Principles and Practices of Planning

Catalog description

This course is an overview of the field of planning. It examines the history of planning and the theories behind it, and the corresponding roles that planners can play in their communities. It establishes the legal framework for planning as a profession, and examines landmark legal cases involving planning and its tools. It provides answers for such questions as: Why do communities plan? How has planning developed as a profession? What is the political context of Planning? What is the role of a planner within their community and government structure? How does planning relate to other disciplines? It also examines the different types and levels of planning, the process of planning, what data needs to be collected, how a comprehensive plan is made and implemented, and who planners must interact with in the course of doing their job. Finally, the course reviews contemporary issues in planning. Throughout, the course attempts to emphasize both the positive and negative impacts of planning.