The primary goal of this course is to equip participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to apply sound land use planning principles. Upon completion, participants will be able to:

• Urban and Regional Planners
• Zoning and Code Enforcement Officials
• Real Estate Developers and Attorneys
• Land Surveyors and Civil Engineers
• Members of Planning Commissions and Boards of Adjustment
• Municipal Managers and Policy Analysts
• Environmental Consultants

• Case Studies of zoning and subdivision appeals (legal precedents)
• Group Activities: Drafting a land use ordinance amendment
• Role-playing scenarios: Presenting a controversial project to a Planning Commission
• Individual Exercises: Analyzing a local comprehensive plan and identifying inconsistencies
• GIS mapping demonstrations of land use patterns and suitability analysis
• Expert discussions on current legal challenges in land use law

Unit 1: Foundations of Land Use Control

• The police power and the constitutional basis for land use regulation
• Understanding the Standard State Zoning Enabling Act and Subdivision Enabling Act
• The concept of "taking" (eminent domain) and just compensation
• Land use litigation: key court cases and legal precedents
• The relationship between the comprehensive plan and zoning ordinance
• Ethical and equity considerations in regulatory decisions

• Purpose, scope, and components of a comprehensive or master plan
• Methods for conducting land use inventories and demographic projections
• Translating community vision into long-range spatial policies
• Integrating transportation, housing, and infrastructure elements
• The process of plan adoption, amendment, and periodic review
• Measuring and monitoring comprehensive plan effectiveness

Unit 2: Traditional Land Use Tools

• Structure and components of a standard Euclidean zoning ordinance
• Use districts, dimensional standards, and performance standards
• Special exceptions, conditional use permits, and variances
• The process of zoning amendments and rezoning applications
• Addressing nonconforming uses and vested rights
• Critiques of traditional zoning and its role in segregation

• Purpose and content of subdivision and land development ordinances
• Reviewing plat maps, engineering drawings, and required improvements
• Design standards for streets, blocks, and utility infrastructure
• Exactions, impact fees, and dedication requirements for public facilities
• The process of preliminary and final plat approval
• Addressing lot layout, density, and open space provision

Unit 3: Advanced Land Use Techniques

• Planned Unit Developments (PUDs) and their regulatory framework
• Incentive Zoning: density bonuses and public benefit trade-offs
• Floating zones and overlay zones (e.g., historic, flood zone)
• Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) and preserving sensitive lands
• Performance Zoning and regulating impact instead of use
• Form-Based Codes: prioritizing physical form over land use type

Unit 4: Land Use and Environmental Management

• Defining growth management and its policy goals
• Establishing Urban Growth Boundaries (UGBs) and their economic impact
• Adequate Public Facilities (APF) ordinances and phasing development
• Economics of compact development and Smart Growth principles
• Concurrency requirements and ensuring infrastructure capacity
• The politics and effectiveness of managed growth approaches

• Integrating natural hazard mitigation into land use (e.g., floodplains)
• Wetlands protection and regulation under land use law
• Steep slope and hillside development controls
• The role of Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) in land use decisions
• Planning for open space, habitat, and green infrastructure networks
• Water quality protection through low-impact development (LID) zoning

Unit 5: Implementation and Administration

• The role of the planner in managing the development review process
• Effective methods for conducting public hearings and community meetings
• Techniques for monitoring compliance and code enforcement
• Managing relationships between the planning commission, council, and public
• The use of capital improvement programming (CIP) to implement land use
• Measuring the outcomes and effectiveness of land use policy