SAN JOSÉ STATE UNIVERSITY
URBAN AND REGIONAL PLANNING DEPARTMENT
URBP 248: ADVANCED COMPUTERS IN URBAN DESIGN
Instructor:
Office location:
Telephone:
Email:
Office hours:
Class days/time:
Classroom:
Prerequisites
David Vasquez
WSQ 218 (urban planning room)
415 876-2234
DVasquez@aol.com
Tuesdays 5:00 pm -6:00 pm
Tuesdays 7:15 pm -10:00 pm
WSQ 208
General familiarity with Windows or Mac operating system
Course Catalog Description:
Examination of computer-aided graphics and three-dimensional visualization processes applied to
urban design and planning.
Course Description and Student Learning Objectives:
This is a hands-on, beginner to intermediate level computer-graphics course for previsualization and concept-development of urban design and architectural projects. It will focus on
three industry-standard applications: a paint program; a draw program; and a 3-D program. It will
explore how the three can be used in combination to create accurate and emotionally-engaging
depictions of projects that don’t yet exist. The primary course activity will be a series of assignments
that cover each of 3 application. A fourth assignment will focus on combining applications to create
composite images.
A secondary course objective will be to explore key themes in contemporary urban/architectural
design with special attention to ecological sustainability and how computer graphics can advance this
cause
Primary software applications covered will be:
Illustrator CS ....... 2-d drawing and Illustration
SketchUp 6 or 7 ......3-D modeling, real time rendering, camera animation
Photoshop CS .....digital image processing
Secondary applications
GoogleEarth ...........web-based aerial photography
possible additional 3-D rendering software to be announced
San José State University
Urban and Regional Planning Department
page 1 of 5
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of the theory and strategies for creating accurate and emotionally
engaging photo simulations of existing and projected urban environments
2. Apply intermediate level Adobe Photoshop skills for three-dimensional architectural rendering
and urban design representation
3. Apply intermediate level Adobe Illustrator skills for map-making and urban design illustration
4. Apply advanced level Google Sketchup skills for three-dimensional architectural and urban
design illustration
5. Utilize digital photography in photo-simulation
6. Integrate Sketchup models with Photoshop scenes to produce photo-realistic simulations
Planning Accreditation Board (PAB) Knowledge Components
This course partially covers the following PAB Knowledge Components: 4.2.1.(c) and 4.2.5. A
complete list of the PAB Knowledge Components can be found at
http://www.sjsu.edu/urbanplanning/courses/pabknowledge.htm.
Class format
For most class sessions, about half the alloted time will be lecture/demonstration while the other
half is supervised practice and work sessions.
Course Requirements
The first and most important requirement is your attendance to class, since much of the information
will be difficult to make up without supervised hands-on experience
Each student should have one or more USB memory devices for file storage and transfer. With
Murphy’s Law in full force it is the student’s responsibility to back up all important files.
Required Course Readings:
None, viewing of 2 movies required: “ The End of Suburbia” and “An Inconvenient Truth”
...... both are available online or by check-out from instructor
Course Assignments and Grading Policy:
Your grade for the course will be based primarily on the following:
Assignment Title
Movie review
Photoshop assignment
SketchUp assignment
Illustrator assignment
Midterm & Final exams
participation
Final assignment
San José State University
Urban and Regional Planning Department
Percent of Total Grade
10%
10%
10%
10%
30%
10%
20%
page 2 of 5
Other grading/assignment issues
Late assignments are downgraded 5% except by special permission. Assignments may be
resubmitted for 5% extra credit.
Academic integrity statement, plagiarism, and citing sources properly
SJSU’s Policy on Academic Integrity states: "Your own commitment to learning, as evidenced by
your enrollment at San Jose State University, and the University's Academic Integrity Policy requires
you to be honest in all your academic course work. Faculty members are required to report all
infractions to the Office of Student Conduct and Ethical Development" (Academic Senate Policy
S07-2). The policy on academic integrity can be found at http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/S07-2.htm.
Plagiarism is the use of someone else's language, images, data, or ideas without proper attribution. It
is a very serious offense both in the university and in your professional work. In essence, plagiarism
is both theft and lying: you have stolen someone else's ideas, and then lied by implying that they are
your own.
Plagiarism will lead to grade penalties and a record filed with
the Office of Student Conduct and Ethical Development. In
severe cases, students may also fail the course or even be
expelled from the university.
If you are unsure what constitutes plagiarism, it is your
responsibility to make sure you clarify the issues before you
hand in draft or final work.
Learning when to cite a source and when not to is an art, not a science. However, here are some
examples of plagiarism that you should be careful to avoid:




If you use a sentence (or even part of a sentence) that someone else wrote and don't
reference the source, you have committed plagiarism.
If you paraphrase somebody else's theory or idea and don't reference the source, you have
committed plagiarism.
If you use a picture or table from a webpage or book and don't reference the source, you
have committed plagiarism.
If your work incorporates data someone else has collected and you don't reference the
source, you have committed plagiarism.
The University of Indiana has developed a very helpful website with concrete examples about
proper paraphrasing and quotation. See in particular the following pages:

Overview of plagiarism at http://www.indiana.edu/~istd/overview.html

Examples of plagiarism at http://www.indiana.edu/~istd/examples.html

Plagiarism quiz at http://www.indiana.edu/~istd/test.html
If you still have questions, feel free to talk to me personally. There is nothing wrong with asking for
help, whereas even unintentional plagiarism is a serious offense.
San José State University
Urban and Regional Planning Department
page 3 of 5
Citation style
It is important to properly cite any references you use in your assignments. The Department of
Urban and Regional Planning uses Kate Turabian's "A Manual for Writers of Research Papers,
Theses, and Dissertations, 7th edition" (University of Chicago Press, 2007, ISBN-10: 0-226-823369). Copies are available in the SJSU King Library. Additionally, the book is relatively inexpensive,
and you may wish to purchase a copy. Please note that Turabian's book describes two systems for
referencing materials: (1) “notes” (footnotes or endnotes), plus a corresponding bibliography, and
(2) in-text parenthetical references, plus a corresponding reference list. For this course either is
acceptable.
Accommodation for Disabilities
If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, or if you need to make
special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me
as soon as possible, or see me during office hours. Presidential Directive 97-03 requires that students
with disabilities requesting accommodations must register with the DRC (Disability Resource
Center) to establish a record of their disability.
San José State University
Urban and Regional Planning Department
page 4 of 5
URBP 248
ADVANCED COMPUTERS IN URBAN DESIGN
SPRING 2011
TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE
Date
Topic
Feb 1
Orientation
Feb 8
Intro to Photoshop
Feb 15
Photoshop
Feb 22
Photoshop
March 1
Photoshop
March 8
Photoshop
March 15
Intro to SketchUp
March 22
SketchUp
March 29
Spring break
April 5
SketchUp
April 12
April 19
SketchUp
.....mid-term quiz
Intro to Illustrator
April 26
Illustrator
May 3
Illustrator
May 10
Compositing
May 17
Compositing
outside class Activity
see movies:
“End of Suburbia”
“An Inconvenient Truth”
take site photo for Photoshop
assignment
Assignments
Movie review due
Digital photo for Photoshop
assignment due
Photoshop quiz; preliminary
rendering due for review
Photoshop assignment due
------------
May 24
Final exam
Finals week
San José State University
Urban and Regional Planning Department
--------------------------------------------
Sketchup assignment due
Illustrator assignment due
Compositing assignment due
page 5 of 5