Elective Courses

Each student must successfully complete a minimum of nine credits of elective courses offered within the School of Planning and elsewhere within the University of Cincinnati. Students will select these courses with the advice and consent of their assigned faculty advisor. The number and variety of planning electives will vary from year to year according to the faculty expertise and student demand.

Possible course topics include Housing, Transportation, Land Use, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Urban Policy Planning, Environmental Planning, Regional Analysis, Sustainable Development, and Planning Implementation and Management. Course areas of interest outside of the School might include Real Estate Development, Remote Sensing, Architecture, Transportation Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Computer Science, Environmental Health, and Management.

A listing of elective courses and their descriptions follows:

600 Policy Issues in Urban Design, and Environmental Planning Land use, urban design, and environmental policies and issues currently addressed by physical planners. (3 graduate credits)

603 Environmental Resource Analysis Concepts, issues, and processes within the context of policy development for land use planning and resource management at federal, state and local levels. (3 credit hours)

604 Principles of Urban Design Concepts, methods, analytical techiques, and processes fundamental to the practice of urban design. (3 credit hours)

605 Workshop in Land Use, Urban Design, and Environmental Planning Application of generic and physical planning methods to a physical planning problem, based on projects with real clients. (4 credit hours)

606 Environmental Processes and Programs Analysis of environmental processes and various local, regional, state, national, and international programs to address environmental problems. (3 credit hours)

608 Seminar in Urban Design and Environmental Planning Review and discussion of literature from ancient through contemporary periods, dealing with issues critical to modern practice. (3 credit hours)

609 Policy in Urban Design and Land Use Public decision-making framework for environmental problems and major land, air and water management programs in the United States. Emphasis on planning strategies and management techniques. (3 credit hours)

621, 622, 623, 624 Special Topics in Planning Study of priority issues in planning processes, planning administration, implementation or evaluation. (4 credit hours)

628 Introduction to Historic Preservation Introduction to the processes of historic preservation, relationships to cultural and economic factors and planning and design processes. (3 credit hours)

630 Housing Systems Housing viewed as social and economic, as market commodity and public provision, to be planned in relation to land use and public facilities. (3 credit hours)

651 Urban Spatial Structure Investigation of political, social and economic determinants of the use of urban land. Different theories are discussed and the contributions of various disciplines to a variety of general themes on spatial structure are explored. (3 credit hours)

655 Politics of Implementation Examination of problems for implementation of urban plans. (3 credit hours)

656 Land Use and Environmental Dispute Resolution Examination of the relationships among land use, planning, public policy and the environmental agenda; focus on environmental justice and the ways in which environmental disputes can be lessened or resolved. (3 credit hours)

658 Transportation Planning Presentation of the significance that transportation plays in the development of urban areas, its historical context, its constituent and necessary interconnected parts, its current problems, its future as mandated by U.S. federal regulations and the role the urban planner should play in the future of transportation planning. (3 credit hours)

661 History of Urban Spatial Environments Examines the history of urban spaces/places as results of cultural patterning; utilizes cross-sectional analysis. (3 credit hours)

662 History of Urban Form Examines specific examples of urban form through history; uses developmental analysis. (3 credit hours)

670 Planning Issues in Developing Nations Overview of issues of urban and regional development in developing nations, with readings from various disciplines topics include theories of development, processes of urbanization, immigration, housing, urban services, environment, employment, regional development, and planning and policy responses. (3 credit hours)

673 Methods in International Development Planning Methods of research and planning specifically applied to planning in developing nations; may cover cross-cultural research, local, regional or national planning efforts. (3 credit hours)

676 Social Planning A study of the sociological factors generating, supporting and altering planning and development processes and the professional role of the planner. (3 credit hours)

706 Organizational Theory and Behavior Examination of the structure, functioning, and change within organizations in relation to planning and its professional practice. (4 credit hours)

707 Workshop in Urban Design II Advanced urban design studio. (4 credit hours)

710 Issues in Economic Development Planning Review and analysis of the causes of economic decline in inner cities, the ways in which urban poverty is perceived, the structural problems of local economies, and strategies for their mitigation; introduction to the process and techniques of economic development planning for communities and urban areas. (4 credit hours)

713 Economic Development Planning Methods I Survey and implementation of basic techniques used for economic development. The course covers economic base and employment multipliers, shift-share analysis, input-output analysis and structural multipliers, gravity models and retail location analysis, and real estate development assessment analysis. (4 graduate credits)

717 Land Use Controls Methods and legal constraints pertaining to the development of zoning regulations and land use plans; lectures, readings, exercises, discussions and field trips. (3 credit hours)

719 Policy Planning for Economic Development This seminar course explores the role of the state in economic development, examines the history and evolution of economic development policy and its institutions after the Second World War, and evaluates policies and strategies employed by federal, state and local governments to position them competitively as entrepreneurial entities in an increasingly globalized world economy. (4 credit hours)

720 Site Planning Advanced discussion of factors influencing site analysis and development. (3 credit hours)

725 Special Planning Topics Overview of selected planning/policy topics. (4 credit hours)

749 Graduate Planning Abroad Studio Individual and group studio project to address a planning issue in a foreign setting. (0-15 credit hours)

750 Graduate Exchange Study Special program open only to selected students; requires approval of School Director. (1-15 credit hours)

773 Social Factors in Environmental Design An experimental attempt to study, appreciate, and analyze the relationship (both and one-way and reciprocal) between human behavior and other social factors on the one hand, and the man-made and designed environment on the other; a good deal of attention is paid to current and recent empirical research as well as published theoretical and conceptual ideas; emphasis is placed on reading, thinking and exchanging ideas. (4 credit hours)

779 International Development Planning Policy Survey of plans and policies used in urban and regional planning in developing nations. Covers the post-WWII era and focuses on different agencies and actors involved in policy and plan development and implementation. (3 credit hours)

781 GIS Planning Applications Advanced GIS concepts and skills and their application to planning issues that require geographic data analysis. Student projects will be produced using advanced GIS analytical functions. Prerequisite: 780. (4 credit hours)

791,793 and 794 Independent Study in Urban Design Study proposal prepared by student and accepted for guidance by member of urban planning faculty. (1-6 credit hours)

792 Mediation Skills in Urban Settings A systematic examination of concepts and processes related to the resolution of disputes within urban settings. (4 credit hours)