While most of us may not think about it, good community planning is an important part of our daily lives—from where we live to how we commute. It impacts our quality of life by creating more convenient, healthy, efficient and attractive places to enjoy today and for generations to come.

In celebration of National Community Planning Month in October, Coeur d’Alene’s Planning Department on Wednesday hosted an open house to provide an opportunity for the community to experience the planning process.

Professionals representing various planning fields were on hand to share their knowledge and showcase their contributions to planning efforts across the city.

“It was a great opportunity to demonstrate how planning contributes to making our city a great place to live,” said city planner Lori Burchett, who organized the event.

Local professionals who participated included Verdis, a landscape architecture and land planning firm, Kootenai Environmental Alliance, Welch Comer Engineers, Vision 2030, J-U-B Engineers and the Idaho Transportation Department.

“We had a good turnout and hope to make it an annual event to recognize National Planning Month,” Burchett said.