Examines the basic concepts and theories of urban and regional planning through a historical survey of the origins of the subject, the development of planning thought, the careers of the principal thinkers, and the relationships between business, government and residential communities. Focuses primarily on the U.S., but also includes case studies of key innovators and notable urban and regional development projects from other countries.
Pln 502 (Gog 526) Urban and Metropolital Structure and Functions (3)
Examines the economic, political, social and physical attributes of American cities, suburbs, and metropolitan regions. Identifies past and future roles of public policy and planning in creating and solving urban and metropolitan-wide problems. Topics include: urban decline and development, urban design, suburbanization and sprawl, infrastructure and environmental quality, class and income polarization, and regional planning programs.
Pln 503 (Gog 555) Computer Applications in Planning (3)
Introduction to the use of personal computers in planning practice. Develops skills in spreadsheet, database and communications applications, along with elementary programming tools. Applications focus on models of urban, economic and transportation systems.
Pln 504 (Gog 502) Statistical Methods (3)
Planning applications of quantitative and statistical methods, including spatial interaction models, issues of parameter estimation simple and multiple regression analysis. Students complete projects on both micro- and mainframe computers. Prerequisite: Background in univariate statistics or consent of instructor.
Pln 505 (Gog 525) Comprehensive Planning Process (4)
Examines the theory and practice of comprehensive planning for cities and regions, including demographic, social, economic, land use, environmental, and activity elements. Introduces essential planning skills and methods, including the integration of forecasts with concepts of urban growth and structure to establish the demand and location of private and public land uses.
The legal foundation of planning, examining constitutional issues, the evolution of judicial decisions, enabling legislation, and local ordinances. Zoning issues, housing, taking, transfer of development rights, growth controls, environmental law, and other emerging legal topics.
Provides students with a good working knowledge of the AICP Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, the APA/AICP Ethical Principles in Planning and the ICMA Code of Ethics so that once in practice, they will be able to immediately identify potential ethical dilemmas they may be facing and develop appropriate strategies for addressing these challenges. Also introduces codes and standards for related professions.
Pln 523 (Pub 523, Pos 523B) Urban Community Development (3-4)
Examination of policies and programs designed to reduce social and economic distress in U.S. communities. Focuses on local and neighborhood-based efforts to address problems of inadequate housing, unemployment, lack of community services and facilities, crime, etc. Considers role of government, private sector, and nonprofit organizations in community revitalization.
Pln 528 (Pos 528, Pub 528) U.S. Housing Policy (3-4)
United States housing policies since the New Deal, especially their distributional impact and their ability to expand housing production. Emphasizes policy options available to state and local governments and community organizations to expand affordable housing and revitalize inner-city neighborhoods. (Previously Pln 525)
Pln 529 (Pub 531, Lcs 529) Planning for Jobs, Housing and Community Services in Third World Cities (3-4)
Reviews the potential for community development and the improvement of physical, social and economic conditions in the poor urban neighborhoods of countries characterized by mass poverty. Focuses on shanty-town upgrading, sites and services, job-creation programs, and micro-enterprise promotion. Discusses the roles of local and national governments, community participation, business, non-profits, and international aid.
Pln 530 (Gog 532) Environmental Planning (3)
Interaction between humans and the natural environment and the inability of natural systems to absorb concentrations of air, water, and land pollutants; the policy and programmatic response of federal, state, and local governments; environmental program planning; the use of controls and incentives to mitigate environmental degradation; and the assessment of the effectiveness of environmental programs.
Pln 531 Environmental Impact Assessment (2)
To become familiar with federal, state and local models for environmental impact assessment, to understand the various assessment methods that are used to measure environmental impacts, and to comprehend the environmental decision-making process in its many forms. The course will provide practical opportunities for students to participate in reviewing, criticizing and responding to actual environmental impact statements, as well as to use various assessment methods.
Pln 532 Parks, Preservation and Heritage Planning (3)
Explains the rise of heritage planning as a unifying theme to link environmental, land-use and community planning. Integrates parks, greenways, historic preservation, and cultural resources as means to develop and preserve the distinctive character of local communities, to foster local pride, and to promote tourism. Discusses the origins, organization and management of heritage programs, and the special problems of heritage planning for minority groups and bygone cultures.
Pln 534 (Gog 534) Water Resources Planning (2)
To understand water as an increasingly scare and important world resource. Students will learn how water is harnessed and moved, how competing water uses are prioritized, how to prevent source water depletion, how to plan for safe drinking water supplies and how to protect water quality through watershed planning and stormwater management, using New York and U.S. examples. Prerequisites: Pln 505 or Pln 506, or equivalent coursework or experience in land-use planning or law.
Pln 535 (Pub 535) Environmental Restoration & Brownfields Redevelopment (3-4)
Introduces students to the fundamental issues that confront stakeholders engaged
in redeveloping brownfields. Risk analysis and communication, economic aspects,
political and social constraints, and the role of public participation are central
themes. Linked to brownfields are also smart growth, sustainable development,
urban revitalization, and quality of life concerns. The nexus of these fundamental
planning concepts and environmental quality will also be explored.
Pln 540 (Pos 540, Pub 540, Soc 540) Urban Policy in the United States (4)
A research seminar on federal, state, and local policies toward the contemporary city. Evaluation of alternative conceptions of federalism, government intervention vs. market processes, and the political economy of growth. Case studies of current policy issues.
Pln 543 Transportation History and Policy (3)
Examines the history of transportation systems and policy in the United States. Emphasis on understanding the political and social forces that influence decision-making at the federal, state, and local levels. The roles of corporate investment, and of citizen interests and participation are also examined. A research paper is required.
Pln 544 Urban and Metropolitan Transportation Planning (3)
Examines the urban and metropolitan transportation planning process with an emphasis on a system-wide approach for solution of transport-related problems in urban areas. Examination of traditional methods used for estimating aggregate travel demand; disaggregate travel demand forecasting; deterministic and probablistic models of destination and route choice and modal split; time-budget and activity approaches.
Pln 545 Transportation Corridor Planning and Management (3)
Reviews strategies for influencing the pattern and rate of urban growth with special emphasis on the role of transportation corridors. Considers transportation as a determinant of urban spatial structure and explores the connections between accessibility and land use, built form (i.e. "transit-oriented" development), economic activity, demographic patterns, and environmental quality. Examines transportation management practices.
Pln 549 Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Planning (3)
Covers planning, design, implementation and management of systems of non-motorized transportation, particularly the ‘human powered’ modes of bicycling and walking. Involves students in the design of bikeways, walkways, intersections and parking facilities, and in the evaluation of alternative transportation technologies.
Pln 551 (Gog 584) Graduate Introduction to Remote Sensing of Environment (2)
Designed to prepare students without a background in remote sensing with an understanding of fundamentals in the field. A research project is required.
Pln 552 CAD in Planning (2)
Applies the concepts and theories underlying Computer Aided Design and Drafting
(CAD) to site planning, urban design and land-use planning, including 2D concept
diagrams and site plan detail, and introducing 3D perspectives. Prerequisite:
Pln 503 or equivalent experience.
Pln 555 (Gog 595) Introductory MapInfo (1)
Provides students who have, or are developing, a knowledge of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) fundamentals, and who have, or are developing, a knowledge of ArcView software, with a comparable knowledge of MapInfo software. Enables students to use and apply MapInfo to the solution of a wide range of data management, cartographic and public policy programs.
Pln 556 (Gog 596) Geographic Information Systems (3)
This course will explore the structure, design, and application of geographic information systems. The student will learn how to store efficiently, retrieve, manipulate, analyze, and display large volumes of spatial data derived from various sources. Students will learn information management techniques for a variety of purposes including planning and simulation modeling. Prerequisites: Gog 101 or 290, or permission of instructor, and familiarity with maps and coordinated systems.
Pln 557 (Gog 597) ARC/INFO Practicum (3)
Introduces students to ARC/INFO, a geographic information system (GIS) with extensive analytical and cartographic components. Students will use ARC/INFO to compile and analyze data for selected research projects in Geography and Planning. Major topics include data conversion procedures, registration and rectification of digital data, spatial statistical analysis, and cartographic display. Prerequisites: Gog 496/596 or Pln 556 or equivalent.
Pln 558 (Gog 598) Geographic Information Systems Management (3)
This course provides students with the fundamentals of GIS diffusion theory, organizational theory and management, GIS implementation, spatial data sharing and trends in national data structures. Lectures are complemented by case studies chosen by the student to test ideas discussed in class. Prerequisites: Gog 496/596 or Pln 556 or equivalent.
Pln 560 (Pub 560) Local Economic Development Strategies and Techniques (3-4)
Discusses the theory and practice of economic development in urban, small town, and regional settings. Analyzes and evaluates federal, state and local programs. Examines how the community planning process can influence local economic development.
Pln 562 Infrastructure Finance and Privatization (3-4)
Examines a range of approaches for privatizing the provision of public facilities and services, as well as non-traditional ways of financing public works without resorting to general taxation. Effects of privatization on the cost, quality and availability of public facilities and services, and on planning effectiveness and public accountability are evaluated.
Pln 573 (Pub 573) Metropolitan Governance and Planning
(3-4)
Physical, social and economic conditions in selected metropolitan areas in the
U.S. are examined, and the role of institutions of governance and planning in
producing and reinforcing current conditions is explored. Pros and cons of competing
models of metropolitan governance are examined, and evidence that highly fragmented
units of government intensify economic and fiscal disparities, and undermine
regional competitiveness and efficiency, is scrutinized. Strategies capable
of moving toward greater regional cooperation in planning and governance are
considered.
Pln 574 Site Planning (3)
This course is designed as a workshop for students to be introduced to the practical
aspects of site planning – a specific site in the region is studied and
plans developed for future new use or renewal of the site. Experience is gained
in recording site conditions, use; influence of microclimate, landform; condition
of existing buildings on the site and adjacent to it. The site is analyzed for
future potential within the context of existing community policies and regulations.
Alternative proposals for future use are drawn up and evaluated for appropriateness,
context and design quality. During the course students will record, photograph,
annotate site information, draw up plans to scale, develop a concise planning
report incorporating data, analysis and plan. Team work is encouraged, with
small teams organized to develop projects.
Introduction to the theory, rationale and practice of urban design. Covers design and layout criteria, regulation and review, and case studies of the urban design. A research paper is required.
Pln 656 (Gog 692) Seminar in Geographic Information Systems (3)
In-depth study of specialized topics of importance to Geographic Information Systems (GIS). In-depth examination of the scientific literature and a substantial research project involving algorithm development and/or modification and/or testing required. May be repeated once for credit. Prerequisites: Gog 496/596 or Pln 556 or equivalent, and a working knowledge of a programming language.
Team planning exercise using students with varied academic and planning specializations to design, evaluate, plan, and manage projects and programs. Written, graphic, and oral presentations before juries of officials, practicing planners, and faculty complete the course. Prerequisite: Pln 505 (Gog 525) or consent of instructor.
Pln 682 Studio Report and Implementation (1-4)
Follow-up to a Planning Studio Project enabling students to participate in the completion of the final published report, in presentations of the main conclusions and recommendations, and in ongoing activities designed to build coalitions and facilitate plan implementation.
Pln 683 Master's Research Paper in Planning (4)
Reviews information sources and search strategies for planners, writing skills, and the content of the comprehensive exam. Requires each student to prepare and present a substantial paper on a planning-related topic of his/her own choice. Prerequisites: At least 24 graduate credits completed in planning or related subjects.
Provides experience in the practice of planning through work in government agencies, corporations, nonprofit or voluntary organizations specializing in fields closely associated with planning. The requirement for this course may be waived for students who already have at least 3 months professional planning experience. S/U graded. Prerequisite: At least 12 graduate credits in Planning.
Special planning courses which do not fit the lengths, formats and themes specified elsewhere in the graduate curriculum. May be repeated for credit, providing the topic covered is not the same.
Pln 697 Independent Study in Planning (1-4)
Independent investigation on a planning-related topic of special interest to the student, with faculty oversight and advice. May be repeated, but not for more than a total of 6 credit hours.
Independent research leading to an acceptable thesis for the master's degree. S/U graded.