CRP 320

Course Description and Objectives

The course introduces students to the most common theories and models that inform urban planning practice. The consideration and management of settlement patterns in space – urban, inter urban and regional – is what distinguishes planning from other related disciplines such as public administration and policy analyses. By exploring what constitute a good urban form and acquiring a clearer understanding of the forces that shape urban spatial development, students will be better equipped to design policies that will lead to desired changes in the spatial form of cities.

The course is divided into three parts. Part one focuses on the city systems and explores the history of urban form in the U.S.; the spatial distribution of cities and the complex patterns of movement, flows, and linkages that bind them in space. The second part, which looks at the city as a system, analyzes the internal structure of cities, including the patterns and distributions of people and activities within them. Patterns in residential, social, commercial and manufacturing structure of cities are discussed and the important theories of urban land use and spatial behavior are stressed. The final part examines contemporary urban problems and issues related to urban forms and how planners can help improve the urban environment for ourselves and future generations.

COURSE OUTCOMES

After completing this course, students will:

• understand the concepts and principles of urban analysis

• be able to interpret and explain locational and functional interrelationships and changes in urban areas

• have greater awareness of the spatial structure of cities and metropolitan regions; and

• be able to identify and assess the importance of major social, political and economic forces that shape urban spatial development in North America