DUSP Courses 1998

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11.360 Community Growth & Land Use Planning

11.360 COMMUNITY GROWTH AND LAND USE PLANNING - FALL 1999

M.I.T. DEPARTMENT OF URBAN STUDIES AND PLANNING

Terry S. Szold, Lecturer Monday - Wednesday

3-0-9 (H) Units 11:00 AM -12:30 PM

Room 10-485

COURSE DESCRIPTION

"The old planning model, rooted in nineteenth-century concepts of science and engineering, is either dead or severely impaired.... Non-Euclidian Planning is decentered, privileging regions and localities.... It encourages the affected population to take an active part, and, thus, validates the experiential knowledge of ordinary people and promotes mutual learning between the planning expert and the affected population.... Non-Euclidian planning operates in real time by linking knowledge and action into a tightly looped process of strategic change.... Though planners remain free to choose, action in the public domain should be justified as that which furthers the cause of human flourishing and diversity throughout the world."

John Friedmann, 1993

This subject explores the techniques, processes, and personal and professional skills required to effectively manage growth and land use change. While primarily focused on the planning practice in the United States, the principles and techniques reviewed and presented may have international application. This course is not for bystanders; it is designed for those who wish to become actively involved or exposed to the planning discipline and profession as it is practiced today, and as it may need to be practiced in the future.

The fundamentals of the land use planning and growth management system are explored. Discussion and review of both traditional and innovative approaches to land use planning and growth management will occur, with emphasis on participatory processes and performance-based systems. Examples of the tools and techniques utilized at the local, regional, and state level of government will also be presented and evaluated.

Some class sessions employ case studies. A reader containing journal articles, papers, and other written works relevant to contemporary planning practice and the evolution of the discipline will supplement class session topics and discussion. Guest speakers whose work involves a focus on the various subject areas reviewed in the course will also be periodically introduced.

No prior training or experience in physical planning or urban design is assumed, although it is advantageous. Some exposure to imaging software and GIS is helpful. There is no final examination required for completion of the course. In addition to classwork, each student will be required to participate, as a project team member, in the preparation of a plan for an actual client. See pages that follow for a detailed description of this planning project.

Student evaluations will be principally based upon contributions to the community planning project, including the preparation of the final plan report, participation in mid-term and final presentations of the plan to the client and others, and submission of a short "synthesis paper" about the planning project. Participation in class discussion will also be a significant factor in final grade evaluations.

COURSE OUTLINE AND SCHEDULE

PART I: FUNDAMENTALS: LAND USE PLANNING, REGULATION,

AND GROWTH MANAGEMENT

Week 1: INTRODUCTION

September 8. Course Introduction

Week 2: PLANNING FOR GROWTH

September 13. Land Use Planning and Regulation - An Overview

September 15. Community Planning Project Introduced

Week 3: PROJECT INTRODUCTION

September 20. Discussion of Client Project - Project Teams Formed

September 22. Growth Planning and Plan-Making at the Community Level

Week 4: ZONING CONTROLS

September 27. Zoning Controls The Basics

September 29. Zoning Innovations

Week 5: ISSUES IN GROWTH MANAGEMENT AND GROWTH RATE CONTROLS

October 4. The Growth Management System and Growth Rate Controls: Local and Regional Issues

October 6. State and Regional Planning Mandates versus Home Rule

PART II: EMERGING ISSUES, TRENDS, METHODS AND APPROACHES

Week 6: COMMUNITY DESIGN, PLACEMAKING, VISIONING

October 11. Holiday

October 13. Community Design and Alternative Regulatory Approaches. What's Applicable to the Chestnut Hill Village Project?

Week 7: NEW URBANISM AND TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT

October 18. Neotraditional Planning, New Urbanism

October 20. Transit-Oriented Development (and further Discussion of the New Urbanism and its Applicability to the Chestnut Hill Village Plan)

Week 8: SPRAWL AND SMART GROWTH

October 25. Project Team Discussions with Instructor and Client Liaisons

October 27. Sprawl and the Evolution of Suburbia

PART III: OTHER TOPICS AND TECHNIQUES (MID-TERM PERIOD)

Week 9: EDGE CITIES, MANAGING COMMUNITY CHARACTER

November 1. Edge Cities

November 3. Managing Community Character

Week 10: TRAFFIC CALMING AND INCENTIVE-BASED TECHNIQUES

November 8. Traffic Calming

November 10. Incentive-Based Techniques and Special Districts

Week 11: DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENTS

November 15. Project Workshop Day

November 17. Approaches to the Development Process and

Development Agreements

Week 12: LINKING LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION

November 22. The Mobility Challenge for Planning:

Linking Land Use and Transportation

November 24. Project Meetings and Discussion

Week 13: EXACTIONS

November 29. Project Workshop Day

December 1. Impact Fees, Exactions, and Infrastructure

PART IV: INTEGRATION AND IMPLEMENTATION

Week 14: SYNTHESIS

December 6. Project Presentations

December 8. The Role of Planning and the Planner in Society:

Class Wrap-up and Synthesis

December 10. Written Reports Due - No Class Meeting

The following project opportunity has been arranged, and, in addition to course readings, will serve as the major focus of student work for the course:

Creation of a Chestnut Hill Village Plan

A Chestnut Hill Village Plan will be prepared as a "guidance document" to be used by a coalition of civic groups from Brookline and Newton to encourage and promote coordinated planning efforts along a section of Route 9 (Boylston Street) and surrounding neighborhood areas. This community-based effort is intended to eventually engage the two local municipalities, government agencies, citizens, business groups, and federal and state transportation agencies, in a focused and prioritized planning effort to improve the project area which connects the Brookline and Newton boundaries.

Initiated by the Coalition, this Plan seeks to identify existing built and natural resources of the area, as well as its assets, liabilities, and specific opportunities that can be identified to create a positive physical evolution of this important area and joint community boundary and gateway. The Plan should help facilitate a "sense of place," and sharpen the area's identity as an imageable and functional "village center" for local residents and regional visitors as well.

For purposes of this proposal, the area to be addressed by the project and Plan will include the Route 9/Boylston Street area extending easterly from Hammond Pond Parkway through Hammond Street to Dunster Road. It will extend on either side of Route 9, with principal focus on properties with frontage along Route 9, but also providing attention to the potential for pedestrian and greenspace linkages to adjoining neighborhood areas.

This area is presently comprised of strip commercial development, two large regional shopping centers, residential towers, smaller residential buildings, a country club, a post office, an MBTA station, and a variety of underutilized open space and recreational resources. It is comprised of retail, residential and recreational uses and properties that are not cohesively linked together or easily accessed. Facilitating aesthetic and functional improvements, while balancing economic development and community character issues, will be a key challenge and goal.

Plan Scope and Products

The Plan will involve consideration and analysis of the existing land use pattern and visual and economic characteristics of the defined area, and will result in suggested, prioritized strategies and recommendations to improve and enhance the area. The following products are expected to result from the project and Plan:

Development of realistic recommendations to enhance the area and specific properties, including recommendations for unifying streetscape and landscape improvements and amenities, geared toward promoting greater imageability and "sense of place";

Identification of conceptual pedestrian and vehicular access and circulation improvements (along and across the area with proposed links into the abutting neighborhood and recreational areas);

General recommendations and reuse strategies for high visibility or key parcels that are likely to have major reuse or redevelopment potential;

Specific recommendations for strengthening, nurturing, and promoting connections to greenspace and recreational resources, including the triangle area (Lost Pond, Hammond Pond, and Soule Playground), providing for their use as both destination points and "greenway links" to the adjoining neighborhood and commercial areas;

Development of conceptual design guidelines and incentives that could be used by Brookline and Newton to foster shared planning objectives; and

Potential, suggested revisions to Brookline and/or Newton Zoning Bylaws (both map and text amendments) to support plan objectives, including potential revisions to existing zoning requirements and zoning district boundaries.

The "Final Plan" document will include the inventory and analysis conducted, along with recommendations and other accompanying features and details, including maps, illustrations, tables, and relevant data and information.

Two formal presentations related to the plan will be made by student teams to the Chestnut Hill Village Coalition: a Preliminary Plan findings presentation, and a Final Plan presentation. It is anticipated that the Coalition may invite members of the Brookline Board of Selectmen, the Newton Board of Aldermen, Town Meeting Members, and the community Planning Boards, to these meetings. It is also anticipated that residents, business owners, planning department members, and other interested Town and City officials may attend these meetings. There may be videotaping of these presentations by Community or Cable TV, if that can be arranged by the Coalition.

An initial "project briefing" session to acquaint students with the scope of the project and the aspirations of the Coalition will be held on September 15, 1999 during class time at MIT.

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This syllabus may have been updated. To ensure that you're looking at the most recent version, please hit "Reload."
11.360 Community Growth & Land Use Planning
11.360 COMMUNITY GROWTH AND LAND USE PLANNING - FALL 1999 M.I.T. DEPARTMENT OF URBAN STUDIES AND PLANNING Terry S. Szold, Lecturer Monday - Wednesday 3-0-9 (H) Units 11:00 AM -12:30 PM Room 10-485 COURSE DESCRIPTION "The old planning model, rooted in nineteenth-century concepts of science and engineering, is either dead or severely impaired.... Non-Euclidian Planning is decentered, privileging regions and localities.... It encourages the affected population to take an active part, and, thus, validates the experiential knowledge of ordinary people and promotes mutual learning between the planning expert and the affected population.... Non-Euclidian planning operates in real time by linking knowledge and action into a tightly looped process of strategic change.... Though planners remain free to choose, action in the public domain should be justified as that which furthers the cause of human flourishing and diversity throughout the world." *John Friedmann, 1993* This subject explores the techniques, processes, and personal and professional skills required to effectively manage growth and land use change. While primarily focused on the planning practice in the United States, the principles and techniques reviewed and presented may have international application. This course is not for bystanders; it is designed for those who wish to become actively involved or exposed to the planning discipline and profession as it is practiced today, and as it may need to be practiced in the future. The fundamentals of the land use planning and growth management system are explored. Discussion and review of both traditional and innovative approaches to land use planning and growth management will occur, with emphasis on participatory processes and performance-based systems. Examples of the tools and techniques utilized at the local, regional, and state level of government will also be presented and evaluated. Some class sessions employ case studies. A reader containing journal articles, papers, and other written works relevant to contemporary planning practice and the evolution of the discipline will supplement class session topics and discussion. Guest speakers whose work involves a focus on the various subject areas reviewed in the course will also be periodically introduced. No prior training or experience in physical planning or urban design is assumed, although it is advantageous. Some exposure to imaging software and GIS is helpful. There is no final examination required for completion of the course. In addition to classwork, each student will be required to participate, as a project team member, in the preparation of a plan for an actual client. See pages that follow for a detailed description of this planning project. Student evaluations will be principally based upon contributions to the community planning project, including the preparation of the final plan report, participation in mid-term and final presentations of the plan to the client and others, and submission of a short "synthesis paper" about the planning project. Participation in class discussion will also be a significant factor in final grade evaluations. COURSE OUTLINE AND SCHEDULE PART I: FUNDAMENTALS: LAND USE PLANNING, REGULATION, AND GROWTH MANAGEMENT Week 1: INTRODUCTION September 8. Course Introduction Week 2: PLANNING FOR GROWTH September 13. Land Use Planning and Regulation - An Overview September 15. Community Planning Project Introduced Week 3: PROJECT INTRODUCTION September 20. Discussion of Client Project - Project Teams Formed September 22. Growth Planning and Plan-Making at the Community Level Week 4: ZONING CONTROLS September 27. Zoning Controls The Basics September 29. Zoning Innovations Week 5: ISSUES IN GROWTH MANAGEMENT AND GROWTH RATE CONTROLS October 4. The Growth Management System and Growth Rate Controls: Local and Regional Issues October 6. State and Regional Planning Mandates versus Home Rule PART II: EMERGING ISSUES, TRENDS, METHODS AND APPROACHES Week 6: COMMUNITY DESIGN, PLACEMAKING, VISIONING October 11. Holiday October 13. Community Design and Alternative Regulatory Approaches. What's Applicable to the Chestnut Hill Village Project? Week 7: NEW URBANISM AND TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT October 18. Neotraditional Planning, New Urbanism October 20. Transit-Oriented Development (and further Discussion of the New Urbanism and its Applicability to the Chestnut Hill Village Plan) Week 8: SPRAWL AND SMART GROWTH October 25. Project Team Discussions with Instructor and Client Liaisons October 27. Sprawl and the Evolution of Suburbia PART III: OTHER TOPICS AND TECHNIQUES (MID-TERM PERIOD) Week 9: EDGE CITIES, MANAGING COMMUNITY CHARACTER November 1. Edge Cities November 3. Managing Community Character Week 10: TRAFFIC CALMING AND INCENTIVE-BASED TECHNIQUES November 8. Traffic Calming November 10. Incentive-Based Techniques and Special Districts Week 11: DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENTS November 15. Project Workshop Day November 17. Approaches to the Development Process and Development Agreements Week 12: LINKING LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION November 22. The Mobility Challenge for Planning: Linking Land Use and Transportation November 24. Project Meetings and Discussion Week 13: EXACTIONS November 29. Project Workshop Day December 1. Impact Fees, Exactions, and Infrastructure PART IV: INTEGRATION AND IMPLEMENTATION Week 14: SYNTHESIS December 6. Project Presentations December 8. The Role of Planning and the Planner in Society: Class Wrap-up and Synthesis December 10. Written Reports Due - No Class Meeting The following project opportunity has been arranged, and, in addition to course readings, will serve as the major focus of student work for the course: Creation of a Chestnut Hill Village Plan A Chestnut Hill Village Plan will be prepared as a "guidance document" to be used by a coalition of civic groups from Brookline and Newton to encourage and promote coordinated planning efforts along a section of Route 9 (Boylston Street) and surrounding neighborhood areas. This community-based effort is intended to eventually engage the two local municipalities, government agencies, citizens, business groups, and federal and state transportation agencies, in a focused and prioritized planning effort to improve the project area which connects the Brookline and Newton boundaries. Initiated by the Coalition, this Plan seeks to identify existing built and natural resources of the area, as well as its assets, liabilities, and specific opportunities that can be identified to create a positive physical evolution of this important area and joint community boundary and gateway. The Plan should help facilitate a "sense of place," and sharpen the area's identity as an imageable and functional "village center" for local residents and regional visitors as well. For purposes of this proposal, the area to be addressed by the project and Plan will include the Route 9/Boylston Street area extending easterly from Hammond Pond Parkway through Hammond Street to Dunster Road. It will extend on either side of Route 9, with principal focus on properties with frontage along Route 9, but also providing attention to the potential for pedestrian and greenspace linkages to adjoining neighborhood areas. This area is presently comprised of strip commercial development, two large regional shopping centers, residential towers, smaller residential buildings, a country club, a post office, an MBTA station, and a variety of underutilized open space and recreational resources. It is comprised of retail, residential and recreational uses and properties that are not cohesively linked together or easily accessed. Facilitating aesthetic and functional improvements, while balancing economic development and community character issues, will be a key challenge and goal. Plan Scope and Products The Plan will involve consideration and analysis of the existing land use pattern and visual and economic characteristics of the defined area, and will result in suggested, prioritized strategies and recommendations to improve and enhance the area. The following products are expected to result from the project and Plan: Development of realistic recommendations to enhance the area and specific properties, including recommendations for unifying streetscape and landscape improvements and amenities, geared toward promoting greater imageability and "sense of place"; Identification of conceptual pedestrian and vehicular access and circulation improvements (along and across the area with proposed links into the abutting neighborhood and recreational areas); General recommendations and reuse strategies for high visibility or key parcels that are likely to have major reuse or redevelopment potential; Specific recommendations for strengthening, nurturing, and promoting connections to greenspace and recreational resources, including the triangle area (Lost Pond, Hammond Pond, and Soule Playground), providing for their use as both destination points and "greenway links" to the adjoining neighborhood and commercial areas; Development of conceptual design guidelines and incentives that could be used by Brookline and Newton to foster shared planning objectives; and Potential, suggested revisions to Brookline and/or Newton Zoning Bylaws (both map and text amendments) to support plan objectives, including potential revisions to existing zoning requirements and zoning district boundaries. The "Final Plan" document will include the inventory and analysis conducted, along with recommendations and other accompanying features and details, including maps, illustrations, tables, and relevant data and information. Two formal presentations related to the plan will be made by student teams to the Chestnut Hill Village Coalition: a Preliminary Plan findings presentation, and a Final Plan presentation. It is anticipated that the Coalition may invite members of the Brookline Board of Selectmen, the Newton Board of Aldermen, Town Meeting Members, and the community Planning Boards, to these meetings. It is also anticipated that residents, business owners, planning department members, and other interested Town and City officials may attend these meetings. There may be videotaping of these presentations by Community or Cable TV, if that can be arranged by the Coalition. An initial "project briefing" session to acquaint students with the scope of the project and the aspirations of the Coalition will be held on September 15, 1999 during class time at MIT.