URBAN AND REGIONAL STUDIES INSTITUTE
Minnesota State University
Fall, 2007
URBS 602: Urban Planning Process
Class meets on Thursdays at 6:00 pm – 8:45 pm in Burnsville
Instructor: Dr. Raymond Asomani-Boateng
Office: 106 Morris Hall
Office Hours: Wednesdays: 10:00 am - 2:00pm & Thursdays (1:00pm – 5:00pm)
Office Phone: 507-389-5030
Email: asomar@mnsu.edu
Webpage: http://krypton.mnsu.edu/~asomar/index.html
Texts: (Available at MSU Bookstore)
Brooks, Michael P. 2002. Planning Theory for Practitioners. Planners Press APA.
Campbell, Scott and Susan Fainstein, eds. 2003. Readings in Planning Theory.
Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Publishers
Jane Jacobs. The death and life of great American cities
Course Description and Objectives
This course is based on the premise that good planning practice should be grounded in
good planning theory. There is still no “body of theory” that can guide and inform our
planning efforts, but there are already numerous planning theories that merit our
attention. This course will explore the range of theories that are used to justify and
determine planning interventions, from the rational-comprehensive approach to equity
planning. This course will examine the political and economic assumptions of each
planning theory, and the historical context from which these theories have evolved. Race,
gender, and class bias in planning will be analyzed and discuss planning ethics as well as
contemporary theoretical paradigms, such as participatory planning, sustainable
development, and strategic planning.
Specifically, the course is meant to:
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Familiarize you with the theoretical dialogue in planning scholarship
Help you develop your own theoretical stance; and
Provide and introduction to professional ethics in planning
Develop the ability to outline the process for planning from concept through
implementation and evaluation and;
Familiarize you with both the AICP exam subject matter and AICP exam selected
readings.
Course Requirements
You are responsible for completing the readings and knowing the material covered in the
course sessions. Regular attendance and classroom participation will enhance your
understanding of the course material, and improve the quality of your work.
The assignments for the course:
1. Class discussion. (10% of final grade)
2. Analysis and critique of a Planning or Zoning Board Meeting (15% of final grade)
3. Planning ethics exercise (10% of final grade).
4. Assignment: Final paper that applies theoretical concepts discussed in the course
to an actual planning situation, demonstrating your knowledge of planning theory
and your ability to apply theory to planning practice. (25% of final grade).
5. Final exam (25% of final grade).
6. Attendance and participation (5%)
7. Quiz (10%)
Analysis and Critique of a Planning or Zoning Board Meeting (Due
November, 15)
Suggested length: 4 pages [you may turn in this assignment anytime during the semester before November,
15]
You are to attend a meeting of a planning agency and write up an analysis of the session. You may choose
a planning board or commission, a zoning board, an historic preservation board, a transportation
commission, or any similar public meeting dealing primarily with city, county or regional planning issues.
The locale is up you: you could choose Mankato, St Paul/Minneapolis, Rochester, or any other place of
interest. You may find it helpful to attend the meeting with several other students.
Your paper should include the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Cursory background information date and place of meeting; the type of planning agency; the
community's size, location and social-economic profile and how these factors might shape planning
issues;
The meeting's format, including structure of agenda and length of meeting; the board's composition
(e.g., affiliation if known, gender, race); profile of audience, etc.
a summary of the issues covered (You need not give a run-down of all 17 agenda items down to a
variance approval for a two-car garage. Instead, provide a brief overview on the types of issues,
with a bit more discussion on the few most interesting topics.)
MOST IMPORTANTLY: an analysis and critique of the meeting's process. For example: How
effective was the meeting? How "democratic" did the process appear? How much citizen
participation was involved? How did the board respond to the public? What was the role of the staff
planners in the meeting? Did it appear that decisions were actually being made at the meeting, or
that the real decisions had already been made behind closed doors? How did the board deal with
controversy? What was the language used in the meeting: planner's jargon or layperson's English?
Did you see any ideas from planning theory (e.g., comprehensive vs. incremental planning, equity
and advocacy planning, technocratic planning) reflected in the proceedings? If the meeting was
remarkably boring, what might be the reason? and so forth. (This is the core section of the
assignment, and should be the main focus of your writing efforts.)
Final Paper
You are required to write an analytical paper that applies your knowledge of decision theory (planning
theory) to a past or present planning intervention at the local level. Your paper must focus on an actual
planning decision such as a comprehensive or district plan, a redevelopment or public work project, a
planning process, a planning study report, or a program, policy, or a set of regulations. Your paper should
provide background information on the specific planning intervention, and answer the following questions:
Which decision theory are planners using? Why? Explain.
How would each of the decision theories we have discussed in the course approach the problem or
issue that is being addressed by the planning intervention? Discuss how the planner would
approach the problem or issue using each of the following decision theories: rationalcomprehensive, advocacy, communicative action, strategic planning and incrementalism
Identify and discuss one or more ethical dilemmas created by the planning intervention. How would
you resolve the identified ethical dilemma(s)?
What decision theory would you use in planning the situation you are studying? Why? You should
consider the decision theories outlined in question #2. You can develop your own decision theory, if
you believe that existing theories (on their own) are inadequate.
You may have to conduct historical research (if the decision is from the past) or field work (if the decision is
contemporary). Use our classroom discussion as well as the course readings to support and inform your
analysis
The final paper should be approximately 10 pages in length. It is worth 25% of your final grade and is due
on December 1, 2007
All assignments are due on the assigned date. Please note that late papers will be
accepted, but partial credit will be applied to any papers turned in late after the due date.
The late penalty for the assignments can be waived only with a good excuse.
MSU provides students with disabilities reasonable accommodation to participate in
educational programs, activities or services. Students with disabilities requiring
accommodation to participate in class activities or meet course requirements should first
register with the Office of Disability Services, located in 0132 Memorial Library,
telephone 389-2825, TDD 711 and then contact me as soon as possible.
Plagiarism:
The use of another person’s ideas or work without proper acknowledgement is
tantamount to intellectual dishonesty and will not be encouraged. In your written
assignments, please give full credit when you quote. Also, indicate to the reader when
you have adopted an idea from, or been strongly influenced by another thinker or source.
Ignorance is no excuse!
SCHEDULE
Week One (August 30)
Introduction to the Course:
What is planning?
What is Theory?
Readings:
1. Readings in Planning Theory, pp. 1-14
2. Planning Theory for Practitioners, pp. 21-31
Week Two (September 6)
The History of Planning Theory: Robert Moses and Jane Jacobs
Video: “New York: A Documentary History” (PBS)
Readings: Life and Death of Great American Cities
Week Three (September 13)
Urban Utopias
Readings:
William H. Wilson. 1989. “The Glory, Destruction, and Meaning of the City Beautiful
Movement” in Readings in Planning Theory. pp. 68-102
C. Scott, "Authoritarian High Modernism" in Readings in Planning Theory
Week Four (September 20)
Rational-Comprehensive Planning
Readings:
1. Planning Theory for Practitioners, pp. 80-105
2. Banfield, “Ends and Means in Planning”
3. Altshuler, “The Goals of Comprehensive Planning”
4. Innes, “Planning Through Consensus Building”
Week Five (September 27)
Incremental & Advocacy Planning
Readings:
Planning Theory for Practitioners, 99-105
JAPA symposium, “Paul Davidoff and Advocacy Planning in Retrospect”
Planning Theory for Practitioners, pp. 107-114
Readings in Planning Theory, pp. 210-224
Class presentation
Week Six (October 4)
The Origins of Suburbia & Suburbia’s Future
Readings:
Fishman, Robert. “Bourgeois Utopias: Visions of Suburbia,” in Readings in Urban
Theory
Douglas Kelbaug. “The New Urbanism,” in Readings in Urban Theory
Class presentation
Week Seven (October 11)
Race and Planning
Readings:
JAPA symposium, “Some Observations on Race and Planning”
Norman Feinstein. “Race, Class and Segregation: Discourse about African Americans,”
in Readings in Urban Theory
Class presentation
Week Eight (October, 18)
Planning Ethics
Readings:
Readings in Planning Theory, pp. 411- 417
AICP Code of Ethics
Planning Ethics: In-class exercise
Week Nine (October, 25)
Strategic Planning
Class presentation
Week Ten (November, 1)
Comprehensive Plan
Week Eleven (November, 8)
Participatory Planning
Readings: Partnerships and Participation in Planning @
http://www.uap.vtedu/cdrom/intro/index.htm
Week Twelve (November, 15)
Sustainable Development
Readings: Readings in Planning Theory, pp. 435-458
Quiz: Comprehensive plan
Week Thirteen (November, 22)
Final Paper
Week Fourteen (November, 29)
Final Paper
Week Fifteen (December 6)
Review and Evaluation
Final examinations: To be decided