ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING

Towards Sustainable Landscapes, Cities and Regions

PUP 442/PUP 598

Fall 2010
School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning
Arizona State University

Classroom - CDN 60
Thursdays 6:05 – 8:55 p.m.

Professor - David Pijawka Ph.D.

Professor, School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning
Professor, School of Sustainability
Email: pijawka@asu.edu
Office: COOR 5632
Advising Hours: Thursdays 3-5:00 pm
Appointments can be scheduled by emailing the Teaching Assistant.
Phone: (480) 727-7319

Teaching Assistant - Brad Tarrant

MUEP, School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning
Location: COOR 5665
Tuesdays 10:30 – 11:30am; 4-5pm, Thursdays 3-5pm
Appointments can be scheduled through e-mail (btarrant@asu.edu)
Phone: (623) 217-1145

Course Time and Absence Policy

Thursdays 6:05 – 8:55 pm. There will be two, 15 minute, breaks half way during each
class. Please do not show up late as it disturbs the class activity. Attendance will be taken
very seriously, because there will be in-class team assignments and presentations whereby
all students must participate equally and professionally in their teams. Absence will result
in a poorer quality team product. If you are to miss class for a legitimate purpose, such as a
medical emergency, you must call the TA beforehand or immediately after your absence.
Important Note: If you miss two class sessions (including any student team meeting) you
will lose a letter grade. A third absence, you will lose another grade and so on.

Contact Information
Blackboard: Please check Blackboard for announcements, course material and
assignments. Consult IT help-desk services for assistance in using Blackboard technology.
Most if not all course readings outside of the textbooks will be placed on Blackboard.
Student team communication can also be structured through Blackboard.

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Required Texts
The Environmental Policy Paradox
Smith, Zachery. 2009. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall Fifth Edition.
Native to Nowhere: Sustaining Home and Community in a Global Age
Timothy Beatley. Washington, DC: Island, 2004.
Cities as Sustainable Ecosystems: Principles and Practices
Newman, Peter, and Isabella Jennings. Washington, D.C.: Island, 2008.
How Green Am I?
Lotter, Don. Book can be purchased at “The College Bookstore” (located across from the
foundation building) $7.95

Other texts that will be utilized heavily in the course and some readings made available to you
through blackboard will include the following three books. You do not have to buy these but
they can be bought through Amazon probably used or other places.

Mastering NEPA. Bass, Ronald and Albert Herson.1993. Solano Press Books.
The Environmental Planning Handbook. Daniels Tom and Katherine Daniels. 2004. APA
Planners Press.
The Living Landscape. Steiner, Frederick.2008. Island Press.

For one of the class assignments, you will need to obtain through purchase, library, or through
me one other book dealing with the environment and how to manage it. This book choice is up to
you and you will be required to write a review of the book as one of your assignments. The book
could be a classic or something new, right off the press. it could be any type of book, scholarly,
poetry, documentary, an expose, etc. it is entirely up to you to read, reflect on its message, and
write an essay on it. This will be discussed in class.

Course Description
This course addresses the underlying concepts, approaches and critical issues that define
the field of Environmental Planning. This is an overview course that introduces the student
to the history of environmental planning, regulatory responses, approaches or methods, on
a broad range of issues including conservation, waste management, disaster planning, risk
assessment, environmental justice. Environmental planning processes will be examined
from various political / geographical scales and within a policy context. Environmental
planning will be looked at from local, regional, state and international levels. It is
important today to see the field from the perspective of local to global connections.

The course will focus on various approaches used in environmental decision-making and
plan making through case studies and learner-based applications. Several sessions will be
used to focus on Sustainability and Sustainable Development and their practices in the
context of environmental planning.
A significant portion of the course will focus on student team assignments both in class and
outside class, presentations and in-class exercises. Case studies from the local and regional
area will be looked at and issues confronting the Phoenix community and planning

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 organizations. Class materials will be supplemented by presentations by ASU faculty,
practitioners, and policy makers. New concepts that are only beginning to be applied to
urban environments will be examined such as resiliency, adaptation, vulnerability
assessment etc.

Course Objectives
On completing the course students should be able to:
• Have knowledge of the history of environmental planning and the issues confronting the
nation
• Understand the key policy trends and factors effecting approaches to planning the
environment
• Understand how regulatory decisions are made at various governance levels.
• Link theory to the practice of environmental planning and have developed an set of new
tools and methods.
• Have knowledge of key environmental plans in the local area.
• Understand sustainable planning and development at all levels of government; ecological
footprints, urban ecology, and ecological design

Course Requirements
• Students must be prepared to participate, ask questions, lead discussions and give
presentations based on the readings, individual assignments, and team projects.
• Students will have small weekly assignments and larger team projects. Each member of a
student team must work professionally and participate FULLY and EQUALLY on the
class projects.
• Attendance is MANDATORY.
• There will be a MIDTERM and FINAL EXAM.
• All readings must be done prior to coming to class.
• There is NO excuse for late assignments.

Assignments
Assignment 1 - Reading Critiques – Due with date of assigned readings
Each student as part of their class participation grade has to submit FIVE 1-2 page critiques
of the readings that week. Students will select the five subject areas that they will critique
over the course semester. These will be due at the end of class for which the readings are
due. Presentations will be asked of the students. Details of the critique format are posted
on Blackboard.
Assignment 2 - Team project Urban Issue Analysis – Due Sept 16
Students will form 4-5 person teams. Each team will be required to present a 5 minute
power point presentation on their analysis. Further details will be posted on Blackboard,
under the Assignments link.
Assignment 3 - Assess your Ecological Footprint – Due Oct 14
Use How Green Am I?
Assignment 4 - Team–based assignment on an Environmental Assessment – Due Dec 2
Students will form teams of 4-5 and produce a 20-25 page mock impact statement based on
topics given by professor.

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Assignment 5 - Book Review – Due Nov 4
You need to select any one book having to do with the environment. It is your choice, yet
you will be required to submit your book selection to the TA by September 2nd. Select a
book such as “Collapse” by Gerald Diamond, a book on Climate Change, one of the many
natural disaster volumes, or Native American environmental issues; these are a few
examples. This should be a 2-page review. Details of the critique format are posted on
Blackboard. By the 2nd week need to tell TA what book they will be using, for approval.

Grade Structure
• 15% Assignment 1 – Subject Area Critiques
• 10% Assignment 2 – Team Project Urban Issue Analysis (Sept 16)
• 10% Assignment 3 – Ecological footprint (Oct 14)
• 20% Assignment 4 – Environmental Assessment (Dec 2)
• 10% Assignment 5 – Book Review (Nov 4)
• 15% Midterm Exam (Oct 21)
• 20% Final Exam (Dec 9)

Course Schedule
Please check Blackboard for updates, announcements and readings.

August 19
Introduction to Environmental Planning
• The Course Structure
• Definitions of Planning/Environmental Planning
• Planning Issues: Policy, Scale, Regulations,
• Types of Planning
• Critical Concepts in Environmental Planning – Common Pool Resources, Renewable
Resources, Carrying Capacity, Scarcity, Conservation, Preservation, Mitigation,
Adaptation, Environmental Justice
• Case Study: Measuring Environmental Amenities: Avondale Contingent Valuation

Assignment 2 – Assigned and Discussed.

August 26
History of Environmentalism: Philosophies, Public Interest and Policy
• Evolution of Environmentalism
• Resource management
• Environmental Crises and Policy Responses
• Land Suitability`
• Environmental Planning and Sustainability

Readings: 1.Smith, Zackary. Chapters 2, 3, 4 & 5

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September 2
Environmental Planning/ Landscape Ecology
• Regional Landscape Ecology – Ted Cook
• Environmental Policies

Readings: Greenways and Ecological Networks

Assignment 5 – Submit chosen book to TA

September 9
Environmental Impact Assessments
Guest Speaker – Howard Shanker
Guest Speaker – Bjorn, Hagen
• NEPA and Environmental Impacts: Policy, procedures, measurements, mitigation
• Limits to NEPA
• Cost- Benefit Analysis
• Methods and Models of Environmental Impacts: Socioeconomics, Landscape Ecology,
Watersheds, Brownfields. Climate Action Plans
• EIS Case Study

Readings: 1. Arizona Climate Action Plan. Blackboard

2. Daniels and Daniels. Chapter 1, pgs. 11-35
3. Kreske, Diori. Chapter 2
4. Navajo Motion for Summary Judgement

September 16
Presentations; Environmental Perceptions, Visual Preferences, Visioning
• Role of perception studies in Environmental Planning – a survey
• Cognitive mapping; Scenic preferences, Perceived risk, public preference evaluations,
• Visioning in Environmental Planning: Case Studies
• Visualization Assessments: Case Study presentation
• Focus Group Analysis in Planning

Assignment 2 Due - Team project Urban Issue Analysis

Readings: Public Participation in Achieving Sustainability

Public Participation in Visual Assessment
How Close is Close Enough

September 23
Land Management and Planning
Guest Lecture: Land Suitability Analysis & GIS Applications – Ken Brooks

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 • Institutional context and policies – Federal land management, Multiple Use, Wilderness
protection (endangered species), Ecosystem Risk Management
• Toxic and hazardous waste issues
• Landscape Suitability Analysis
• Biophysical Inventories
• GIS/Modeling – Decision Support Perspective
• Open space planning and Preserves in Phoenix – tent. Joseph Ewan

Readings: 1. The Environmental Policy Paradox. Chapters 8 and 9.

2. Lein, James, Chapters 4 and 5
3. Steiner, Chapter 3, Part 1 & 2

September 30
Water Resources Planning in Arizona and Phoenix
Guest Speakers; Judith Dworkin and Ray Quay
• Structure of water resources quantity
• Historical and present day issues in Arizona
• Economics of water resources planning
• Scenarios for the future water supply for Phoenix – Sustainable Water -Ray Quay
• Legal Environmental Planning Issues: Constraints on decision-making – Judith Dworkin

Readings: 1. The Environemental Paradox. Chapter 6

2. Daniels and Daniels. Chapter 3
3. Phoenix Water Report

October 7
Sustainable Planning 1: Concepts, Terms and Theory
Guest Speaker: Greg Petersen
• Ecological Footprints
• Carrying Capacity
• Tragedy of the Commons
• EF Application/Life Cycle Analysis
• Three Es
• “Planning as Sustainability”

Readings: 1. Native to Nowhere, Beatley, Chapters 1-4 (Complete entire book by Nov 4)
2. How Green Am I?
3. Cities as Sustainable Ecosystems Chapter 4

Assignment 3 Discussed – Ecological Footprint

October 14
Resiliency Planning: Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Recovery
• Natural and technological hazards –trends, definitions, approaches

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 • Defining Disaster and Phases
• Risk Assessment Approaches; complexity and uncertainty
• Capacity, Vulnerability and Resilience
• Recovery Planning: Cases
• Nuclear waste Studies; Katrina, Asian Tsunami: Case Studies

Readings: Native to Nowher, Beatley, Chapters 5-8 (Complete entire book by Nov 4)

Assignment 3 Due – Ecological Footprint

Assignment 4 Discussed - Team project Urban Issue Analysis

October 21
Midterm Exam
Lecture and Discussion of Cities as Sustainable Eco Systems
Readings: Cities as Sustainable Eco Systems Chapter 1-2, 6-7

October 28
Planning for Renewable Energy
Guest speaker: Brad Tarrant
• Specific Topics for this subject will be posted at a later date

Readings: The Environemtnal Policy Paradox, Chapter 7

November 4
Sustainable Planning II: Socioeconomics, Green Buildings and Plans,
Environmental Justice, Sustainable Indicators
• Environmental Justice – 3 Case Studies: learning the methods
• Equity Planning
• Conservation/Green Plans
• Urban Heat Islands – modeling to reduce Phoenix temperatures.
• Building Green Neighborhoods
• LEED

Readings: Jennifer Love Report

Complete Native to Nowhere

Assignment 5 Due – Book Review

November 11 – No Class, Veterans Day

November 18
Global Climate Change: Mitigation and Adaptation
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 • Sources of GHGs; knowledge of GCC – trends, impacts, issues
• Scientific Debate?
• Movie: Inconvenient Truth
• Mitigation strategies to reduce GHG
• Adaptation and Local Climate Action Plans

Readings: The Environmental Policy Paradox, Chapters 10 & 11

November 25 - THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY

December 2 - Presentations of Assignment 4

Assignment 4 Due - Team project Urban Issue Analysis

December 9 - Final in-Class Exam.

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