EDRD*2250 - Planning Theory and Practice

Course Description

The course links the body of planning theory to the Canadian experience of local planning practice. It provides an introduction to the issues of planning in the public realm and its role in implementation of the development of municipalities through both growth as well as decline. This is achieved by examining planning theory and reflecting on the context and process of planning in practice in Canada. The student in the course will come to understand both the role of theory in guiding practice as well as the role of practice in evolution of theory. This understanding is critical to the role of the professional planner in facilitating local development and managing change in the public interest.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, the learner should be able to:

1. Explain how planning theory enhances appreciation of practice and how practices lead to evolution of theory;
2. Identify the theoretical basis of the legislative and regulatory requirements of the planning and Municipal Acts;
3. Describe how to incorporate appropriate planning methods into practice based on the theory that fits the situation; and
4. Describe the evolution of planning theory based on the course and how that allows you to understand the evolution of planning as it is practiced in Ontario and Canada.

Course Topics

• History and Context
• Development of Planning
• Institutions Roles, Power and Justice: Governance and Planning
• Local Planning
• Planning in Rural, Remote and Resource Based Communities
• Rational Planning
• Planning in Aboriginal Communities
• The theory of Trans-Active Planning
• Strategic and Adaptive Planning
• Advocacy Planning
• Trends and Futures for Planning Theory

Assessment

Note: