Urban Planning Foundations

This course introduces key U.S. historical concepts and terminology essential for understanding urban planning. You'll learn to interpret centuries and navigate historical names and dates, emphasizing their importance in assessing comprehension. We will break down complex ideas, helping you develop a timeline of historical changes. Starting with the fall of Rome, the Renaissance, and the Industrial Revolution, we'll examine...

The urban planning landscape evolved significantly from the late 19th to early 20th centuries through various influential movements. The parks and public health movements focused on creating green spaces and improving sanitation. The settlement house movement addressed social issues and living conditions, while the City Beautiful and Garden City movements promoted aesthetic design and planned communities. These efforts laid the fou...

Human ecology, developed by the Chicago School, offers key insights into urban development through models like the concentric zone, influencing U.S. housing policies such as redlining and urban renewal. These models explained social mobility, segregation, and gentrification, though they faced criticism for being simplistic. Modern urban planning now emphasizes inclusive, participatory approaches that address diverse needs, promote ...

Karl Marx's theory of historical materialism outlines a progression from feudalism to communism, driven by the French and Industrial Revolutions. These revolutions led to urbanization and industrial capitalism. Karl Polanyi and John Locke further explain the shift to market economies and privatization, displacing rural communities. Internationally, Japan's Meiji Restoration, Russia's industrialization, and India's c...

The Planning Accreditation Board (PAB) and AICP Code of Ethics highlight the importance of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (DEI) in urban planning. Planners must promote social justice, fair resource distribution, and support historically disadvantaged groups. Practical tools from the PAS Report address housing, transportation, and public health for communities of color. Historical segregation practices, like redlining, c...

Neoliberalism, with its market-driven policies and reduced state intervention, has significantly impacted urban planning, leading to increased inequality and spatial injustices. Critics like David Harvey and Henri Lefebvre highlight how these policies prioritize capital over residents, resulting in urban decay, gentrification, and displacement. Neoliberalism's rise, driven by figures like Milton Friedman and leaders such as Rea...

Sustainable development in urban planning aims to balance human needs with environmental protection, focusing on environmental, social, and economic sustainability. The concept of carrying capacity helps determine the maximum population a community can support. Prominent since the 1972 Stockholm Conference, sustainable development includes smart growth and transportation planning principles. Examples like Curitiba's bus rapid t...

The Planning Accreditation Board (PAB) requires students to learn the planning process, which includes Pre-Planning, Planning, and Post-Planning stages. Pre-Planning involves Community Diagnosis and Process Design, while Planning covers Data Collection, Issue Identification, Goal Setting, and Strategy Formulation. Post-Planning focuses on Implementation, Monitoring, and Assessment. Visioning helps create a community's future vi...

Strategic, tactical, and land use planning guide urban development by setting long-term goals, implementing short-term projects, and ensuring sustainable land use. Strategic planning creates a vision for the future, while tactical planning addresses immediate needs through temporary initiatives like pop-up bike lanes. Land use planning enforces zoning regulations to use land efficiently and sustainably. Together, these approaches c...

Cities today emerged from the industrial revolutions of the 18th to 20th centuries, which moved populations from rural areas to urban centers with mechanized production. This shift led to the necessity of urban planning to manage growth. Early plans like the McMillan and Chicago Plans focused on development but often missed social issues. Over time, comprehensive planning evolved to address housing, transportation, equity, and envi...

Urban planning includes various plans to create sustainable communities. Transportation Plans develop transport systems; Parks and Recreation Plans enhance green spaces; Economic Development Plans stimulate growth; Housing Plans address affordability; Sustainability Plans promote conservation; and Capital Improvement Plans detail infrastructure investments. Pedestrian Safety Plans reduce traffic fatalities; Site Planning focuses on...

Urban planning has been shaped by influential figures who introduced innovative concepts and practices. This course explores their lives and legacies, enhancing our understanding for the AICP exam. Urban planning originated from landscape architecture, with the first formal programs emerging in schools like Harvard's GSD. Key figures include Frederick Law Olmsted, the father of American landscape architecture, known for Central...

Utopianism in urban planning has driven visionary projects aimed at improving urban life, blending the best of urban and rural living. Influential figures include Ebenezer Howard, whose Garden City model emphasized greenbelts and self-sufficient communities; Frank Lloyd Wright, known for Broadacre City, which promoted decentralization and individual land ownership; Le Corbusier, whose Radiant City proposed high-rise towers in green...

Urban development and comprehensive planning have been shaped by pioneering figures who introduced key principles in city planning and zoning. Harland Bartholomew was the first full-time city planner and developed detailed master plans for urban growth. Edward Bassett, known as the "father of zoning," authored New York City's first comprehensive zoning ordinance, setting the framework for modern zoning practices. Alfr...

Pioneers in natural environment planning like John Nolen, Clarence Stein, Rexford Guy Tugwell, John Muir, Rachel Carson, and Ian L. McHarg integrated ecological principles into urban development. Nolen designed model towns emphasizing green spaces. Stein co-founded the RPAA, promoting regional planning for social equity and sustainability. Tugwell developed greenbelt cities to improve living conditions for low-income families. Muir...

Welcome to our lesson on early social reformers. Today, we explore the efforts of Jacob Riis, Jane Addams, Charles Abrams, Catherine Bauer Wurster, and Henry George, who addressed urban challenges in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Jacob Riis used photography to expose tenement conditions, leading to housing reforms. Jane Addams founded Hull House in Chicago, offering social services and advocating for labor laws and women&...

In the 20th century, urban planning was marked by a conflict between large-scale, efficiency-driven projects and human-centered design. Robert Moses prioritized infrastructure like highways, often at the expense of communities, while Jane Jacobs advocated for walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods and local input, challenging Moses' approach. Lewis Mumford and Richard Sennett further emphasized humanistic and ecological values in pl...

Public participation, community organizing, and equity planning, influenced by the social movements of the 1960s and 1970s, are essential to urban planning. Sherry Arnstein's "A Ladder of Citizen Participation" called for meaningful community involvement. John Friedmann promoted "transactive planning" for better planner-community dialogue, and Saul Alinsky's "Rules for Radicals" focused on gras...

Understanding human behavior and decision-making processes is crucial in urban planning and design. Pioneers such as Clarence Perry, William H. Whyte, Kevin Lynch, Herbert A. Simon, and John R. Logan have significantly contributed to this field. Clarence Perry's Neighborhood Unit Concept emphasized cohesive, functional neighborhoods. William H. Whyte studied how design influences social interaction in public spaces. Kevin Lynch...