Course Syllabus
University of British Columbia
School of Community and Regional Planning
Winter 2009-10 – Term 1
M&Th 11am-12:30pm
WMAX 240
PLAN 590a
Land Use and Environmental Policy
(Official Title: Public Policy and Urban Planning)
Instructor
Mark Stevens
Office: WMAX 223
604.822.0657, xstevens@interchange.ubc.ca
Office hours: M&Th 2pm-3pm or by appointment
Course summary:
PLAN 590a introduces students to land use and environmental
policy in Canada and the United States, with an emphasis on
current approaches to promoting “sustainable development”.
Sustainability requires a balance between three “Es”:
environment, economy, and equity. Land use plays a critical role
in achieving this balance because the use of land by humans has
environmental, economic, and equity implications. By studying
the impacts of various land use activities and approaches on
natural systems, economic well-being, and the equitable
distribution of societal costs and benefits, students will be better
prepared to promote sustainable solutions in their careers as
practitioners of community and regional planning. PLAN 590a is
an elective course for SCARP masters students (particularly
those emphasizing the Ecological and Natural Resources Planning
and/or Urban Development Planning streams) that can serve as
a stand-alone introduction to land use and environmental policy,
law, and planning or can lead into more specialized courses.
Objectives:
After completing this course, students should be able to
articulate:
(1) the conflicting values of different stakeholders that shape
societal views on land use;
(2) the connections between land use and environmental
systems; and
(3) current “best practices” (and not-so-best practices) at
federal, provincial, regional, city, neighborhood, and
building levels that are intended to reduce the negative
impacts of human behavior on the creation of sustainable
communities.
1 of 7
Format:
The course meets twice a week for 1.5 hours each time. Topics
to be covered include: the three “Es” of sustainability and how
they shape our values with respect to land use; land use and its
impact on the natural environment; land use and environmental
policy in Canada and British Columbia; regional and city growth
management and comprehensive land use planning; urban form
and “Smart Growth”; ecological design and “green” building.
Topics will be introduced and reinforced through multiple
avenues, such as lecture, reading, discussion, film, and field
trip(s).
Readings:
There is no assigned textbook for this class. Readings will be
drawn from several books, journal articles, and professional
reports. Readings will be accessible the course website at
http://toby.library.ubc.ca/ereserve/er-coursepage.cfm?id=2446
Assignments and
grading:
90% 1. Exercises (4 @22.5% each)
10% 2. Class attendance and attentiveness
Late assignments
policy:
Students should notify the instructor if they expect
to hand in an assignment late. Points will be taken off for late
assignments as follows:
Days past due
1-7 days
8-14 days
15-30 days
>30 days
Points deducted (/100)
5 points
15 points
30 points
assignment not graded
Students not handing in an assignment within a month of the
due date will be given a 0 grade for that assignment. Students
with extenuating circumstances should notify the instructor as
soon as possible before the due date.
Prerequisites:
Registration is limited to graduate students.
2 of 7
Course Schedule
(NOTE: The schedule is tentative and subject to change)
I.
Introduction to Land Use and Sustainability
1
M 9/14
Course Introduction
EXERCISE 1 DISTRIBUTED
2
Th 9/17
Sustainable Development
Readings
 Berke (2008) “The evolution of green community planning, scholarship, and practice”
Journal of the American Planning Association 74(4): 393-407
 Campbell (1996) “Green cities, growing cities, just cities?: Urban planning and the
contradictions of sustainable development” Journal of the American Planning
Association 62(3): 296-312
 Molotch (1976) "The city as a growth machine: Toward a political economy of place"
American Journal of Sociology 82(2): 309-332
3
M 9/21
Value Conflicts
Readings
 Malhi, Timmons Roberts, Betts, Killeen, Li, and Nobre (2008) “Climate change,
deforestation, and the fate of the Amazon” Science 319: 169-172
 Peterson (March 7, 2008) “Wal-Mart Supercenter has foes” The Post and Courier
 Peters and Fisher (2004) "The failures of economic development incentives" Journal
of the American Planning Association 70(1): 27-37
 Couch and Barrett (2004) "Alabama's enterprise zones: Designed to aid the needy?"
Public Finance Review 32(1): 65-81
 Anthony (2006) "State growth management and housing prices" Social Science
Quarterly 87(1): 122-141
 Boer, Pastor, Sadd, and Snyder (1997) "Is there environmental racism? The
demographics of hazardous waste in Los Angeles County" Social Science Quarterly
78(4): 793-810
4
Th 9/24
Economy vs. Equity: Urban Renewal in San Francisco
We will be watching a movie in class that highlights conflicts between economy and
equity, and the role of planners in seeking to resolve these conflicts.
5
M 9/28
Assignment 1 Discussion
EXERCISE 1 DUE
EXERCISE 2 DISTRIBUTED
3 of 7
Th 10/1
II.
6
NO CLASS: MARK WILL BE AT THE ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGIATE
SCHOOLS OF PLANNING CONFERENCE IN VIRGINIA
Connections Between Land Use and the Environment
M 10/5
Land Use and the Environment: An Overview
Readings
 Marshall and Shortle (2005) “Urban development impacts on ecosystems” in Goetz,
Shortle, and Bergstrom, (eds) Land use problems and conflicts: Causes,
consequences, and solutions New York: Routledge Publishing --61-72
 Johnson (2001) "Environmental impacts of urban sprawl: A survey of the literature
and proposed research agenda" Environment and Planning A 33: 717-735 (NOTE:
READ AT LEAST 717-722)
 Robinson, Newell, and Marzluff (2005) "Twenty-five years of sprawl in the Seattle
region: Growth management responses and implications for conservation" Landscape
and Urban Planning 71: 51-72
7
Th 10/8
Land Use and Water Quality/Quantity
Readings
 Frankenberger (Undated) Land use and water quality West Lafayette: Purdue
University Cooperative Extension Service
 Arnold and Gibbons (1996) "Impervious surface coverage" Journal of the American
Planning Association 62(2): 243-258
 Lippert and Efstathiou (2009) “Las Vegas running out of water means dimming Los
Angeles lights” Bloomberg.com February 26
M 10/12
8
NO CLASS: THANKSGIVING DAY
Th 10/15 Land Use and Air Quality
Readings
 Ewing, Bartholomew, Winkelman, Walters, and Chen (2008) Growing cooler: The
evidence on urban development and climate change Washington D.C.: The Urban
Land Institute --Ch.1
 Stone (2008) "Urban sprawl and air quality in large US cities" Journal of
Environmental Management 86: 688–698
 US Environmental Protection Agency (Undated) Urban heat island basics.
 Glaeser (2009) “Green cities, brown suburbs” City Journal 19(1)
4 of 7
9
M 10/19
Land Use and Energy
Readings
 Rickwood, Glazebrook, and Searle (2008) "Urban structure and energy—A review"
Urban Policy and Research 26(1): 57–81
 Ewing and Rong (2008) "The impact of urban form on U.S. residential energy use"
Housing Policy Debate 19(1): 1-30
 Brownstone and Golob (2009) "The impact of residential density on vehicle usage and
energy consumption" Journal of Urban Economics 65: 91-98
 Poudenx (2008) "The effect of transportation policies on energy consumption and
greenhouse gas emission from urban passenger transportation" Transportation
Research Part A 42: 901–909
10
Th 10/22 Assignment 2 Discussion
EXERCISE 2 DUE
EXERCISE 3 DISTRIBUTED
III. Land Use and Environmental Law and Policy in Canada
11
M 10/26
Land Use and Environmental Policy in Canada
Readings
 Environment Canada (2004) A guide to understanding the Canadian Environmental
Protection Act, 1999
 Boyd (2003) Unnatural law: Rethinking Canadian environmental law and policy
Vancouver; Toronto: UBC Press --Ch.1
 Harrison (1995) "Is cooperation the answer? Canadian environmental enforcement in
comparative context" Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 14(2): 221-244
12
Th 10/29 Land Use and Environmental Policy in B.C.
Readings
 BC Local Government Act, Part 26 – Planning and Land Use Management, Division 2 –
Official Community Plans, Sections 875, 877, 878, 898, Division 7 – Zoning and Other
Development Regulation, Sections 903, 904
 BC Environmental Management Act, Part 2 – Prohibitions and Authorizations, Part 6 –
Clean Air Provisions, Part 6.1 – Greenhouse Gas Reduction, Part 7 – Powers in
Relation to Managing the Environment, Part 9 – Compliance
 West Coast Environmental Law (2007) No response: A survey of environmental law
enforcement and compliance in BC
 Hume (2009) “B.C.'s carbon tax rated top climate policy” Globe and Mail April 29
5 of 7
IV. Regional and Local Planning and Growth Management
13
M 11/2
Regional and Metropolitan Planning I: Techniques
Readings
 Wheeler (2000) “Planning for metropolitan sustainability” Journal of Planning
Education and Research 20(2): 133-145
 Porter (1997) “Regional growth management,” in Managing Growth in America’s
Communities Washington, D.C.: Island Press --Ch.8
 BC Local Government Act, Part 25 – Regional Growth Strategies
14
Th 11/5
Regional and Metropolitan Planning II: Case Studies
Readings
 Greater Vancouver Regional District (1996) Livable region strategic plan
 Tomalty (2002) Growth management in the Vancouver region BC Case Report No.4.
University of Waterloo
 Metro Vancouver (2007) Choosing a sustainable future for Metro Vancouver: Options
for Metro Vancouver’s Growth Management Strategy
 Boyle and Mohamed (2007) "State growth management, Smart Growth and urban
containment: A review of the US and a study of the Heartland" Journal of
Environmental Planning and Management 50(5): 677-697
15
M 11/9
Guest Speaker
Readings
CityPlan
16
Th 11/12
17
Th 11/16
Assignment 3 Discussion
EXERCISE 3 DUE
EXERCISE 4 DISTRIBUTED
Development Management I: Tools and Techniques
Readings
 Bengston, Fletcher, and Nelson (2004) "Public policies for managing urban growth
and protecting open space: Policy instruments and lessons learned in the United
States" Landscape and Urban Planning 69: 271-286
 Porter (1997) “Growth management approaches and techniques,” in Managing
Growth in America’s Communities Washington, D.C.: Island Press --Ch.2
18
M 11/19
Development Management II: Case Studies of Current Practice
Readings
Case studies (readings to be announced)
6 of 7
V.
19
Sustainable Design Patterns and their Application to
Community Development Patterns
M 11/23
Urban Form
Readings
 Gordon and Richardson (1997) ”Are compact cities a desirable planning goal?”
Journal of the American Planning Association 63(1): 95-106
 Ewing (1997) “Is Los Angeles style sprawl desirable?” Journal of the American
Planning Association 63(1): 107-126
 Jabareen (2006) "Sustainable urban forms: Their typologies, models, and concepts"
Journal of Planning Education and Research 26(1): 38-52
 City of Vancouver (2008) Ecodensity: How density, design, and land use will
contribute to environmental sustainability, affordability, and livability
20
Th 11/26
Ecological Design Principles
Readings
 Hester (2006) Design for ecological democracy Cambridge, London: The MIT Press
 Shu-Yang, Freedman, and Cote (2004) "Principles and practice of ecological design"
Environmental Reviews 12: 97-112
21
M 11/30
“Green” Building
Readings
 Bunz, Henze, and Tiller (2006) "Survey of sustainable building design practices in
North America, Europe, and Asia" Journal of Architectural Engineering (March)
 Lockwood (2006) "Building the green way" Harvard Business Review (June)
 Greater Vancouver Regional District (undated) Why build green? Ten key questions
answered
22
Th 12/3
Field Trip: Green Building on UBC Campus
EXERCISE 4 DUE
Readings
 Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (2005) “C.K. Choi Building for the Institute of
Asian Research & the Liu Centre for the Study of Global Issues” Green value: Green
buildings, growing assets
7 of 7