This course introduces students to the regulation, design, and development of the built landscape. It will investigate planning and land development processes, zoning and subdivision regulation, site planning, urban design goals and methods, and public participation strategies. Throughout, the aim is to give students an understanding of how built landscapes evolve, and how they can be creatively designed in the future to meet community and ecological goals. This class is appropriate for students in landscape architecture, community development, geography, and environmental planning programs, as well as others interested in place-making strategies beyond the building scale. The emphasis in this class is on "learning by doing;" in addition to lecture, the course will emphasize sketch exercises, short assignments, group discussion, and field trips to observe the physical environment firsthand.

Instructor
Stephen M. Wheeler, Ph.D., AICP
Assistant Professor
Landscape Architecture Program

Requirements
This course will consist of 2 hours of lecture and 2 hours of guided exercise and discussion each week. Lectures will include slides and other visual aids. Two additional Saturday morning field trips will be scheduled to observe firsthand the built environment of 1) Davis and 2) downtown Sacramento. Grades will be based on a several short sketch problems (30%), a term project on a theme concerning the built landscape (40%), and a final exam (30%).

Course Outline

• Plans, planning, and local government organization
• The development process
• Zoning and subdivision codes
• Urban design goals and methods
• Site planning
• Street design and traffic calming
• Smart growth and the New Urbanism
• Social and cultural factors in urban design
• Community participation
• The economics of development