany, Finland, Delaware, Ohio, and now Idaho, and about 14 years of GIS, into his classes. His research foci are land use planning, mixed-use developments, GIS, and an emphasis on “healthy city” and “landscapes of health” as interface between public health and planning/policy.

Selected Works of Dr. Thomas Wuerzer

Dr. Pengyu Zhu
Phone: 208-426-2607
Email: pengyuzhu@boisestate.edu
Location: Environmental Research Building, Room 4123

Dr. Pengyu Zhu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Community and Regional Planning. He received his Ph.D. in Policy, Planning and Development from the School of Policy, Planning and Development at the University of Southern California. He also holds B.S./M.S. in Urban Planning from Nanjing University and a M.S. in Forestry Economics from Auburn University.

Zhu’s research interests have been centered on urban economics and urban policy. His areas of expertise include transportation, housing, economic development and GIS. He has published his works in Landscape and Urban Planning, Annals of Regional Sciences. In 2011, He was awarded the 25th Charles M. Tiebout Prize in Regional Science. In addition, he has worked as Chief Planner and Project Manager in several international urban planning and design firms.

Selected Works of Dr. Pengyu Zhu

Sheila Weaver
Phone: 208-426-2616
Email: sheilaweaver@boisestate.edu
Location: Environmental Research Building, Room 1140

Sheila Weaver is the Administrative Assistant for the Department of Community and Regional Planning.