Urban Planning
GEOG 450/550
Spring 2013
Tuesday and Thursday, 11:00 – 12:15
Gunter Hall 101
Catalog Description:
GEOG 450: Urban Planning.
3 cr.
City Planning: needs assessment, land use suitability, policy and design. Participation in
limited scope planning projects. Spring semester. Prerequisite: GEOG 324, or
permission of instructor.
Institutional Learning Goals in this Course:
1. Liberal Knowledge and Skills of Inquiry, Critical Thinking, and Synthesis: In this
course, students will utilize empirical data, develop a problem solution, and
prepare a persuasive written proposal for action as appropriate.
2. Core Skills: While mastering the content oriented objectives below, students will
also find improvement in their written, oral, and cartographic communication
skills. Students will also examine statistical tables and be asked to draw
conclusions from them. Problem solving skills will be addressed in role playing
situations, through evaluation of government policies, and in examining
theoretical work of selected planners.
Students will make a formal oral
presentation of their work.
3. Acquisition and Application of Specialized Knowledge: Selected concepts
introduced in this course provide foundation knowledge for contemporary
planning practice. In addition the course considered current best practices in
regional planning.
4. Values and Social Responsibility: Students will be frequently confronted with the
alternative value systems. Implications for decision making within culturally
diverse and economic challenged regions will be developed.
5. Appreciation of Cultural Identities: This course serves to assist students in
dealing with local cultural diversity through the approach of contemporary urban
planning and community development.
Specific Course Objectives:
This course serves to introduce students to the principles of modern urban planning.
The focus is on the process of planning, types of planning, and the development of the
planning profession. Substantial discussion is devoted to land use regulation and
community development. Specific objectives include:
The historical development of American urban planning
Methods of land use regulation used in the United States
Planning ethics
Approaches to historic and agricultural land preservation
Constitutional Impacts on planning
Issues related to urban design
Instructor:
Dr. H. W. Bullamore
Office: Gunter Hall 234, 687-4413 (voice mail available)
Email: hbullamore@frostburg.edu
Office Hours: 8:30-10:00 MWF and 3:00 – 4:00 T, or by appointment
Text:
Barry Cullingworth and Roger Caves, Planning in the USA: Policies, Issues and
Processes, third edition, 2009.
Evaluation:
Total Points: 475 points
150 Midterm (Tuesday, March 13)
25 Homework: Comprehensive Plans
150 Final Exam (11:15 am, May 18)
15 Field Trip bonus (TBA)
100 Independent Project (due May 8)
25 Homework: Subdivision Review
25 Homework: Signs
Final Grades:
A: 90% or more (428 pts)
B: 80%-89% (380 pts)
C: 67%-79% (318 pts)
D: 58%-66% (275 pts)
F: less than 58%
FX: if miss any exam/project
No NC or CS grades allowed
The two exams will be entirely short answer and problem solving. The Final Exam will
not be a comprehensive exam. Tests will include materials from readings, class
discussion, and homework assignments.
Homework Assignments will be small hands on assignments to illustrate topics
discussed in class. Three assignments will be posted on Blackboard.
The independent project will involve developing a site plant for development or reuse of
a real site. Although necessarily brief, the plan should include statement of goals,
literature review, alternatives considered, a recommendation with site plan and cost
estimates. Specific guidelines and the scoring rubric are on Blackboard. Formal oral
presentation will be required for students also enrolled in GEOG 485. Other students
will provide a brief oral summary. The independent project is due May 9, 2013.
There is a required field trip for GEOG 450. This will be a late afternoon only trip (3:00 to
5:00 pm) on a class day. The goal is to examine planning efforts in Cumberland and
Frostburg including the use of historic districts, the Canal Place Project, and downtown
revitalization.
There is also an optional all day field trip that will visit Columbia, Greenbelt, and the
Kentlands developments. This trip will be on a day to be determined.
Policies:
Students are expected to attend and participate in each class. A student with five or
more absences (for any reason) will suffer loss of 40 points (essentially one letter
grade).
Academic honesty is expected in all matters related to this course. Academic
dishonesty on exams or the project will lead to course failure. Please consult the
Pathfinder.
Disruptive behavior in class will not be tolerated. Please consult the Pathfinder.
Students must turn off or silence cell phones and pagers during class. Laptop
computers may be used to take notes in class. They may not be used to check email,
play games, or other activities. Disruptive use of laptops is not permitted.
Class Schedule:
Part I: Development of American Planning
Jan 24
1. Introduction to Planning
Jan 29
2. The Planning Process
Jan 31
3. Information for Planning:
Formal Sources and the Importance of
Citizen Participation
Feb 5
4. American Urbanization:
Historical Factors and Current Trends
Feb 7
5. Sustainability and Smart Growth:
The context for Maryland Planning
Feb 12
6. Private Property and Government :
Constitutional Issues in Planning
Feb 14
7. Municipal Government, Urban Reform
and the City Beautiful Movement
Feb 19
8. Comprehensive and Regional Plans
Chap 1
Chap 2
Chap 3
Chap 7,
Homework 1 assigned
Part II: Land Use Regulation
Feb 21
9. Protection of Property Values:
The Value of Zoning
Chap 4
Feb 26
10. Zoning Enabling Acts
Homework 1 due
Feb 28
11. Zoning and Subdivision Regulations
Chap 5
Homework 2 assigned
Mar 5
12. Traditional Zoning Approaches:
Exceptions and Changes
Using Special Districts
Chap 6
Mar 7
13. Summary: Local Land Use Regulation Homework 2 due
Mar 12
Midterm Exam
Part III: Developing Livable Communities
Mar 14
14. Costs of Land Development:
Subdivision Approval and Infrastructure
Provision
Mar 26
15. Creative Development with Zoning
Incentive Zoning and Inclusionary Zoning
Mar 28
16. Zoning and Aesthetic Issues:
Regulation and Control of Signs
And Parking Lots
Chap 8
Chap 11
Homework 3 assigned
Apr 2
17. Design Review and New Urbanism
Apr 4
18. Historic Preservation
Chap 12
Apr 9
19. Overlay Districts
Homework 3 due
Apr 11
20. Growth Management Plans
Chaps 9 and 10
Apr 16
21. Communities and Smart Growth
Effectiveness and Constitutionality of
Growth Control
Apr 18
22. Rural Land Use Issues:
Farmland Protection and State Programs
Part IV: Issues in Contemporary Planning
Apr 23
23. Transportation and Urban
Development
Chap 13
Apr 25
24. Transit Oriented Development
Apr 30
25. Housing and Community Development Chaps 14 and 15
May 2
26. Affordable Housing:
Fair Housing and Inclusionary Zoning
May 7
27. Urban Environmental Quality:
Federal and local programs
May 9
28. Summary: Planning and Development
Project Presentations for students also in GEOG 485
Project Summaries for other students
Chaps 16 and 17
Final Exam: Final Exam time block: Friday, May 18, 11:15 – 1:45 pm