Identifies past and future roles of public policy and planning in creating and solving urban and metropolitan-wide problems. Introduction to the use of personal computers in planning practice. Develops skills in spreadsheet, database and communications applications, along with elementary programming tools. Applications focus on models of urban, economic and transportation systems. Planning applications of quantitative and statistical methods, including spatial interaction models, issues of parameter estimation simple and multiple regression analysis.
Students complete projects on both micro- and mainframe computers.
Introduces essential planning skills and methods, including the integration of forecasts with concepts of urban growth and structure to establish the demand and location of private and public land uses. The legal foundation of planning, examining constitutional issues, the evolution of judicial decisions, enabling legislation, and local ordinances. Zoning issues, housing, taking, transfer of development rights, growth controls, environmental law, and other emerging legal topics. Focuses on local and neighborhood-based efforts to address problems of inadequate housing, unemployment, lack of community services and facilities, crime, etc. Considers role of government, private sector, and nonprofit organizations in community revitalization.