The Institute of Planning and Design is a unit administered and created by the College of Architecture and Fine Arts. Conceptualized and recognized as a functioning office in 1994, the IPD serves as a conduit for design and planning consultancy and community extension services related to the disciplines and fields of study under the College. It provides a unique opportunity for the academe to extend professional expertise to the community by tapping the help of other units and departments in the University and students who involve in research and field or project-based studies. The IPD is a venue for faculty and students to express and test creative ideas in the field of planning and design and is also a laboratory for continuing education. Externally, it is CAFA’s linkage opportunity arm to other institutions and industries with similar goals and purposes or those with partnership programs or projects compatible with its capabilities. Internally, it is the coordinating office in the College facilitating the program, design, and implementation of the physical improvement projects for USC’s campuses, buildings, and offices.

Rationale:
The IPD was established to respond to USC’s mandate for regional educational leadership and community service. The Cebuano professional, still deeply entrenched in his fairly rural perspective, has to overcome parochial prejudice against what he perceives to be corporate practice. On the other hand, the projects that impend in Cebu’s development horizons are of such magnitude and complexity as to call for multi- and interdisciplinary coordination and almost preclude the old conventional approaches. Thus, in order to persuade these professionals to unite, leadership in the field must be assumed by institutions that do not post what may be perceived as threatening competition. To this end, the academe is uniquely fitted for this assignment.

In the field of professional education, the Department of Architecture holds some degree of unfulfilled obligation in the training of its students. Unlike in other courses, the Architecture student is not yet fully capable to engage in practice upon graduation. He/she has yet to undergo a two-year apprenticeship in order to prepare for the board examination that will finally qualify him/her into the profession. To date this requisite has been taken for granted, and the burden of acquiring the experience placed on the student. Whereas, in comparable cases (i.e. in Medicine, for example, the period of post-graduate internship is a concern shared by both the medical school and the student himself) the training institution does not shirk from providing this concluding course. These strategies are intended to address the following aims and objectives of the Institution:

• Contribute to the development needs of Cebu and the region by way of offering the physical planning and project development services in the fields of Architecture, Industrial Design, and Advertising;
• Provide a venue for faculty and students to express and test their creative ideas in the field;
• Be a means for the faculty’s continuing education and professionalism; and
• Serve as an opportunity for students to enrich their experience in the field.

In particular, the move is also expected to strengthen CAFA’s self-reliance as it seeks to generate:

• Funds for the College’s faculty and facilities development program as well as its community service program;
• A source of income for faculty and students in order to augment University-based salaries.

SERVICE OFFERING OF THE INSTITUTE
 The Institute proposes to offer the following services to the general public:

Urban/Regional/Environmental Planning:

Town Planning (for local government units)

• Comprehensive and/or sectoral baseline data gathering
• Comprehensive/Economic Policy Formulation;
• Sectoral (Industrial, Tourism, etc.);
• Physical (Zoning, etc.) and Architectural (Community) Planning and Design

Physical Planning (for Estates and subdivisions)

• Horizontal and
• Vertical components and structures; and General Building applications

Project Development
New Investments and/or Facilities Planning

• Project Preparation/Feasibility study;
• Manufacturing/Engineering Process Design;
• Architectural Planning/Detailed Engineering;
• Works Engineering/Project Management;
• Product Development and Advertising
• Program Planning and System Design
• Markets (Product Demand) Evaluation and/or Planning:
• Logistics (Transportation/Distribution) Planning;
• Management Information Systems

Special Services and Studies

• Policy Studies and Papers,
• Environmental Impact Analysis (EIA);
• Research and/or Evaluation Programmers;

The main objections raised so far has been regarding the safeguarding of interests and assets not only those assets that are committed to special objectives and programs of the University but also those revenues raised from the project itself. To avoid confusion when these are mixed up, appropriate internal control system has to be devised.