Introduction to Planning

This course will offer an exploration of contemporary planning practice in the United States through the introduction of foundational planning principles and the different planning subfields that the profession now encompasses. Through academic research, readings that reveal the practical challenges and political realities each subfield faces, and discussion, the course will seek to clarify and explain the general structure and process inherent in practicing the planning profession. Additionally, the individual planning subfields - transportation and infrastructure planning, housing and the built environment, economic development, community planning and advocacy, sustainability and the environment, and general practice – will be explored to further understand these specialized skillsets and how collaborations among them lead to the creation and implementation of more robust planning decisions. The course will consist of lecture classes alternating with case study discussion groups.