Urban & Regional Planning 500: Planning Theory (home)
Fall Semester 2022
Monday & Wednesday 10:00 - 11:20 am
Art & Architecture Building 3142 (3rd floor capstone room, in Main Building near arch studios) - map to classroom

Course Overview

 

links to other pages
assignments
central questions of planning
debates in planning theory
terms and concepts
other theory readings
planning history timeline

Canvas site for this course

Prof. Scott Campbell
office hours sign-up (via google calendar)
(734) 763-2077 
sdcamp@umich.edu

Writing Instructor: Prof. Julie Steiff office hours are by appointment
GSI: Taru (doctoral candidate)
discussion session: Optional discussion session (hosted by Taru, GSI): selected Wednesdays 11:30 - 12:30 (also in 3142 A&AB; schedule to be announced).

College of Architecture and Urban Planning
University Of Michigan

Last modified:  August 28, 2022

 

Enrollment:
The Urban Planning Program offers two sections of Planning Theory: (a) this section; and (b) a section taught by Prof. Kim Kinder.

Students from other programs:
We welcome your interest in urban planning, and hope to accommodate you either in URP 500 or in other planning courses. This is a required core course for all MURP students, but often space is available for other students to also take URP500. If questions, please contact me, or simply come to the first day of class.

 

Course Overview:
This course provides an introduction to the history and theories of urban planning.  URP500 is the introductory course in a series of theory courses. Other theory courses include: URP 580 (Metropolitan Structures); URP 700 (Advanced Urban Theory, taught Fall 2022, 2024, etc..); and URP 701 (Epistemology and Reasoning for Planning Research, next taught fall 2023).

The course covers several broad themes: (1)  the historical rise of cities, suburbs and planning; (2) ethical and theoretical questions in planning; (3) case studies of planning; (4) the politics of planning and urbanization; and (5) the current economic, technological and social-spatial transformation of cities.

Throughout the course we will examine how urban and regional planning has confronted a series of debates and challenges:   whether planners should think like architects, social critics or private developers, whether plans should be grand and comprehensive or cautious and incremental, whether planners should assist or resist the private market, whether planners should be neutral professionals or social advocates, and whether planners should create utopian visions of how cities could be or to pragmatically deal with cities as they are.  The conflicting styles of the course readings themselves -- varying from the practical to the scholarly -- also reveal a debate within planning:  should planners develop complex theories of urbanization and decision-making, or simply deal with immediate practical and professional challenges?

The course is built upon an extensive set of historical and contemporary readings. The lectures are intended to complement, rather than substitute for the readings. You will get the most out of the course if you invest the time to actively engage the readings BEFORE each class. (Don't be surprised if the instructor calls on you in class to discuss an idea from the assigned readings.)

 

Readings:
Courses on theory and history rely heavily on readings. You will find readings in several formats:

(1) Canvas [articles in "Modules" (sorted by topic) and in "Files" (sorted A-Z); authentication required]
(2) Ebooks (online books via UM Library; UM Library's "Ebooks" full text database of selected books. Set up a free and easy user name and password. (NOTE: Ebooks, allows users to store books together in a "bookshelf" folder. I have created one for the class with both required reading and many additional interesting titles that may be of interest.)
(3) available directly on the www [links provided]

We will extensively use two texts. Since both will be available online, you are not required to purchase hard copies, though you may find it useful (optionally) to obtain a print copy of one or both (details below).

  • Hall, Peter. 2014. Cities of Tomorrow. fourth edition. Wiley. [Note: earlier editions are ok to use. Digital version available free for UM students via the UM Library eBooks. It's a classic text, so you might want to purchase a hard copy for your bookshelf. It's a widely available text.] If you would like to get a head start on readings before the semester, I would suggest starting with this book.

  • Hacker, Diana / Sommers, Nancy. 2020. Writer's Reference - 10TH edition. Bedford/St. Martin's. (ISBN-10: ‎1319169406; ISBN-13 : ‎ 978-1319169404) (A used copy of the 8th or 9th edition would do just as well. A hard copy can be very useful for writing advice. That said, we will hopefully provide a link to an online version.)

 

Assignments:
Your main task is to actively, critically read the texts and come to class ready to discuss and debate. Reading is critical for this class! You will get so much more out of the semester if you engage the texts with vigor, reflection and discipline.
Students are expected to complete all the required readings before the scheduled class time, actively participate in class discussions and presentations, write several short essay assignments, write 15 short reading responses, and complete a final project. Evaluation of your work will be based on substantive content, the logic of your argument, and writing quality. Late assignments will result in point reductions. Note: when I am asked: why do you still have your students read so much (in this ostensible post-book era)? These texts are the best distilled, enhanced representations of the intellectual history of the planning field over the past century. Reading is arguably still the best way to get out of your own preconceptions and grow intellectually (travel and conversation in other cultures and traditions are powerful as well). And another good answer (thanks to Prof. Lisa Disch): because it is the only experience that students will have in common when they come to the classroom each session.

Optional (informal) Discussion Session:
Optional discussion session (hosted by Taru, GSI): selected Wednesdays 11:30 - 12:30 (also in 3142 A&AB; schedule to be announced).Use the time to respond to ideas and controversies in the lectures and readings, or discuss ideas in the assignment questions. (We held these sessions in past years and students found them valuable and enjoyable.)

 

Summer reading:
If you are interested in doing some reading over the summer to deepen your understanding of planning and its intellectual history, here are a few suggestions: Peterson, Jon A. 2003. The Birth of City Planning in the United States, 1840-1917 (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins). Jane Jacobs.  The Death and Life of Great American Cities (New York: Random House). Fishman, Robert, ed. 2000. The American Planning Tradition: Culture and Policy (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins). Rae, Douglas W. 2003. City: Urbanism and Its End ( New Haven: Yale University Press). Sugrue, Thomas J. 1998. The Origins of the Urban Crisis (Princeton Univ Press). Self, Robert O. 2003. American Babylon: Race and the Struggle for Postwar Oakland ( Princeton University Press). see also the PLANetizen top planning book list.

Academic Integrity:
Students are expected to understand the principles of academic integrity and to diligently follow proper academic procedures, including the correct use of source materials. Please carefully read these guidelines on citing literature and the problem of plagiarism. Please speak with me if you have any questions. I have no tolerance of plagiarism, and students can fail the course (or worse) due to plagiarism.

Learning Objectives:

  • Understand and contextualize the major eras of urban planning and urbanization history (including major planning movements) and thus promote an explicit engagement with intellectual history.
  • Examine and critique the assumptions, logics and values of planning ideologies (e.g., modernism, positivism, utopianism, pragmatism, sustainability, post-colonialism, social equity, libertarianism, feminism, racial justice)
  • Define and contrast major planning concepts (e.g., the “socio-spatial dialectic”)
  • Define, contrast and place the seven major styles of planning (comprehensive, incremental, advocacy, equity, strategic, communicative action, market-based) in their political-economic historical context [class-constructed matrix of planning styles], and also apply these to a specific planning case study [in class scenario/role play]
  • Define and contrast the typologies of cities and urbanization
  • Define and place in context key planning events, actors, authors, case studies (places, projects, prototypes)
  • Place urban planning in its professional context relative to adjacent fields (architecture, public policy, geography, sociology, economics, environmental studies).
  • Directly engage the tension between planning theory and practice, and explore both the productive and unproductive tensions between the two.
  • Explore the alternative relationships between planning and the market (and the ways that this relationship in turn shapes planning styles and interventions).

And how specific class assignments serve these larger goals:

  • Become stronger writers of concise, critical essays that integrate substantive engagement of the literature (with proper citations), cumulatively building an analytical narrative, and thoughtful reflection. [Essays 1 & 2]
  • Gain experience in writing concise memos (and reflect on the differences between academic essays and professional memos) [Essay 3]
  • Quickly identify the central argument/question in planning writings [the 15 short reading response tasks over the semester]
  • Demonstrate the ability to articulate and contrast planning concepts, major planning eras, and key themes in planning literature [final project]

A few other important items to consider:

  • We welcome feedback (praise, criticism, suggestions) about the course (anytime during the semester), including about readings, assignments, lectures, class discussions, instructor-student interactions, etc. You may provide this feedback in a number of ways: sign up for office hours: send the instructor an email; or use this google form to send anonymous feedback/comments.
  • We also encourage you to complete the end-of-semester course evaluations. This is an important source of information for both the instructor and the program.
  • Laptops and cell phones are impressive devices and ubiquitous on campus. That said, please refrain from their use in the classroom. They are distracting for both student, your classmates and the instructor. (Studies have suggested that taking class notes by hand via pen & paper/notebook is generally more effective for learning than typing your notes.) If you have an urgent email/call/text to read or answer, please feel free to briefly step outside the classroom and complete. Thank you.
  • Writing is an important component of this course, and we are lucky to have an abundance of labor power to help you with your writing, including both Dr. Julie Steiff and Taru (our doctoral candidate GSI). Please take advantage of these resources!
  • Students come to the MURP program with a wide range of experiences and knowledge with academic writing, including citations and the problem of plagiarism. There are few things that make an instructor more grumpy and discouraged than to encounter plagiarism. And plagiarism is easily avoided. Please do carefully read the web page on academic writing and citations.
  • Class participation: I do not formally grade students on participation. I trust that you will find the material sufficiently engaging -- and the classroom culture productively inclusive -- to consistently arrive on time and participate in class discussions. Over the years I have observed that students engage class sessions in their own way: some gregarious, others quiet; some excitedly argumentative, others more cautiously curious. Students also bring with them a wide and interesting array of personal stories; family and cultural backgrounds; political, social and religious values and beliefs; and approaches to learning and discussion. Do be mindful of these differences, and the benefits of hearing from many voices in the classroom. (In my first week of planning graduate school, a wiser second year student said to me: you will likely learn more from your fellow students than from the faculty. I was taken aback by that statement, but later understood the truth in it.)
  • Finally, as a reward for reading this syllabus, click here to be eligible for a prize.

 

 


Additional Statements/Information

Below is information standard to all Urban Planning Program syllabi:

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism Policy
The Rackham Graduate School policy states: “Integrity in research and scholarship is a fundamental value of the University of Michigan. It is the responsibility of all students to conduct research and scholarly activities in an ethical manner at all times.” This requires that you are honest in all your course work. 

Plagiarism is the use of someone else’s words, ideas, or work as one’s own in writing or presentations, and failing to give full and proper credit to the original source. It is failing to properly acknowledge and cite language from another source, including paraphrased text. Plagiarism is a serious offense that will lead to grade penalties and a record filed with Taubman College. It may lead to failing a course or expulsion from the university. 

Taubman College Academic and Professional Student Conduct Policies
These policies apply to all Taubman College students as well as non-Taubman College students who take courses within the college. 

Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Taubman College affirms the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion as we organize resources and priorities that align with our values. We seek to have a diverse group of persons at all levels of the college - students, faculty, staff and administrators - including persons of different race and ethnicity, national origin, gender and gender expression, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, religious commitment, age, and disability status. We strive to create a community of mutual respect and trust, a community in which all members and their respective backgrounds, identities, and views are represented without any threat of bias, harassment, intimidation, or discrimination

Statement on Student Mental Health and Wellbeing
Taubman College is committed to advancing the mental health and wellbeing of its students. Studies and surveys indicate clearly that a variety of issues, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, alcohol/drug problems, and depression, directly impact student academic performance. If you or someone you know is feeling overwhelmed, depressed, and/or in need of support, please reach out to any of the following for assistance:

Karen Henry is a counseling psychologist and therapist with services for the college. She is affiliated with CAPS but works exclusively with art, design, urban planning, and architecture students. Her office is located in the Art and Architecture Building and she can be reached by email for an appointment (karhenry@umich.edu). 

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is dedicated to serving students. You can find their contact information and hours at the link to their website.

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
If you think you need an accommodation for a disability, please inform the instructor. Some aspects of this course – including assignments, and in-class activities – may be modified to facilitate your participation and progress. We will work with Services for Students with Disabilities to determine appropriate academic accommodations. We will treat any information you provide as private and confidential. 

 



Student Well-Being

Students may experience stressors that can impact both their academic experience and their personal well-being. These may include academic pressure and challenges associated with relationships, mental health, alcohol or other drugs, identities, finances, etc.

If you are experiencing concerns, seeking help is a courageous thing to do for yourself and those who care about you. If the source of your stressors is academic, please contact me so that we can find solutions together. For personal concerns, U-M offers many resources, some of which are listed at Resources for Student Well-being on the Well-being for U-M Students website. You can also search for additional resources on that website. 

Source of this text (and more information): https://studentlife.umich.edu/syllabus-statement-well-being