Junior or senior standing. Study of concepts and perception of land use. This course examines the topic of Land use in the context of planning for geographical regions. Appropriate models and theories are explained and used during this course, including cost-benefit analysis, distance functions and land use, central place theory, and theories of agricultural and industrial location. This is a three-hour lecture course.
Extensive reading is assigned in books and journals placed on library reserve.
Although lectures by the instructor provide the basic format, classroom discussion and student participation are encouraged by the instructor and stimulated by the presentation of book reports by students, as well as by the progress reports and a final report on applied land use planning projects involving a local area government's concerns. The final project should demonstrate a student's ability to analyze data, perceive spatial relationships, and develop alternative solutions to a problem related to land use issues. Students taking this course for graduate credit will be evaluated on the basis of the above criteria and on the evaluation of an additional research paper on the theoretical foundations of one of the land use issues.