COURSE DESCRIPTION
EPM 811:
PLANNING THEORY
Evolution of planning theory. Views of planning: rational, disjointed incrementalism, muddling
through, systems, mixed scanning, choice theory, a facet design of planning. Political orientation
and influence in planning: democracy and elitism, pluralism and advocacy, citizen participation,
planner as bureaucrat or politician, centralization and devolution, the planning gain, planning as
resource management. Planning in traditional society. Planning theory application in Kenya and
policy implications.
ESU 802:
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT AND AUDIT
Concepts: environment, its components and project sustainability; theory, principles and steps;
typology; EIA methods; management and control; impact significance and analysis of
alternatives; integrated environmental assessment; stakeholder and public participation; nature
and types of conflicts; industrial ecology and cleaner production; components of EMP; nature
principles and steps in conducting EA; structure and NEMA format of EIA/EA reports; EIA
report review and decision-making; mainstreaming EIA/EA; EMS; strategic environmental
assessment; environmental risk assessment; nature, objectives, steps and application of SIA;
policy, legal, regulatory and administrative framework; occupational health and safety
management; multilateral environmental agreements and EIA; environmental information
systems; cost benefit analysis, total economic value and environmental valuation techniques;
selected case studies
ESU 800:
STATISTICS
Measurements scales: nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio. Frequency distribution and graphic
presentation. Measures of central tendency and dispersion. Normal distribution and its properties.
Estimation using sample data. Measures of relationship: correlation, linear regression, multiple
regression. Hypothesis testing, T-Test, Chi-square, F-Test, ANOVA. Projection techniques.
Computer packages for statistical analysis.
EPM 833:
COMPUTER APPLICATION AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
SYSTEM
Fundamentals of GIS. Data and information needs. Application in land use, natural resources
assessment and land cover mapping. Introduction to ARC/INFO software. GIS data
capture/editing, data display and data base management, coordinate systems, projections,
transformation, geographic analysis and map presentations. Satellite image digital analysis. Data
base querying for decision making. Application of GIS in individual students mini-projects.
EPM 842:
ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING LAW & DEVELOPMENT CONTROL
Historical development of environmental laws. Legal doctrines in land use and zoning.
Environmental law enforcement and prosecution. Selected environmental planning and
management laws in Kenya. International conventions and treaties on environmental planning
and management. Customary laws to planning and management of natural resources. Case
studies.
EPM 852:
TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING
Transportation planning and its theoretical evolution. Concepts of place and time utility in
transportation. Demand and supply. Cordon line and zone centroid. Trips: generation, attraction
and distribution. Representation techniques of origin-destination survey data. Geometric
elements of road. Road classification. Vehicle and fleet utilization: occupancy ratio, load factor,
passenger carrying unit (PCU). Design speed, road capacity, carrying capacity and level of
service. Road characteristics, intersections and conflicting points. Design aspects and
transportation management. Trip generation models. Transportation problems in Kenya.
EPM 861:
PLANNING FOR DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AND MANAGEMENT
Definitions. Types, nature and trends. Assessment and vulnerabilities. Traditional and
conventional coping methods. Agencies and their capacities. Policies, legislation, conventions
and constraints. Provision of services and amenities. Reconstruction, relocation and relief (3Rs).
Politics and disaster management. Disaster preparedness planning and management. Selected
case studies.
EPM 871:
SITE AND NEIGHBOURHOOD PLANNING - STUDIO I
The neighbourhood in traditional and conventional urban setting. Perry neighbourhood model
and its applications. Neighbourhood facilities, standards and design. Neighbourhood people and
institutions. Neighbourhoods in Kenya versus ideal neighbourhood. Reconciliation of
perspectives and planning. Environmental considerations. Sites and case studies. Studio design.
EPM 872:
URBAN PLANNING - STUDIO III
Growth theories and models. Urban design. Urban land uses and their environmental
implications. Urban facilities, amenities and services. Planning standards, form and function.
Rural-urban linkages. Preparation of urban master plans: process, procedures, action area plan.
Designs, reports and presentations.
ESU 801:
RESEARCH METHODS
The concept of science: scientific thinking and research, assumptions, theory. Selecting
phenomenon for study, problem articulation, research questions and objectives. Types of
research, survey, case study, field, evaluation, experimentation. Research designs: experimental
and quasi-experimental. Literature review. Instrumentation - questionnaire and questionnaire
construction, interview schedules, observation sheets. Interviewing: validity and reliability of
instruments. Observation and experimentation. Sampling techniques: probability and nonprobability. Referencing and bibliography.
EPM 831:
PARTICIPATORY AND ADVOCACY PLANNING
Terms and philosophies. Nature and Types. Process, levels and degree. People-centred
development planning. Traditional and conventional approaches. Enabling institutions and
actors. Community empowerment. Techniques for deriving broad participation. Factors for
creating a participatory environment. Constraints. The role of facilitators. Legitimate and
illegitimate interests. Managing communication. Advocacy planning: direct and indirect
representation and litigation. Case studies.
EPM 871:
RURAL PLANNING - STUDIO II
Concepts and rationale for rural environmental planning. Theories of rural development
planning. Rural planning approaches and strategies. Participatory rural appraisal and needs
assessment. National rural development policies, legislation and support institutions. Problem
and intervention areas. Planning and management. Studio plan preparation and presentation.
EPM 873:
REGIONAL PLANNING - STUDIO IV
Context and spatial characteristics of regions. Conceptual basis of regional planning.
Delimitation, characteristics and analysis. Regional models and theories. Factors in regional
planning. Problem regions and intervention strategies. Regional planning institutions and their
capacities. Regional planning practice. Preparation of physical development plans for regions.
EPM 892:
RESEARCH/PLANNING PROJECT
Each student is expected to undertake a research/planning project with staff supervision. The
subject of study may fall under empirical, land use/urban/rural master plan, project evaluation,
feasibility study, environmental impact assessment, or any other approved by the Departmental
Board.