1. COURSE SYLLABUS
PLAN 4096 PLANNING STUDIO
EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY
FALL SEMESTER 2013
Dr. Jerry Weitz, FAICP, Associate Professor
Department of Geography, Planning and Environment
Urban and Regional Planning Program
A-215 Brewster Mail Stop 120, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858
Phone: 252-328-6579 Fax: 252-737-1527 Email: weitzj@ecu.edu
Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays, 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. and
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:45 – 10:45 a.m.
Other times by Appointment.
Vision without action is a daydream… action without vision is a nightmare.
Meets: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:00 – 3:50 p.m. (Brewster D Wing, BD 208/209)
This course syllabus is an important document in establishing my expectations as instructor and
helping you to understand what is expected. This course syllabus informs you of the expectations
and requirements of the course and reduces the likelihood of problems later in the semester. The
syllabus is a tool that helps both you and I accomplish the university’s primary mission of
teaching and learning. The syllabus intends to make clear the goals and content of the course and
what will be expected of you in the course. A course syllabus specifies my policies for class
attendance, grading, civility in the classroom, and academic integrity. The syllabus includes a
schedule of assignments.
Note: Due to the fluid nature of a community-based studio course, this course syllabus is subject
to change with reasonable notice. Changes will be communicated via e-mail, blackboard
announcement, and/or verbally in class.
OVERVIEW
Official Course Description: Collaborative studio investigating an advanced issue in planning.
Work is conducted in teams, often for a community client. 4 studio hours per week.
Prerequisites: PLAN 3022, History and Theory of Planning; and PLAN 3051, Introduction to
GIS in Planning; or consent of instructor.
Additional Course Work Anticipated: Planning students approved for this course typically
have completed the following courses in addition to the prerequisites: PLAN 3020,
Environmental Planning; PLAN 3021, Introduction to Planning Techniques; PLAN 3030, Urban
and Regional Planning; PLAN 3031, Quantitative Analysis in Planning; and 9 hours of planning
emphasis/electives. Students may also be simultaneously enrolled in PLAN 4003, Urban Form
and Design during the same semester as this course.
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Summary: The practice of planning is the central object of the studio. The planning studio is an
opportunity for you to apply the planning knowledge and skills you have gained to a community-
based project working in a collaborative atmosphere with a team of student planners. This course
is intended to be a culminating experience in which you apply your knowledge from previous
coursework and your own life experiences to the creation of a planning document for a real-
world community.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Upon conclusion of this course, students will be able to:
Synthesize and apply planning knowledge:
Apply the tools and techniques gained in core planning courses of the program in a
practical context;
Employ planning theory and abstract planning principles as appropriate in a practical
context;
Apply concepts and techniques learned in elective planning courses;
Identify and recognize overlapping objectives and conflicts among policy subsets; and
Demonstrate ability to address planning problems comprehensively;
Identify and apply sources of data for population, housing, and economic conditions; and
Choose, collect, and categorize, analyze, and summarize data in prescribed formats;
Develop desired qualities of the professional planner:
Collaborate with, and support, others on a team;
Gain an appreciation for working for a single client and how that relates to other
stakeholders;
Identify and respond appropriately to ethical issues of professional practice;
Develop and/or refine presentation skills by presenting work in a public forum;
Increase and refine report writing skills;
Appreciate the AICP Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct and ethical dilemmas
confronting practicing planners;
Critique and select methods of public participation appropriate to the plan-making
process;
Recognize and apply principles of planning project management;
Recognize the various credentials, qualities, and traits, including leadership potential, that
make a young planning professional marketable to employers; and
Build and present qualifications in resume format.
EXPECTATIONS
Expectations: Individual
Serve a community as client.
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Collaborate with your team (see additional points below)
Attend class, arrive punctually, and bring all needed materials.
Participate in class discussions and question-and-answer sessions.
Complete assignments on time according to requirements listed in this syllabus.
Devote the appropriate amount of additional time beyond the scheduled class period to
conduct research and to complete assignments.
Conduct work with a high level of professionalism and responsibility.
Produce a professional-grade document and presentation for your portfolio.
Complete assigned tasks in a manner that exceeds expectations wherever possible.
Adhere to time allowances for presentations without exceeding time limits.
Take advantage of the freedom and flexibility offered by a studio course.
Know when to ask for help, and ask for it when needed.1
Expectations: Working With Your Group
Treat other students with absolute respect.
Pull your share of the weight and share the workload equally with team members.
Attend all team meetings and discussions.
Devise strategies for carrying out the team’s short- and long-term tasks and goals.
Take initiative at key moments to move the team and project forward.
Find constructive solutions to time, organizational, technical or quality problems.
TEXTBOOK AND READINGS
Hack, Gary, Eugenie L. Birch, Paul H. Sedway, and Mitchell J. Silver. 2009. Local Planning:
Contemporary Principles and Practice. Washington, DC: International City/County
Management Association. (Strongly recommended)
Weitz, Jerry. 2013. Guidebook on Local Planning for Healthy Communities. North Carolina
Department of Commerce. (Required; available on blackboard)
Weitz, Jerry. Forthcoming. The Ethical Planning Practitioner. Chicago: Planners Press.
(Selected scenarios to be assigned and distributed via handout)
Other readings as assigned (see reading schedule)
GRADING SCHEME AND ASSIGNMENTS
Instructors assign grades on the basis of their evaluation of the academic performance of each
student enrolled in their courses. Course grades are based on the quality of your performance as
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It is important to remember that my primary role in a planning studio course is to help you succeed and grow as a professional
planner. Therefore, you should always feel welcome to ask for help either during the class period, privately during office hours,
or remotely via e-mail. Asking for assistance will never be perceived as a liability and will never impact your grade negatively.
You are also encouraged to offer your views of the course at any time during the semester; you do not need to wait for the formal
end-of-semester course evaluation.
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evaluated by the performance criteria stated in the course syllabus. My goal is to provide regular,
consistent feedback on your progress individually and your group as a team, throughout the
course. If at any time you would like to discuss your progress in the course, please feel free to
talk with your instructor. You will be graded on a 100 point scale. A total of 100 points is
possible. Each point = 1% of grade. The grading scale is as follows:
Letter Grade Points Letter Grade Points
A 94-100 C 73-76
A- 90-93 C- 70-72
B+ 87-89 D+ 67-69
B 83-86 D 63-66
B- 80-82 D- 60-62
C+ 77-79 F Below 60
Grades will be posted on the blackboard site.
Planning Team Assignment
You have been assigned a client and student group, as shown in the table below.
Town of Snow Hill, NC
Comprehensive Plan Team
Town of Grifton, NC
Comprehensive Plan Team
Katie Benedek Jarrod Carr
Malcolm Bryant Sarah Davis
Brandon Hackney Dustin Carney
Stephen Herendeen Matthew Moy
Kelsey Morrow Brad Sceviour
Cameron Ray Eric Vitale
Joe Samuels Nathan Williams
Stephen Farrell
There is no choice in your group assignment, although for very good reasons I will entertain a
change of assignment if another student is amenable to changing groups. I am reluctant to allow
changes because this is part of the learning experience – in a real world planning practice project
you do not get to choose what your project will be or who you will be working with. It will be up
to you and your group members to equitably divide up the work assigned to your group for
analysis.
Assignments for the Semester
Note that this is a collaborative studio, and as such, the vast majority (65%) of your grade is
derived from group work. This means that if you do not perform to expectations, you are not
only hurting your own grade but damaging the prospects of all your other group members’
grades. The various assignments are described further below; the instructor will provide
additional input on how to succeed with these assignments. You are encouraged to be creative
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and “self-starting” with these assignments, and to seek guidance from the instructor as well as
your other planning team members.
Ind. Group Description
5 Assignment #1: Project Management/Work plan (group)
5 Assignment #2: Citizen Participation Plan (group)
5 Assignment #3: Leadership essay (individual)
5 Assignment #4: Planning short paper contribution from text (individual)
5 Assignment #5: Ethics exercise (individual)
20 Assignment #6: Production credits (studio, field, meeting, conference)
25 Assignment #7: Existing Conditions Analysis and Issues and Opportunities
(group)
25 Assignment #8: Final planning document (group)
5 Assignment #9: Client presentation (group)
35 65 Total points possible = 100
Assignment #1 Project Management Work Plan (5% group)
Part of your learning in this course is how to manage a planning project with real project
deliverables, deadlines, and the necessity of working in a group setting. You will work with your
group to submit a detailed work plan for management of the project. Your work program must
show clearly how the total project tasks will be equitably distributed. Without limiting your
creativity you may consider the following roles that will need to be assigned to execute the
project (not necessarily all-inclusive).
Population and Housing Demographer Implementation Specialist
Economic Analyst GIS Coordinator
Natural Resources Specialist Meeting Logistics Head
Land Use Planner Participation Coordinator
Community Facilities Planner Document Editor
Transportation Planner Presentation Producer and Editor
Assignment #2 Citizen Participation Plan (5% group)
Your group will need to propose to the instructor a citizen participation plan. You will need to
decide how to identify stakeholders to interview and also which public participation techniques
you will propose to employ. You submit this first to the instructor, who will provide
constructive feedback. Your participation plan is subject to approval of the instructor, who is
working with you to ensure meaningful public participation and engagement.
Assignment #3 Leadership Essay (5% individual)
Based on assigned and recommended reading, you will prepare a 2-page (double-spaced, typed)
essay about what it means to be a leader in planning. Your essay will need to address what
leadership means generally but also in the context of your project.
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Assignment #4 Planning Short Paper Contribution (5% individual)
You will select a short reading (individually authored section) from the Local Planning textbook
which relates to the local comprehensive planning project generally. You will write in a format
that will enable your text to be integrated into both your team’s planning products and the other
town planning team’s projects. It may be an analysis of a given policy, a suggestion on how to
implement the comprehensive plan in some way, or any other meaningful contribution.
Assignment #5 Ethics Exercise (5% individual)
You will be given ethics scenarios to read in advance of class. After reading the “principles to
which we aspire” and “rules of conduct” portions of the Code of Ethics and Professional
Conduct of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), you will be assigned to a small
groups of 2-4 and asked to discuss the appropriate actions to take on the basis of one or more
scenarios. Each group will then read their assigned scenario(s) and present their views, followed
by discussion from others. This exercise will consume one entire class period.
Assignment #6 Production Credits (20% individual)
You are expected to attend class (studio) sessions and be productive, using the entire time period
given (almost two hours). You will gain one production credit for each studio session as further
shown in the detailed schedule. You may be required by the instructor to complete a production
report form prior to leaving each studio session. If you do not attend a given studio session you
cannot receive the production credit, and if you do not stay for the entire studio session, you do
not earn the entire production credit for that session. You will receive a score about mid-term of
the semester indicating your production credits for the first half of the course.
Assignment #7 Existing Conditions Analysis and Issues and Opportunities (25% group)
The detailed contents for this written deliverable are described in Chapter 9 of the Healthy
Community Planning Guidebook (on blackboard), and a template for the population, housing and
economy portion is provided in Chapter 10 of said Guidebook. Completion of the existing
conditions analysis will require some field work in the town. Your work plan as approved by the
instructor will provide specific assignments for you. Draft and final versions will be submitted.
Assignment #8 Final Planning Document (25% group)
The contents of this written deliverable are described generally in the Guidebook. You will
receive additional suggestions from the instructor during the semester. Draft and final versions
will be submitted.
You will turn in three copies (professionally bound) and one computer file copy of the planning
document. The file copy must be one integrated document in Microsoft Word format. It must be
a professional report with cover page, table of contents, reference list, etc. in addition to the
contents specified during the semester and as stated in the Guidebook.
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Do not underestimate the time involved in preparing, proofreading and consolidating the final
plan document. Errors in presentation format, such as changes in fonts or formats, lack of page
numbers, missing table of contents, references in insufficient style, etc. will count off.
Assignment #9 Client Final Presentation (5% group)
Your team will present a coordinated presentation during the final exam period. Instructions will
be provided on how to coordinate your presentation as a group. You must be present at the final
presentation, and you must present. You will be graded as a group on the final presentation,
which will incorporate all the prior written assignments. These final presentations must be
polished and you will be evaluated not only by the instructor but also by other planning faculty
and professional planners who work in the region. They will be asked to score your presentation
and those scores will be taken into account in assigning your grade for this assignment. Every
student must have a meaningful role in the presentation, and the time should be divided more or
less equally among the four group members. Total time for the presentation will be
approximately 45 minutes.
You will turn in three copies of your presentation in hard copy to the instructor. You may be
asked to give a “dry run” presentation before actual delivery of the graded presentation.
The following criteria will be considered in evaluating the group final reports, in addition to
expectations for conduct described above:
The innovativeness of the project in terms of how it was designed, approached, and
communicated.
The extent to which course readings, concepts, discussions and principles from the
course are integrated into the findings or relevant parts of the report.
The overall professional quality of the written report, including graphics.
The extent to which all general requirements for content are met.
Evidence of interaction with client agency staff or other stakeholders in the jurisdiction.
The degree to which all relevant elements of the assignment are addressed.
Clarity of writing.
The extent to which all students in the group demonstrate they participated collectively,
proportionally, and without conflict, and whether the report reflects collaboration.
CLASS CONDUCT
This is a statement in support of my expectations for civil and respectful behavior in the
classroom.
It is important that we have a classroom atmosphere that optimizes teaching and learning and we
all share the responsibility for creating a civil and non-disruptive forum. You are expected to
conduct yourself at all times in a manner that does not disrupt teaching or learning. Behavior
which disrupts the learning process may lead to disciplinary action and/or removal from class as
specified in university policies, including the Student Code of Conduct, which is available at:
http://www.ecu.edu/cs-studentlife/policyhub/conduct_code.cfm.
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Here are some specific requirements for classroom behavior:
Cell Phones & Other Audible Devices: You must turn their cell phones and other audible
devices off or put them on vibrate mode while in class. Do not answer phones in class.
Texting during class is considered unacceptable.
Computer Use. Using your laboratory or personal computer during class time for non-
course related activities can be disrespectful and distracting. Use computers only for
class-related activities.
Side conversations between students during course lectures are considered unacceptable.
I may advise you of additional class rules and guidelines for conduct.
E-MAIL PROTOCOL AND ETIQUETTE
This course may necessitate contacting me by e-mail. In corresponding with me by e-mail, at
minimum, refer to the course (PLAN 4096) in the subject line and/or identify the purpose of your
contact in the subject line of the e-mail. You must always identify your name in e-mail
correspondence (at end of body of message). E-mails should contain proper English and form. If
you do not receive a reply within two calendar days to your e-mail, please resend it.
