Introduction to Community and Regional Planning – PLAN 425

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SCARP is pleased to offer our introductory Planning course – PLAN 425 –  to all UBC students. We have scheduled two sections to run January to April, 2017. Below is a course description and a link to the registration page. 

Welcome to the world of Planning!

PLAN 425 – Urban Planning Issues and Concepts 

Current global trends of increasing urban growth, economic development and restructuring, ecosystem and climatic change, international and domestic population movement, and new advances in the practices of local governance ensure that the field of Community and Regional Planning will be a lively and challenging profession for quite some time to come, both here in Canada and elsewhere in the world.                                                                                                                                                                            

PLAN 425 provides a general introduction to some of the main concepts, challenges, and debates in Planning, both as a professional practice and as a process of social and political intervention in space. At its heart, Planning is an action-oriented and problem-oriented activity. As a profession, Planners use well-defined tools such as zoning by-laws, citizen engagement, and land-use policies to manage a wide range of issues, including transportation, housing, real estate development, community-building, and the allocation of social services, which affect our everyday lives in communities, cities, and regions. As a general practice by ordinary citizens, Planning operates in complex social and political environments that are shaped by local, regional, national, and transnational forces. This course aims to critically engage students with the multiple meanings, practices, and tools that shape the field of community and regional Planning.

Some of the questions we will explore include:

  • What tools do Planners use and what kinds of skills are important for planners to have?
  • What role does Planning play (or ought to play) in relation to the forces that shape community, urban, and regional change?
  • Whose values and interests are represented in Planning processes? Who is a Planner?
  • How is Planning understood and how does Planning operate in different cultural, social, and political contexts?
  • How can different theoretical perspectives illuminate our understanding of Planning practice?

The course will provide students with a foundation in the dynamic and multifaceted themes of contemporary Planning. In particular, it will engage participants in the various research and teaching concentrations at UBC’s School of Community and Regional Planning. The aim is to present, share, and develop instructive and stimulating experiences that will help students to gain an initial understanding of contemporary Planning issues and practices. At the same time, this course aims to develop critical thinking skills and expose students to diverse cultural perspectives and positions around Planning problems.

PLAN 425 is designed as an introductory course; no previous experience in the field is required.  This is a chance to find out whether Community and Regional Planning as a career may be the right choice for you.

The course will be offered in 2016W Term 2 as follows:

-PLAN 425, section #004,  Tuesday from 3:00-6:00pm, room ORCH 3018

-PLAN 425, section #002, Thursday from 2:00-5:00pm, room PCOH 1001

Register here.

Penny Mullen
Financial Specialist | Faculty of Applied Science | School of Community and Regional Planning
The University of British Columbia | Vancouver Campus
417-6333 Memorial Road, Vancouver, BC  V6T 1Z2
Tel: 604 822 8213    www.scarp.ubc.ca

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