Land Development
Civil engineers focusing in the land development discipline are critical in the planning, design, construction, and management of the facilities and infrastructure required to maintain and expand societal access to a high standard of living. As a growing population places increasing demands on already overburdened and aging infrastructure, future generations will continue to desire access to state-of-the-art facilities for housing, employment, recreation, commerce, and institutional services. These dynamic and formidable challenges can only be met through an evolving approach to land development engineering that is attentive and responsive to the ever-changing demands of society and the developing world.
Civil engineers focusing in the land development discipline are critical in the planning, design, construction, and management of the facilities and infrastructure required to maintain and expand societal access to a high standard of living. As a growing population places increasing demands on already overburdened and aging infrastructure, future generations will continue to desire access to state-of-the-art facilities for housing, employment, recreation, commerce, and institutional services. These dynamic and formidable challenges can only be met through an evolving approach to land development engineering that is attentive and responsive to the ever-changing demands of society and the developing world.
Land development engineers must also increasingly consider elements of sustainability and resiliency in their designs. Urbanization and urban renewal present great challenges, including how to create vibrant centers and renewed economic growth from older, under-utilized, and often inadequately planned communities. There is a great need for modern, sustainable infrastructure including multi-modal transportation options that are pedestrian friendly; inter-connected street networks; underground, modern, smart utilities; and innovative stormwater systems that minimize the environmental impact of development. To successfully address these challenges and societal needs, land development engineers must possess multidisciplinary knowledge in disciplines including water resources, transportation, urban planning, zoning law, land use, finance and marketing, real estate, construction engineering and management, and many others. Engineers practicing land development must respond to intersecting needs from each of these and other areas, and process what are often competing design criteria
The need for adaptive, highly skilled land development engineers is at an all-time high and Virginia Tech students are afforded unique opportunities to study this civil engineering discipline. The Land Development Design Industry (LDDI) provides experiential learning opportunities through field trips, design project mentoring, hands on design charrettes, and others. LDDI also connects students to a large network of land development professionals and companies for internships and full-time employment opportunities. Undergraduate students choosing to focus in land development engineering also benefit from their academic proximity to the Bowman Sustainable Land Development Program and its graduate program in Sustainable Land Development.