sustainable planning exam 1

THEORIES OF SUSTAINABLE PLANNING: Advocacy Planning

-typically involves power struggles -planner must maintain their credibility when doing this.. -how far will the planner go out on that limb? they're taking a side by representing those people, and that is irreversible. the planner must stay professional, and try not to use language that is extremely biased and emotional .

Challenges of pedestrian mall

-wont work for some businesses (i.e. big appliances) -long distances to walk may discourage shopping -personal safety

Conservation Design: 4 step process

1. Identify land to be protected/conserved 2. identify buildable areas to maximize their view of open space 3. provide critical vehicular and pedestrian access corridors 4. lay out proposed parcel boundaries

~PARTICIPATORY PLANNING: Charrette

"a brief, intense design workshop in which the design team works together with citizens and municipal staff" --by the end of it, you have a PLAN that is feasible, that you can take to politicians for approval. focus groups are used during charrettes...draws upon attitudes, feelings, beliefs, and experiences, which are more likely to be expressed in a social setting. --however, it can be difficult to choose participants. --the best group size is 6-10. --good moderator is KEY: should promote debate, ask open questions, probe for details, challenge participants, keep conversation on track, make sure everyone gets to speak

Park Service dual mandate

"to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wildlife therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such a manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for future generations" --Frederick Law Olmstead Jr. this has become a major challenge. today, people are loving parks to death.

Why do we fail to notice such major changes within the landscape?

-Creeping normalcy -landscape amnesia -powerful & political & economic voices

Technocratic Philosophy

-absolutely objective -"scientific method" -experts in planning are in charge, it's all very technical

Conservation Subdivision Design: benefits to potential homeowners

-access to common open space and recreational areas -greater appreciation of home -maintenance free living

CONSERVATION EASEMENTS: rights retained by landowners

-agricultural production -building barns, sheds, etc -use and expand existing residence -manage woodlands (sustainably) -create building envelopes in which future building CAN occur

PLANNING TOOLS FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO PROTECT OPEN SPACE

-agricultural security areas -transfer of development rights -open space zoning -conservation subdivision design

Conventional Zoning

-blueprint for development -assigns development designation for every acre -often called "planned sprawl"

STANDARD PROTOCOL FOR CREATING A PEDESTRIAN MALL

-communicate with traders along route -collect data on pedestrians and customers along the route and parallel streets....this provides a baseline and helps you tell if it's going to work there. -experimental closure...try it out! during a busy shopping time.

CONSERVATION SUBDIVISION DESIGN

-conservation of open space (50-70% open space) -minimizes site disturbances (i.e. clearing trees) -maximizes access to and views of open space areas -acheives the developers objectives ~there is additional profit for using this method over conventional

Incrementalist Philosophy

-deal with problems as they arise -no long term planning -"muddling through" -this happens with understaffed, busy, fast growing communities -$$$ is the most heard voice

components of a TDR program

-designated preservation zone -designated growth area -a pool of development rights that are legally severable from the land -a procedure so that development rights are transferred from one property to another

Effective TDRs

-ease of understanding (no need for attorney) -must be mandatory ( -has to be part of a solid growth management program -must have political support (easy to pull out)

Goals of a pedestrian mall

-enhance city image -increase sales -encourage cultural events -encourage public interaction -reduce noise + air pollution

CONSERVATION EASEMENTS: restrictions on property

-excessive signage -no commercial, no industrial, no mining -no subdivision -no commercial recreation (this can be a grey area, what is considered recreation? summer camp? guided elk tours?)

Conservation Subdivision Design: benefits to developer

-greater # of units = INCREASED PROFIT -less earthwork and clearing costs = more profit -more marketable development = profit -potential tax write-off for open space donation

Democratic Philosophy

-greatest good for greatest number of people is the goal -community consensus is the goal

Conservation Subdivision Design: benefits to environment

-large area of existing vegetation to remain and act as natural filter -improvements in stormwater runoff quality -promotes groundwater recharge and infiltration -limited impact on water shed -preserves habitats -maintains greenways

Laissez Faire Philosophy

-limited government, limited planning -they believe that the decisions people make in their own self interest will be best for the community -typically the voices that are heard the most are those with the most money

CONVENTIONAL SUBDIVISION DESIGN

-limited preservation of open space -majority of the site disturbed during construction -may result in negative impacts on the environment ---increased stormwater runoff; reduced groundwater recharge; little effort made to preserve existing woodlands and vegetation; minimal buffers provided for environmentally sensitive areas

THEORIES OF SUSTAINABLE PLANNING: Holistic Outlook

-linking different scales of planning: international, national, regional, local, neighborhood, etc -combining planning specialties: housing, land use, transportation, environmental protection

Conservation Subdivision Design: benefits to municipality

-no road maintenance -no winter road plowing -more units to tax -opportunity to lead the way for other municipalities joining this movement

obstacles to participation planning

-recruiting members of the public -few governments are staffed and organized for such participation

THEORIES OF SUSTAINABLE PLANNING: Acceptance of Limits

-saying no to some economic growth/development -sometimes you have to go against decades of common practices. . .such as getting rid of lawns and only planting native plants

Transfer of Development Rights (TDR)

-transferring rights to develop from one area to another. -used in combo with easements. -costs of easements recovered from developer (if done correctly)

Two types of TDR programs

1. landowners sell development rights to a developer 2. local government establishes a TDR bank (density still governed by comprehensive plan) Incentives: receiving area could get 30-50% more building units

Rights of Ownership (private land)

A bundle of individual rights: --the use of these rights is not absolute...you can't just do whatever you want because you own the land. --Gov't entities have the right to constrain a property owner's use of development rights, primarily through zoning. Development rights: independent of land ownership...can be shifted to another area. right can include: minerals, timber, water, riparian, agriculture

PA Ag. security areas: what are they, what land is eligible, and what are the benefits?

Ag security area (ASA) law passed in 1981. --created designated areas where ag will get special attention and protection. it's done in co-operation with willing landowners. ->to be eligible: -at least 250 acres total (doesn't have to be contiguous) -viable ag land -suitable soil -zoned for ag benefits: -different legal treatment...they are protected from noise complaints, small, etc ***restricts eminent domain (the seizure of land by govt for any reason like high speed trains or something) -encourages conservation easements

PA Legislature strengthens conservation easement laws

Augustine Natale case in chester county 1998: he tried to buy land that had an easement on it and build a farmhouse on it. the easement was held by French & Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust. they filed a lawsuit and lost, so Augustine built his farmhouse. the land trust took it to higher court and won, so they bulldozed his farmhouse. 2001 legislation strengthened easements so that land trusts can have more authority in lawsuits.

~PARTICIPATORY PLANNING: Techniques for generating ideas & building consensus: BRAINSTORMING

BRAIN STORMING: -fast -encourages many answers -good moderator can encourage thinking outside the box -no criticism allowed -record the ideas -rank ideas.

Limits to Growth study 1972: 5 trends and their answer

Danella Meadows of MIT set out to build a computer model to determine how long civilization could survive 5 trends in the model, which are all global concerns that are growing exponentially: -accelerating industrialization -rapid population growth -widespread malnutrition -depletion of natural resources -deteriorating environment ANSWER: 100 years left (2072) --at 100 year mark, there was sudden and uncontrollable decline in population and industrial capacity due to sanitation and disease --they did say we could turn this around. . .

The Three Es

Environment Economy Equity aka: people planet profit

~PARTICIPATORY PLANNING: Techniques for generating ideas & building consensus: FORCE FIELD ANALYSIS

FORE-FIELD ANALYSIS -used to determine if there is enough support for a proposed change -identify obstacles to successful solutions -suggest actions to reduce the strength of the obstacles ---we did this in class for slippery rock pedestrian mall

~PARTICIPATORY PLANNING: Techniques for generating ideas & building consensus: GO-AROUNDS

GO-AROUNDS: ideas are taken in order from each person, taking turns going around the room. it's good for soft spoken people bc everyone gets a turn. people get nervous waiting for their turn though.

~PARTICIPATORY PLANNING: Techniques for generating ideas & building consensus: IDEA WRITING

IDEA WRITING: -small groups, 3-5 people -writing ideas in a go-around fashion -pass to next person who adds and reacts -group discusses responses

The Three Es: Equity issues

ISSUES: -dream of unlimited growth tied to increasing inequalities in income -often, very little income actually trickles down to the poor....the gap between the rich and the poor actually increases. -technology can also increase poverty...automation is putting people out of jobs and unaffordable technology pushes this divide even further -disparities worsen as the suburbs expand

Open space in east vs west

In the east, it tends to be farmland. In the west, it tends to be wildlife protection areas.

Landscape Amnesia

Jared Diamond coined this term, he studied Easter island where the natives cut down every single tree, they literally forgot what it was even like to have big trees after they did that.

PA farmland losses

PA's best farmland is under intense development pressure. Large sums of $$$ are offered to farmers...it's hard for them to turn down. PA lost 1 million acres since 1982

Equity solutions

PUSH AFFORDABLE HOUSING -developers prefer building for the middle and upper class... -NIMBYism: people in upper/middle class don't want affordable housing "in their backyard"...they associate it with crime, etc -laws & policies favor ownership rather than renting Support local businesses Ensure underrepresented are heard within the local government Support equal school funding Support public transportation

Ebenezer Howard's Garden City concept

Requirements: -max population of 30,000 people -land owned in public trust (by community) -greenbelt surrounding the city -mixed use spaces ~they built one of these outside of London and wealthy people ate it up and poor people stayed near the factories. ~Radburn, NJ was the 1st US garden city...the idea of public land trust didn't sit well with Americans, seemed communist.

CONSERVATION EASEMENTS: economic impacts

a lot of value is lost when land is put under conservation easement. any future $ that could have been made through development is now lost. there are notable tax benefits if the landowner donates the land and it is valuable land with no industrial use.

Losses of farmland

according to American Farmland Trust, we are losing an acre of farmland per minute.

Open Space Zoning

allows same overall amount of development...but typically leaves half of the development as open space. based on the clustering technique.

PA TDR program

approved in 1987 more than 1,000 farms preserved, 135,000 acres...secnd to MD

American Society of Landscape Architects

became outspoken advocates of parks. they helped draft the bill creating the National Park Service.

Industrial Revolution

before the invention of the steam engine, which sparked the revolution, communities were very self sufficient. there was no need for big cities, until big factories started building in cities with lots of jobs to offer. cities quickly became very chaotic and the conditions were horrible, lots of disease, trash, etc. . .which resulted in: 1. city planning 2. conservation movement 3. parks movement

PA Land Trust Association

conservation easement assistance program! -gives grant $ -75 organizations, 100,000 members -given out $100,000 in grants -willing to give $5,000 grant per easement Technical Assistance program: -strengthens organizations base; teaches them how to raise $, areas to focus on, etc -helps develop a conservation plan and which areas to protect first -public outreach, education -uses conservation project as training tool

USING CONSERVATION EASEMENTS TO PROTECT MIGRATION CORRIDORS

ex: Greater Yellowstone -Centennial Valley: home to Red Rock Lakes national wildlife reserve. they had 100,000 acres that were privately owned that they wanted to protect. -the Nature Conservancy took on this project. they started an internship program with Montana State University. They went ro rhe farmers who owned this land and built relationships and trust with them through weeding for them and controlling invasives. After building trust, they talked to the farmers about protecting their land. For properties that are next to each other, they get all owners in agreement to put easements on their property so no one is disadvantaged by going first. Then all of the land is put under easement at once.

sprawl

fragmented development; expanding outward from a city. the city might get abandoned in this process. edge cities develop after sprawl. edge cities. . . -create environmental damage -take economic activity away from inner city -lose the sense of community the city has -eat up farm land -abandon the inner city.

Columbian Exposition of 1893

held in Chicago ~chicago won for best city planning -->led to the City-Beautiful Movement: outdoor sculptures and fountains, planning comissions

The Three Es: conflicting goals

jobs vs. environment politicians would say that we can't have jobs and protect the environment... --politicians rise and fall with the economy -reconciling these goals is key to sustainable planning. --we are going to lose some jobs. people who work in coal/oil/gas should be supported in transitioning into sustainable energy jobs.

CONSERVATION EASEMENTS

legal agreement (for privately owned land) between the land owner and the trust that PERMANENTLY limits the uses of the land. Typically administered by Land Trusts. It's recorded on deed at the County Courthouse. future owners are bound by these terms FOREVER. They are flexible in how you can set them up, as long as the plan meets the conservation goals.

Overshoot & it's causes

overshoot means to go beyond limits accidentally. Causes: 1. there is growth, acceleration, or rapid change 2. there is a barrier of some form. beyond this barrier you cannot proceed safely. 3. there is either a delay or mistake in perceptions or responses that are striving to keep things within limits.

Creeping Normalcy

refers to the way a major change can be accepted as normality if it happens slowly, keeps us from confronting environmental issues. although a "climate crisis" is happening, it isn't newsworthy because it has become a constant. Only large disasters bring us to look more critically at our environmental policy. Think of the saying that if you put a frog in cold water and start to heat it up it will sit in there until it dies but if you put it in a pot of already boiling water it will jump out. Creeping normalcy is the former.

Advocacy Philosophy

representing the people in a community with less of a voice than others.

American Civic Association

saw the parks as a way to fix moral failings of urban society...they said character flows from surroundings, and parks were equalizers. BUT people of color weren't always allowed in the parks...so...wtf

TDR: sending area vs. receiving area

sending: area wanted for protection receiving: area for development

THEORIES OF SUSTAINABLE PLANNING: Nurturing the health and distinctiveness of a location

sense of place: there is history tied up in places. for example, planners preserved the historical value of New Orleans, which turned out to be a great move. topophilia = attachment to place

Limits to Growth 1978 follow up study

showed that the carrying capacity was exceeded already

Urban Growth Boundary

strategy for expanding within boundary that follows city border. city will easily allow growth and development within this designated boundary.

What to do with the rapidly growing populations?

street comissions formed in the cities to try to get a handle on developing roads in cities....it's hard to un-do streets once theyre in place

~PARTICIPATORY PLANNING~ strengths and weaknesses

strengths: -encourages broad public participation -increased communication -responsive to public needs weaknesses: -no guarantee of good result -hard to define "community"

THEORIES OF SUSTAINABLE PLANNING: going above and beyond job description

sustainable planning may involve going beyond your job description. it takes personal involvement and leadership.

THEORIES OF SUSTAINABLE PLANNING: Focusing on qualitative

sustainable planning should focus on qualitative growth, not quantitative

Powerful political& economic voices

the people in power encourage us to wait for more studies to be completed, more evidence, blah blah

Frederick Law Olmstead and the parks movement

this dude designed central park. he was a visionary landscape architect who wanted to use the restorative power of nature to counterbalance the concrete jungle of NYC with nature spaces. he believed that without contemplating nature and having green spaces, we get depressed and mentally ill.

Why is planning needed?

today's development practices. . . -consume huge amounts of resources -damage ecosystems -produce pollutants and toxic chemicals -create wealth inequalities (wealthy ppl in the suburbs, poor in the cities) -fuel climate change -undermine local communities, economies, and quality of life

~PARTICIPATORY PLANNING: Land use mapping

using board game-like (either complex or tribes will use found objects like sticks and rocks) to map and visualize the community. the group physically builds the community the way they would like to see it, using small objects to represent different spaces and buildings in the actual community. --works well in developing countries --tangibly illustrates the community --GIS can be used: GIS build-out maps show existing conditions and possible plans

CONSERVATION EASEMENTS: can they be terminated?

yes, through the Doctrine of Changed Circumstances. --if the reason the easement was put on no longer exists, the easement could be undone. (ex: if the land was put on easement to protect grizzly bear habitat, and then grizzlies go extinct, the easement could be removed) --to avoid this, have multiple values when you put the land aside. (i.e. water protection, scenic value, habitats of other animals)

THEORIES OF SUSTAINABLE PLANNING

~attempts to take a long-term perspective. . .but this can be difficult especially with politicians being temporary. ~should look/learn from past.

The Sanitary-Reform Movement

~making people healthy again ~developing septic and waste systems ~cleaning up waterways

~~OPEN SPACE PLANNING TOOLS~~

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PHILOSOPHIES OF PLANNING

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