CEDEV 550: Principles and Practices of Planning

3 credit course. 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 then looks at the different types and levels of planning and examines 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 the current issues in planning, such as smart growth, new urbanism, and sustainability. Throughout, the course attempts to emphasize both the positive and negative impacts of planning.