SAN JOSÉ STATE UNIVERSITY
URBAN AND REGIONAL PLANNING DEPARTMENT
URBP 255 URBAN GROWTH MANAGEMENT
FALL 2010
Instructor:
Office location:
Telephone:
Email:
Office hours:
Allen Tai, AICP
WSQ 218B
(408) 975-2544 (M-F 8am – 5pm)
Allen.Tai@sjsu.edu (preferred)
Wed./6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Class days/time:
Wed./7:15 – 10:00 p.m.
Classroom:
HGH 221
Course Catalog Description:
Extensive study of causes, consequences and costs of sprawl; study of growth management and
smart growth programs at the state, regional and local level, including the rationale, techniques, and
economic, political, and organizational implications.
Course Description and Objectives:
This course provides an introduction to urban growth management practices. Growth management
includes a range of regulatory, programmatic and fiscal tools designed to shape the pace, location,
scale, design, and extent of urban growth. The course begins with a review of traditional
urbanization trends and a discussion of the causes and consequences of those trends. Students will
examine the many techniques communities use to manage growth, the effectiveness of those
techniques, and advantages and disadvantages associated with the different methods of growth
management. In the remainder of the course, the course will focus on Smart Growth policies and its
relationship to urban development patterns. Throughout the semester, students will learn how land
use planning, long-range policies, and fiscal stability are interrelated.
The primary goal of the course is to teach students to think carefully and critically about growth
management policies and their long-range implications. Upon successful completion of the course,
students will be able to:
1. Identify causes and problems associated with urban growth.
2. Articulate the different types of growth management approaches and their benefits and
disadvantages.
3. Identify the stakeholders and regulatory agencies involved in growth management efforts.
4. Know constraints and opportunities confronting communities in developing policy
approaches to growth management.
5. Describe smart growth principles and best practices in managing urban growth.
San José State University
Urban and Regional Planning Department
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This course will be primarily conducted as a seminar supplemented by lectures given by the
instructor. I will make every effort to help you succeed in this course so that you can use the
information in this course and successfully apply it to your career in planning. Like in a professional
work environment, it is every individual’s responsibility to complete all assignments and to take
advantage of the learning opportunities this semester.
Course Prerequisite:
No prerequisite is required. To fully take advantage of the subject matter taught in this course,
students should have a basic knowledge of the land use planning framework, including government
organizational structures and civic decision-making processes, as well as common terminology used
in the urban planning context.
Required Course Readings:
There is no text book or reader for this class. The reading assignments will be selected journal
articles relevant to each upcoming week’s class discussion. The reading material will be available
electronically in the first week of the class. Students are responsible for accessing the electronic
archive for the weekly reading assignments. Please refer to the course schedule for the list of
required weekly readings.
Course Assignments and Grading Policy:
Each student’s final grade for the course will be based on the following:
Assignment Title
Class Participation
Weekly Reading/Report
Midterm Paper
Final Paper
Final Presentation
Percent of Total Grade
15%
30%
20%
20%
15%
Class Participation – The class participation grade is based on the student’s preparation and
participation in class each week. This means attending class and demonstrating you’ve read the
weekly reading assignments through active participation in the classroom. Emailing questions or
attending office hours do not count towards this grade. Class attendance and punctuality also do not
count towards this grade; merely showing up to class on time will not earn class participation credit.
At the same time, multiple absences and/or repeated tardiness will result in a lower class
participation grade, since you cannot participate if you are not present. Your final grade will reflect
your overall commitment to learning; higher grades correlate with student efforts that exceed
expectations.
Weekly Reading/Report– Part of the final grade consists of completing weekly assigned readings
and providing a five-minute oral report and half page written summary on one of assigned readings
in class. You should plan to spend an average of five hours a week on the course reading in addition
to the weekly class meetings. As noted in the above, students are responsible for accessing the
electronic reading material. Students should attempt to access the reading material as early as
possible. Technical difficulty in accessing assigned reading material is not an excuse for not
completing the weekly reading assignments!
San José State University
Urban and Regional Planning Department
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The format of the weekly report is similar to professional planners delivering staff report summaries
at public hearings. Each report must include the following pieces of information:
1. What is the article about? (e.g. costs of urban sprawl, housing prices, ballot box measures)
2. Summarize the discussion to a few key points. (e.g. urban sprawl is bad because of ABC… planners
can prevent sprawl by doing XYZ…but doing XYZ may inadvertently cause 123…)
3. Provide your personal commentary/insights.
While students are only required to report on one of a number of assigned readings each week, it is
mandatory that students read all assigned material prior to each class meeting (except those labeled
as Recommend Reading). Professional planners are frequently asked to address questions about
their projects. Similarly, I will call on students to answer questions about the reading material in
class to get a sense of whether the student has completed the assigned reading.
Midterm Paper – Refer to assignment sheet to be distributed in class.
Final Paper and Final Presentation – This assignment consists of a paper and presentation. The
final paper will be due at the beginning of our last class meeting (Week 16), and students will deliver
10-minute presentations in PowerPoint. Refer to assignment sheet to be distributed in class for
more information.
Other grading/assignment issues
If you must miss a class, you may email me the Weekly Report on the reading assignment before the
start of the class to receive full credit for completing it. If you miss a class when one of the paper
assignments has been handed out, you must contact another student or myself for a copy. You are
still responsible to turn the assignment in on the class date that it is due. Late work must be turned
in within a week of the due date to receive partial credit.
If life begins to overtake you such that you expect you will not be able to complete an assignment
on time and you let me know well before the due date, we can discuss alternate arrangements that
might reduce the grade penalty for lateness. Any student who fails to complete all graded
assignments will automatically fail the course.
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.
San José State University
Urban and Regional Planning Department
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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.
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, as it will be useful for your other courses in the Master of
Urban Planning program. 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.
The preferred citation method for this course is the footnotes and bibliography system.
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
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URBP 255 URBAN GROWTH MANAGEMENT
FALL 2010
TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE
This syllabus is subject to change according to the progress of the class. I will discuss any changes to
the syllabus with as much notice as possible. Be sure to carefully review each week’s list of assigned
reading as some lists carry over to the next page!
Week 1 (August 25)
Welcome and Class Introduction
Course overview and syllabus review
Historical perspectives of urban growth and the evolution of urban form
Homework Due: None
Week 2 (September 2)
The Debate over Urban Sprawl
Homework Due:
Read the following articles and pick one to summarize and report to the class.

Gordon, Peter and Harry Richardson. 1997. “Are Compact Cities a Desirable Planning Goal?”
Journal of the American Planning Association, 63(1):95-106

Ewing, Reid. 1997. “Is Los Angeles Style-Sprawl Desirable?” Journal of the American Planning
Association, 63(1):107-126

Anas, Alex, Richard Arnott, and Kenneth A. Small. 1998. “Urban Spatial Structure.” Journal of
Economic Literature, 36(3):1426-1464
Week 3 (September 8)
Consequences of Urban Sprawl
Homework Due:
Read the following articles and pick one to summarize and report to the class.

Burchell, Robert W. and Sahan Mukherji. 2003. "Conventional Development Versus Managed
Growth: The Costs of Sprawl." American Journal of Public Health, 93(9): 1534-1540

Lopez,Russ. 2004. "Urban Sprawl and Risk for Being Overweight or Obese." American Journal
of Public Health, 94 (9):1574-1579
San José State University
Urban and Regional Planning Department
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
Ewing, Reid, Richard A. Schieber, and Charles V. Zegeer. 2003. "Urban Sprawl as a Risk Factor
in Motor Vehicle Occupant and Pedestrian Fatalities." American Journal of Public Health,
93(9):1541-1545
Week 4 (September 15)
Introduction to Growth Management – Part 1
What is Smart Growth?
Homework Due:
Read the following articles and pick one to summarize and report to the class.

Ye, Lin, Sumedha Mandpe, and Peter B. Meyer. 2005. "What Is "Smart Growth?"—Really?"
Journal of Planning Literature, 19(3):301-315

Downs, Anthony. (2005). "Smart growth: Why we discuss it more than we do it." Journal of the
American Planning Association,71(4):367-378

Landis, John D. 2006. "Growth Management Revisited: Efficacy, Price Effects, and
Displacement." Journal of the American Planning Association, 72(4):411-430.
Week 5 (September 22)
Introduction to Growth Management – Part 2
Growth Management Tools
Homework Due:
Read the following articles and pick one to summarize and report to the class.

Nelson, Arthur C., Raymond J. Burby, Edward Feser, Casey J. Dawkins, Emil E. Malizia, and
Roberto Quercia. 2004. "Urban Containment and Central-City Revitalization." Journal of the
American Planning Association, 70(4):411-425.

Dawkins, Casey J. and Arthur Nelson C. 2003. "State Growth Management Programs and
Central-City Revitalization." Journal of the American Planning Association, 69(4):381-396

Attkisson, Lesley R. 2009. "Putting a Stop to Sprawl: State Intervention as a Tool for Growth
Management." Vanderbilt Law Review 62, no. 3: 979-1015. Legal Collection, EBSCOhost
(accessed August 22, 2010).

Staley, Samuel R. 2001. "Ballot-Box Zoning, Transaction Costs, and Urban Growth." Journal of the
American Planning Association 67, no. 1: 25. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed August
22, 2010).
Week 6 (September 29)
Growth Management at the State / Regional Level
Councils of Government
Regional Housing Needs Allocation
San José State University
Urban and Regional Planning Department
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Homework Due:
Read the following articles and pick one to summarize and report to the class.

Gale, Dennis E. 1992. "Eight State-Sponsored Growth Management Programs: A Comparative
Analysis." Journal of the American Planning Association, 58(4):425-439

Ben-Zadok, Efraim. 2005. "Consistency, Concurrency and Compact Development: Three Faces
of Growth Management Implementation in Florida." Urban Studies, 42(12):2167-2190.

Hamin, Elisabeth M. 2003. "Legislating Growth Management: Power, Politics, and Planning."
Journal of the American Planning Association, 69(4):368-380.
Recommended Reading:
 Adams, Gillian R., Marisa Cravens, Paul Fassinger, Christy Riviere, and Jonathan Strunin. 2007.
A Place to Call Home: Housing in the San Francisco Bay Area 2007. Oakland, CA: Association
of Bay Area Governments, 2007.
Week 7 (October 6)
Growth Management at the Local Level
General Plans, Urban Growth Boundaries, Exclusionary Zoning, Ballot Box Measures, Specific
Plans, Area Development Policies
** Guest Speaker (TBD) **
Homework Due:
Read the following articles and pick one to summarize and report to the class.

Norton, Richard. 2005. “More and Better Local Planning: State-Mandated Local Planning in
Coastal North Carolina.” Journal of the American Planning Association, 71(1):55-71

Wheeler, Stephen. Smart Infill: Creating More Livable Communities in the Bay Area. San Francisco:
Greenbelt Alliance, 2002.
http://www.greenbelt.org/downloads/resources/report_smartinfill2008.pdf (accessed August
22, 2010).
Week 8 (October 13)
*** Paper #1 Due Beginning of Class***
Growth Management Critique: Housing issues
Urban Growth Boundary & Housing Affordability
Homework Due:
Read the following articles and pick one to summarize and report to the class.

Nguyen, Mai. 2005. "Does Affordable Housing Detrimentally Affect Property Values? A Review
of the Literature." Journal of Planning Literature, 20(1):15-26
San José State University
Urban and Regional Planning Department
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
Anthony, Jerry. 2003. "The Effects of Florida’s Growth Management Act on Housing
Affordability." Journal of the American Planning Association, 69(3):282-295

Jun, Myung-Jin. 2006. "The Effects of Portland's Urban Growth Boundary on Housing Prices."
Journal of the American Planning Association, 72(2):239-243

Levine, Ned. 1999. "The Effects of Local Growth Controls on Regional Housing Production and
Population Redistribution in California.” Urban Studies, 36(12):2047-2068.

Downs, Anthony. 1992. "Regulatory barriers to affordable housing." Journal of the American
Planning Association, 58:419-422

Godschalk, David. 1992. "In Defense of Growth Management." Journal of the American Planning
Association, 58:422-424 (in response to Downs, 1992)
Week 9 (October 20)
Future Urban Growth: Transportation issues
Homework Due:
Read the following articles and pick one to summarize and report to the class.

Cervero, Robert. 2006. "Alternative Approaches to Modeling the Travel-Demand Impacts of
Smart Growth." Journal of the American Planning Association, 72(3):285-295

Filion, Pierre and Kathleen McSpurren. 2007. "Smart Growth and Development Reality: The
Difficult Co-ordination of Land Use and Transport Objectives." Urban Studies, 44(3):501–523.

Rodriguez, Daniel A., Felipe Targa, and Semra A. Aytur. 2006. "Transport Implications of Urban
Containment Policies: A Study of the Largest Twenty-five US Metropolitan Areas." Urban Studies,
43(10):1879–1897.
Recommended Reading:
 Cervero, Robert and Kang-Li Wu. 1998. "Sub-centering and Commuting: Evidence from the San
Francisco Bay Area, 1980-90." Urban Studies, 35(7):1059-1076.
Week 10 (October 27)
Future Urban Growth: Environmental issues
California Environmental Quality Act, AB32, SB375, Climate Change, Zero Waste
Homework Due:
Read the following articles and pick one to summarize and report to the class.

Burke, Philip. 1998. “Reducing Natural Hazard Risk through State Growth Management.” Journal
of the American Planning Association, 64(1):76-87

Stone, Brian Jr., Adam C. Mednick, Tracey Holloway, and Scott N. Spak. 2007. "Is Compact
Growth Good for Air Quality?" Journal of the American Planning Association, 73(4):404-418.
San José State University
Urban and Regional Planning Department
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
Winkelman, Steve. 2007. "Comment on Stone: Could the Worst of Times for the Planet Be the
Best of Times for Planning?" Journal of the American Planning Association, 73(4):418-420. (in
response to Stone, 2007)

“SB 375 Bill.” California Environmental Protection Agency. http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/0708/bill/sen/sb_0351-0400/sb_375_bill_20080930_chaptered.pdf (accessed August 22, 2010).
Week 11 (November 3)
Future Urban Growth: Design Issues
New Urbanism, Neo Traditional Communities, Transit Village, and Walkable Suburbs
Homework Due:
Read the following articles and pick one to summarize and report to the class.

Lund, Hollie. 2003. "Testing the Claims of New Urbanism: Local Access, Pedestrian Travel, and
Neighboring Behaviors." Journal of the American Planning Association, 69(4):414-429

Deitrick, Sabina and Cliff Ellis. 2004. "New Urbanism in the Inner City: A Case Study of
Pittsburgh." Journal of the American Planning Association, 70(4):426-442

Lee, Chang-Moo and Kun-Hyuck Ahn. 2003. "Is Kentlands Better than Radburn? The American
Garden City and New Urbanist Paradigms." Journal of the American Planning Association, 69(1):50-71
Week 12 (November 10)
Legal Issues in Urban Growth Management
Details of Final Paper and Presentation
Homework Due:
Read the following articles and pick one to summarize and report to the class.

Marshall, Julienne. 2003. "Whatever Happened to RAMAPO." Planning 69, no. 11: 4-9.

Construction Industry Association of Sonoma County v. City of Petaluma , 522 F.2d 897 (9th
Cir. 1975)

Association Homebuilders of the Greater East Bay, Inc. vs. City of Livermore, 557 P.2d 473,
483 (Cal. 1976)
Week 13 (November 17)
Evaluating Growth Management Programs and Policies
Homework Due:
Read the following articles and pick one to summarize and report to the class.
San José State University
Urban and Regional Planning Department
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 Song, Yan and Gerrit-Jan Knaap. 2004. "Measuring Urban Form Is Portland Winning the War on
Sprawl?" Journal of the American Planning Association, 70(2):210-225
 Anthony, Jerry. 2004. "Do State Growth Management Regulations Reduce Sprawl?" Urban Affairs
Review, 39(3):376-397.
 Landis, John. 1992. "Do growth controls work - a New Assessment." Journal of the American
Planning Association, 58(4):489-508.
Week 14 (November 24)
No Class – Happy Thanksgiving
Week 15 (December 1)
Future of Urban Growth Management
Public Attitude toward Growth Management
Homework Due:
Read the following articles and pick one to summarize and report to the class.

Wheeler, Stephen M. 2002. "The New Regionalism: Key Characteristics of an Emerging
Movement." Journal of the American Planning Association, 68(3):267-278

Chapin, Timothy S. and Charles E. Connerly. 2004. "Attitudes towards Growth Management in
Florida: Comparing Resident Support in 1985 and 2001." Journal of the American Planning
Association, 70(4):443-452.

Yang, Yizhao. 2008. "A Tale of Two Cities: Physical Form and Neighborhood Satisfaction in
Metropolitan Portland and Charlotte." Journal of the American Planning Association, 74(3):307-323.
Week 16 (December 8)
*** Final Paper Due Beginning of Class***
***Final Class Presentations***
San José State University
Urban and Regional Planning Department
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