About

CPW Projects are a Win-Win for Communities and Students — communities get professional quality work at a cost-effective price while students receive real world planning experience and academic credit.

The Community Planning Workshop (CPW) is an applied planning, public policy, and economic development research program located in the School of Planning, Public Policy and Management at the University of Oregon.

For the past 35 years, CPW students have been helping Oregon communities find creative and innovative solutions to some of their most difficult planning and policy problems. It is one of the most robust service learning programs in planning in the country and has a strong reputation for delivering quality planning products to Oregon communities.

Each year, Community Planning Workshop partners graduate students, supervised by faculty and staff, with ten to fifteen Oregon communities to work on community-driven projects. Communities contract with CPW and provide funding that pays for graduate students and CPW’s professional supervision. CPW employs eight University of Oregon faculty and staff that oversee all projects to ensure expectations are met and high-quality products are produced.

In addition to working with communities, CPW staff and students also work with various professors to conduct academic research and publish peer reviewed articles.

CPW specializes in the following focus areas:

  • Natural Resources
  • Equity & Human Rights
  • Community & Economic Development
  • Natural Disasters & Community Resilience
  • Food Systems
  • Transportation
  • Parks, Recreation & Open Space