This course introduces the basic techniques of land use regulation as practiced in the United States today with an emphasis on regulations that support green building practices and promote sustainable development patterns. Attention is given to the history, development and incidence of a variety of land use regulations, from the general (or comprehensive) plan to advanced techniques including growth management and recent sustainable zoning practices. Of interest to the student is a focus on the practical questions of what works, what doesn’t, and why?
Students will be able to apply their learning from this course to work required in the department’s studio courses and a professional planning environment. Students will be able to recognize the inter-relationships between land use regulatory elements in use in most large jurisdictions in the US and recognize how these may be improved to encourage greater sustainable land use planning.
To become familiar with land use regulation as practiced today across the US at the local, regional and state levels. This course also enables students to acquire knowledge of the wide variety of regulations governing land use development with an emphasis on those that support sustainability (social and environmental). By the course end, students should have developed an understanding of the planner’s role in the land use development process.
Land Use Planning, Land Use Regulations, Sustainability, United States of America
✔ Specialist skills | ✔ Intercultural skills | Communication skills | Critical thinking skills | Practical and/or problem-solving skills |
Students are required to read assigned readings, summarize these in annotated bibliographic form and come to class prepared to engage in lively conversation about the topics at hand. To assist Japanese non-native English speakers, readings for this course have been annotated in Japanese.
Course schedule | Required learning | |
---|---|---|
Class 1 | The U.S. Planning Arena | To understand the process, players and decision making process |
Class 2 | The Comprehensive Plan | Introduction to the comprehensive plan - legal standing and application |
Class 3 | Sub-Division & Site Plan Review Regulations | To understand subdivision process and initial site plan review |
Class 4 | State Environmental Quality Review Act (California and New York) | To learn the overview of Environmental Review in the USA |
Class 5 | Zoning Practice – History & Overview | To understand the context of zoning in the USA |
Class 6 | Zoning Techniques & Applications – Framework for Sustainability | To learn framework for sustainable zoning techniques being practiced in the USA |
Class 7 | Advanced Techniques I – Zoning for Wind, Solar & Green Infrastructure | To understand specific applications of zoning for solar, wind and green infrastructure |
Class 8 | Field Trip – Location TBD | On site learning experience - Location TDB |
Class 9 | Advanced Techniques II – Zoning for Inclusion | To learn zoning technique for affordable housing |
Class 10 | Planning Practicum | To apply skills in a workshop experience - possibly with American students |
Class 11 | Planning Practicum | Same as above |
Class 12 | Planning Practicum | Same as above |
Class 13 | Advanced Techniques III – Regulating Aesthetics | To learn regulation governing the aesthetics of the built environment |
Class 14 | Growth Management in the United States | To understand history and application of anti-sprawl techniques in the USA |
Class 15 | Course Summary and Student Paper Presentations | To learn from student research on course topics |
Fulton, William and Paul Shigley. Guide to California Planning, 4th Ed. Point Arena, CA: Solano Press, 2013. (ISBN: 1938166027).
NY Dept. of State. Guide to Planning and Zoning Laws of New York State: Guide to Planning and Zoning Laws of New York State (2011): http://www.dos.ny.gov/LG/publications/Guide_to_Planning_and_Zoning_Laws.pdf
Your grade will depend strongly on your class participation (reading responses, in-class discussions, and participation in the joint planning practicum) and completion of the lecture assignment. To ensure lively class discussions, you are required to write a short response to the weekly reading assignments. These may be presented in Japanese or English (preferred). Assignments include a comparative analysis paper on Japanese versus U.S. existing or proposed sustainable land use/zoning ordinance. This assignment will be presented in two parts: a written document and a short presentation to the class. In addition, there will be one planning practicum in collaboration with students from Pratt Institute in New York City who will visit for a week over the course of the semester.
This course is provided in English. Recommended for students in Urban Design and Built Environment Course and Architecture Course, though not excluding those overseas students with other majors.