PLAN-135: Introduction To Smart Growth

PLAN-135: Introduction To Smart Growth

Course Access
6 months

Instructor
William Fulton

Registration
$99.00

AICP CM Credits
This course has been approved to provide 4 CM credits.

Please Note:
Course materials are accessible for 6 months from the day of registration. Enroll anytime!

Smart growth is widely hailed as a solution for many of the problems facing cities. But what exactly is smart growth? And how does it work?

PLAN-135: Introduction to Smart Growth is a self-paced course designed for planners, local officials, developers and citizens interested in learning more about smart growth. William Fulton, regarded as one of the nation's leading commentators on urban planning, metropolitan growth, and economic development, provides a thorough introduction to smart growth planning concepts and offers practical analysis of smart growth plans and practices. In addition, the course provides examples of how these concepts can be applied to urban and suburban areas, and offers useful advice for those working to implement smart growth in their communities.

• Course Instructor
• Course Outline
• Course Overview
• Student Testimonials
• AICP Certification Maintenance
• Returning Student Discount
• Purchasing Information
• Log In To Planetizen Courses

Course Instructor

William Fulton has played a key role in re-shaping the way urban and metropolitan growth issues are debated in the post-suburban era. He is president of Solimar Research Group, a California-based public policy research firm, and a Senior Scholar at the School of Planning, Policy, and Development at the University of Southern California. He is also a member of the City Council in the City of Ventura, California, which is aggressively pursuing a smart growth agenda. Fulton is the author of three books considered classics in their field. The Reluctant Metropolis: The Politics of Urban Growth in Los Angeles, an L.A. Times best-seller, uses novelistic storytelling techniques to trace the way a leading metropolis grew and developed. The Regional City: Planning for the End of Sprawl, co-authored with architect Peter Calthorpe, is a pathbreaking work that has reshaped understanding of how metropolitan regions should be planned and designed. More than a decade after its original publication, Guide to California Planning remains the standard textbook for urban planning classes. More information on these books is available at www.cp-dr.com. He holds an M.A. in Urban Planning from UCLA and an M.A. in Journalism/Public Affairs from The American University in Washington, D.C.

Course Outline

• Lesson 1: What Is Sprawl and Why Is It An Issue Today?
  
• Lesson 2: Overall Pros and Cons of Sprawl
• Lesson 3: Policy Levers: How Does Public Policy Affect Growth?
• Lesson 4: What Is Smart Growth & How Can Smart Growth Use Policy Levers?
• Topic 1 Quiz

• Lesson 1: How Sprawl Has Changed
  
• Lesson 2: Current Metropolitan Growth Dynamics
  
• Lesson 3: The Metropolitan Constellation
  
• Lesson 4: The Challenge of the Suburban Retrofit
• Topic 2 Quiz

• Lesson 1: The Anti-Anti-Sprawl Argument
• Lesson 2: How Markets Are Changing
• Lesson 3: The Economics of Smart Growth
• Topic 3 Quiz

• Lesson 1: Transportation
  
• Lesson 2: Land Use Policy
  
• Lesson 3: New Urbanism and Urban Design
  
• Lesson 4: Policy Integration
• Topic 4 Quiz

• Lesson 1: Keys to Success
  
• Lesson 2: Maryland
  
• Lesson 3: Metropolitan Seattle
  
• Lesson 4: Pasadena
  
• Lesson 5: Will Smart Growth Last?
• Topic 5 Quiz

Course Overview

Over the past decade, a set of concepts collectively known as "Smart Growth" has gained popularity as a way to approach the persistent problems of land-use planning and metropolitan growth. None of these concepts are new; most have been debated within urban planning circles for decades. What is new, however, is the way these concepts are used in coordinated combination with one another to deal with growth issues. Also new is the context -- metropolitan areas (including both cities and suburbs) have grown enormous in geographical size and complexity. Land is more expensive than ever; traffic is extremely congested; and changing demographics have altered the needs and preferences of a large portion of the population. All these factors have played a role in the rising popularity of Smart Growth. This course will frame "Smart Growth" as a public policy issue, and debate both the underlying problem of urban expansion and the effectiveness of "Smart Growth" as a policy solution. As the course moves along, the course will seek to:

• Frame the underlying issue of urban expansion and metropolitan growth in the United States;
  
• Define what Smart Growth is and explain the differences between Smart Growth and previous generations of Growth Management policy;
  
• Discuss the individual issues associated with the topic (housing, transportation, etc.); and
  
• Illustrate the "on-the-ground" results of Smart Growth policies in various regions throughout the country.

Student Testimonials

"I love the world of planning and wish I had explored this avenue years ago. I am a planner newbie but I have found my niche."
--Denise Livingston, Community Development Planner

"Very well written and clearly stated! The time requirements was very reasonable. Not too long and not too short."
--Amy Augustine, AICP

AICP Certification Maintenance

This course has been approved to provide 4 credits for the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) Certification Maintenance program.

To claim your CM credits, review the Guide to Claiming AICP CM Credits for Planetizen Courses.

Returning Student Discount

Returning Planetizen Courses students can also take advantage of a 15% discount off the price of another Planetizen Course (PLAN-145, PLAN-310, PLAN-315, and all webinars exempted). To receive this discount, contact us at info@planetizen.com.

Purchasing Information

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