Planning & campus sustainability merge to create PSU’s Planning & Sustainability Office: Senior Campus Planner Liz Hoekstra discusses how she brings a sustainability lens to her work

PSU’s Campus Sustainability Office merged with the Campus Planning Office to form the now Planning and Sustainability Office (PSO). With this merger, Senior Campus Planner, Liz Hoekstra, now finds herself in an exciting position to apply her knowledge and past experience in campus planning, public sector urban planning, and sustainability work.Prior to joining PSU, Hoekstra worked as a City Planner in San Luis Obispo, CA and New Orleans, LA and then for Tulane University’s Office of Sustainability. For the last two years, Liz has worked with PSU’s Campus Planning Office.

“I got into urban planning because social equity and environmental sustainability are really important to me and I wanted to build the physical environment in a way that better serves the community” Hoekstra explains, “the merge with Campus Sustainability is really exciting because it creates more opportunities for the collaboration between urban planning, design, and sustainability– things that should but don’t always go hand in hand.” 

Hoekstra manages a wide variety of urban planning efforts on campus, including long-range planning projects such as the creation of a circulation plan and placemaking efforts for the University’s fall re-opening. Her impact can be seen across campus for improving student spaces, such as lounges and classrooms, and developing anti-racism efforts within Planning, Construction, & Real Estate (PCRE). Hoekstra is excited to continue bringing a sustainability and equity lens to her work. 

“The community-led development of the physical environment is crucial to creating a campus that is both equitable and sustainable,” says Hoekstra, “I’m very excited to continue building a campus that supports these values with the PSO team.”