Course Overview

MoWe 1:00PM - 2:30PM
2108 Art & Arch Bldg.

This graduate course provides an introduction to regional planning and analysis. The regionalist tradition represents a distinctive way to analyze metropolitan development, envision an alternative conception of community, and structure institutional responses to environmental, economic and social challenges. We will examine the history, institutional practices, idealism and limitations of regional planning. Regional efforts include economic, environmental and social equity goals. Themes will include regional economic development, land preservation, regional sustainability efforts, city-suburb relations, water resource management, megaregions, and transportation. Case studies will include New York,Chicago, the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles,Portland, Metro Detroit, EU regionalism and Asian megacities.

We examine the lack of regional planning in the United States both as an example of American exceptionalism and as a myth. We will explore the disparities between regional idealism and the actual practice of regional planning and management, as well the the divergent views of the region as an economic system, an ecological habitat, and an administrative district. There is a tendency to assume that "regional planning" connotes a common, shared set of values, goals and basic principles. Planners generally do not think that "urban planning" should have a similar consensus, but there are certain unchallenged assumptions embedded in the "regional" notion that are both intellectually appealing and yet programmatically problematic. The growing interest in regionalism may in fact entail several divergent notions of "regional planning." These separate regional traditions will arguably lead to conflicts over such key regional issues as sustainability, restrictions on sprawling highway development, regional self-sufficiency vs. globalization (and thus the role of trade), the understanding of "regional balance" (be it jobs-housing or natural carrying capacity), the use of natural features vs. economic networks vs. existing administrative boundaries to define regions, the role of state and federal government in regional planning, the importance of regional land use planning, and the virtue of regionalism as a means versus an end in itself. One goal of this course will therefore be to examine the promise and obstacles of regional planning. Despite the ostensible common ground in the "region," the divergent focus on a region as a scale of analysis, of community identity, or of governance has historically led to the fragmentation of "regional planning" into remarkably different academic disciplines and professional directions.

Class Prerequisites
There are no formal prerequisites for this course. Previous coursework in urban planning, urban studies, local/regional politics, and/or environmental policy would be useful (but not necessary) preparation. Students from other programs (such as architecture, SNRE, public policy, business, social work, etc.) are encouraged to participate. I welcome all students to sit in on first week of class and see if the course is a good fit.

Class Requirements
Students are expected to complete all the required readings, actively participate in class discussions and presentations, and complete several short written assignments. The format of class sessions will be a hybrid of lectures and discussions (often led by students).

Readings
Readings are in multiple formats:

1. Articles and book chapters posted on ctools (Resources)

2. Selections from books available online available online through the UM Library "Ebrary". (see a selected list of titles below).. See the help page on the ebrary page for more information.

3. Readings available directly on the web (links provided on the syllabus)

4. Note: we will read selections from this modern regional classic. Cronon, William. 1991. Nature's metropolis: Chicago and the Great West. New York: W. W. Norton. (ISBN: 0393308731). [This book is not required, but highly recommended. both new and used copies should be widely available]

Books available on ebrary (authentication required -- and you need to set up a password the first time) -- NOTE: the ebrary list is growing, so this may not be a complete list.

Planning for a New Century : The Regional Agenda. 2000. Covelo, CA, USA: Island Press.
New Regional Development Paradigms Vol. 2 : New Regions - Concepts, Issues & Practices. 2001. Westport, CT, USA: Greenwood Press.
Sunbelt/Frostbelt: Public Policies and Market Forces in Metropolitan Development. 2005. Washington, DC, USA: Brookings Institution Press.
Taking the High Road : A Metropolitan Agenda for Transportation Reform. 2005. Washington, DC, USA: Brookings Institution Press.
Partnerships for Smart Growth. 2005. Armonk, NY, USA: M.E. Sharpe, Inc.
Great Works on Urban Water Resources, 1962-2001, from the American Society of Civil Engineers, Urban Water Resources Research Council : State of the Practice. 2006. Reston, VA, USA: ASCE.
Regional Development and Spatial Planning in an Enlarged European Union. 2006. Abingdon, Oxon, , GBR: Ashgate Publishing Group.
Corridor Ecology : The Science and Practice of Linking Landscapes for Biodiversity Conservation. 2006. Washington, DC, USA: Island Press.
Bright Satanic Mills : Universities, Regional Development and the Knowledge Economy. 2007. Abingdon, Oxon, , GBR: Ashgate Publishing Group.
Two Dragon Heads : Contrasting Development Paths for Beijing and Shanghai. 2009. Herndon, VA, USA: World Bank Publications.
Megaregions : Planning for Global Competitiveness. 2009. Covelo, CA, USA: Island Press.
De-Coding New Regionalism : Shifting Socio-Political Contexts in Central Europe and Latin America. 2009. Abingdon, Oxon, , GBR: Ashgate Publishing Group.
Shanghai Rising : State Power and Local Transformations in a Global Megacity. 2009. Minneapolis, MN, USA: University of Minnesota Press.
City-County Consolidation : Promises Made, Promises Kept? 2010. Washington, DC, USA: Georgetown University Press.
Research in Urban Sociology, Volume 10 : Suburbanization in Global Society. 2010. Bradford, GBR: Emerald Group Publishing Ltd.
Abbot, Carl. 2010. How Cities Won the West : Four Centuries of Urban Change in Western North America. Albuquerque, NM, USA: University of New Mexico Press.
Adams, Jonathan S. 2006. Future of the Wild : Radical Conservation for a Crowded World. Boston, MA, USA: Beacon Press.
Altshuler, Alan A., and David E. Luberoff. 2003. Mega-Projects : The Changing Politics of Urban Public Investment. Washington, DC, USA: Brookings Institution Press.
Anderson, Larry. 2002. Benton MacKaye : Conservationist, Planner, and Creator of the Appalachian Trail. Baltimore, MD, USA: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Annin, Peter. 2006. Great Lakes Water Wars. Washington, DC, USA: Island Press.
Avila, Eric. 2004. Popular Culture in the Age of White Flight : Fear and Fantasy in Suburban Los Angeles. Ewing, NJ, USA: University of California Press.
Bailey, Robert G. 2002. Ecoregion-Based Design for Sustainability. Secaucus, NJ, USA: Springer.
Beauregard, Robert A. 2006. When America Became Suburban. Minneapolis, MN, USA: University of Minnesota Press.
Bennett, Larry. 2010. Chicago Visions and Revisions : Third City : Chicago and American Urbanism. Chicago, IL, USA: University of Chicago Press.
Briggs, Xavier de Souza. 2005. Geography of Opportunity : Race and Housing Choice in Metropolitan America. Washington, DC, USA: Brookings Institution Press.
Bruegmann, Robert. 2005. Sprawl : A Compact History. Chicago, IL, USA: University of Chicago Press.
Bvrzel, Tanja. 2001. States and Regions in the European Union : Institutional Adaptation in Germany and Spain. West Nyack, NY, USA: Cambridge University Press.
Calthorpe, Peter, and William Fulton. 2001. Regional City : New Urbanism and the End of Sprawl. Covelo, CA, USA: Island Press.
Committee on Environmental Issues in Pacific Northwest Forest Management National Research Council, Committee on Environmental Issues in Pacific Northwest Forest Management. 2000. Environmental Issues in Pacific Northwest Forest Management. Washington, DC, USA: National Academies Press.
Erickson, Donna. 2006. MetroGreen : Connecting Open Space in North American Cities. Washington, DC, USA: Island Press.
Freund, David M. P. 2007. Historical Studies of Urban America : Colored Property : State Policy and White Racial Politics in Suburban America. Chicago, IL, USA: University of Chicago Press.
Fujita, Masahisa, Paul Krugman, and Anthony J. Venables. 1999. Spatial Economy : Cities, Regions and International Trade. Cambridge, MA, USA: MIT Press.
Gertler, Meric S., and Trevor J. Barnes. 1999. New Industrial Geography : Regions, Regulations and Institutions. Florence, KY, USA: Routledge.
Gottlieb, Robert. 2004. Next Los Angeles : The Struggle for a Livable City. Ewing, NJ, USA: University of California Press.
Repeated Author. 2007. Reinventing Los Angeles : Nature and Community in the Global City. Cambridge, MA, USA: MIT Press.
Hanlon, Bernadette. 2009. Once the American Dream : Inner-Ring Suburbs of the Metropolitan United States. Philadelphia, PA, USA: Temple University Press.
Hellmund, Paul Cawood, and Daniel Smith. 2006. Designing Greenways : Sustainable Landscapes for Nature and People. Washington, DC, USA: Island Press.
Hodge, Gerald, and Ira M. Robinson. 2001. Planning Canadian Regions. Vancouver, BC, CAN: UBC Press.
Katz, Bruce J. 2000. Reflections on Regionalism. Washington, DC, USA: Brookings Institution Press.
Knox, Paul L. 2008. Metroburbia, USA. New Brunswick, NJ, USA: Rutgers University Press.
Lang, Robert. 2003. Edgeless Cities : Exploring the Elusive Metropolis. Washington, DC, USA: Brookings Institution Press.
Lang, Robert, and Jennifer LeFurgy. 2006. Boomburbs : The Rise of America's Accidental Cities. Washington, DC, USA: Brookings Institution Press.
Lewis, Robert D. 2003. Chicago Made : Factory Networks in the Industrial Metropolis. Chicago, IL, USA: University of Chicago Press.
Lindenmayer, David B., and Joem Fischer. 2006. Habitat Fragmentation and Landscape Change : An Ecological and Conservation Synthesis. Washington, DC, USA: Island Press.
Mani, Devyani. 2001. New Regional Development Paradigms Vol. 3 : Decentralization, Governance & the New Planning for Local-Level Development. Westport, CT, USA: Greenwood Press.
McKinney, Matthew J., Will Harmon, and Shawn Johnson. 2009. Working Across Boundaries : People, Nature, and Regions. Cambridge, MA, USA: Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.
Miller, David. 2002. Regional Governing of Metropolitan America. Boulder, CO, USA: Westview Press.
Mullin, Megan. 2009. Governing the Tap : Special District Governance and the New Local Politics of Water. Cambridge, MA, USA: MIT Press.
Nathan, Richard P., and Gerald Benjamin. 2001. Regionalism & Realism : A Study of Government in the New York Metropolitan Area. Washington, DC, USA: Brookings Institution Press.
National Research Council, Staff. 1999. Governance and Opportunity in Metropolitan America. Washington, DC, USA: National Academies Press.
Olmanson, Eric D. 2007. Future City on the Inland Sea : A History of Imaginative Geographies of Lake Superior. Athens, OH, USA: Ohio University Press.
Orfield, Myron, and Thomas F. Luce. 2010. Region : Planning the Future of the Twin Cities. Minneapolis, MN, USA: University of Minnesota Press.
Otgaar, Alexander, Leo Van Den Berg, and Jan Van Der Meer. 2008. Empowering Metropolitan Regions Through New Forms of Cooperation : Cross-Border and Cross-Sector Partnerships in European Regions. Abingdon, Oxon, , GBR: Ashgate Publishing Group.
Ozawa, Connie P. 2004. Portland Edge : Challenges in Growing Communities. Covelo, CA, USA: Island Press.
Pack, Janet Rothenberg. 2001. Growth and Convergence in Metropolitan America. Washington, DC, USA: Brookings Institution Press.
Pastor, Manuel, Jr., Chris Benner, and Martha Matsuoka. 2009. This Could Be the Start of Something Big : How Social Movements for Regional Equity Are Reshaping Metropolitan America. Ithaca, NY, USA: Cornell University Press.
Pastor, Manuel, J. Eugene Grigsby, and Marta Lopez-Garza. 2000. Regions That Work : How Cities and Suburbs Can Grow Together. Minneapolis, MN, USA: University of Minnesota Press.
Saunders, William. 2005. Sprawl and Suburbia : A Harvard Design Magazine Reader. Minneapolis, MN, USA: University of Minnesota Press.
Saunders, William S. 2006. Urban Planning Today : A Harvard Design Magazine Reader. Minneapolis, MN, USA: University of Minnesota Press.
Seltzer, Ethan and Armando Carbonell (eds.). 2011. Regional Planning in America: Practice and Prospect. Lincoln Institute.
Smith, Carl. 2006. Plan of Chicago : Daniel Burnham and the Remaking of the American City. Chicago, IL, USA: University of Chicago Press.
Stobart, Jon. 2004. The First Industrial Region : North-west England, c.1700-60. Manchester, , GBR: Manchester University Press.
Teaford, J. C. 2006. Metropolitan Revolution - The Rise of Post- Urban America. New York, NY, USA: Columbia University Press.
Thayer, Robert L. 2003. Life-Place : Bioregional Thought and Practice. Ewing, NJ, USA: University of California Press.
Travis, William R. 2007. New Geographies of the American West : Land Use and the Changing Patterns of Place. Washington, DC, USA: Island Press.
Walker, Richard A. 2009. Country in the City : The Greening of the San Francisco Bay Area. Seattle, WA, USA: University of Washington Press.

Other texts of interest (not on ebrary)

Fulton, William B. 2001. The Reluctant Metropolis: The Politics of Urban Growth in Los Angeles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.