Class Schedule for Fall 2024

The purpose of the course is to give students a general context of what planning is, the topics it deals with, and that issues about how cities are designed and function are alive and ever changing. Ultimately, the purpose of this course is to inspire students to see that the field of city planning is a mechanism to make the world a better place.

Students in this course will come to understand the complexities of issues related to human colocation. They will see that solving planning problems requires conceptual tools, as well as the ability to deal with the on the ground specifics and the realities of the policy-making environment.

This course provides an introduction to the academic discipline and the professional practice of planning, with a focus on the city environment. Planning is an applied social science field through which society shapes and manages the spatial and physical environment that is an important piece of our social co-existence. Thus, planning is an important influence on our quality of life, the nature of our social interactions, social equality, and environmental and economic outcomes. In this class, students will be introduced to the history of planning ideas and practice and basic planning principles. We will then focus on specific topics related to transportation, housing, economic development, environmental issues and social equity. The course will provide an overview of each issue area and then turn to debate and discussion of related controversies. Students will come to understand that solving planning problems requires both conceptual tools, as well as the ability to deal with on the ground realities of the policy-making environment.

Justification to Satisfy Social Science Group General Education Requirement: This course provides an overview of and introduction to the academic discipline of and practice of planning, and related issues, policies and social science concepts. It uses city planning as a lens to explore the critical elements that shape where and how people live. Students will learn how social science concepts are applied to both the design and management of public spaces that people share and how planning is a tool for addressing a large number of important social and environmental policy issues. Students will be introduced to the history of planning and basic planning principles and then focus on specific issues related to transportation, housing, economic development, environmental issues and social equity. Course structure will include an overview of each topic area, followed by a debate and discussion of controversies in the area. Students will come to understand the complexities of issues related to human co-location. They will see that solving planning problems requires conceptual tools, as well as the ability to deal with the on the ground specifics and the realities of the policy-making environment.