ENV 835a,b () / 2025-2026

Seminar on Land Use Planning

Credits: 1.5 Fall 2025: Th, 1;00-2:20, Sage 41c Spring 2026: W, 1:00-2:20, Sage 32

Land use control exercised by state and local governments determines where development occurs on the American landscape, the preservation of natural resources, the emission of greenhouse gases, the conservation of energy, and the shape and livability of cities and towns. The exercise of legal authority to plan and regulate the development and conservation of privately owned land plays a key role in meeting the needs of the nation’s growing population for equitable housing, energy, and nonresidential development as well as ensuring that critical environmental functions are protected from the adverse impacts of land development. This course explores the multifaceted discipline of land use and urban planning and their associated ecological implications. Numerous land use strategies are discussed, including identifying and defining climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies, including affordable housing, community revitalization, energy development and siting, equitable community engagement, transit-oriented development, building and neighborhood energy conservation, distressed building remediation, jobs and housing balance, coastal resiliency, and biological carbon sequestration. The course also explores how recent events impact these planning issues. The focus is on exposing students to the basics of land use and urban planning, especially in the United States but also internationally, and serving as an introduction for a YSE curricular concentration in land use. The majority of classes will highlight guest speakers who are professionals involved in sustainable development, land conservation, smart growth, renewable energy, and climate change management. Some synchronized classes are held online to accommodate guest speakers around the country and outside of the U.S.