Land Use Advising Pathway

Faculty:

Yiping Fang, Matthew Gebhardt, Megan Horst, Marisa Zapata

Summary:

The traditional core of planning programs, land use is characterized by a generalist, comprehensive approach to addressing multiple and interrelated issues. We believe all planning should be attentive to land use! Thus, land use planning includes, but is not limited to, a focus on housing, infrastructure, open space, and economic development. The scale of land use concerns range from a specific site, as in the application of development standards for a convenience store, to the region as a whole, as in the establishment and management of urban growth boundaries. A land use plan may take the form of a comprehensive plan, strategic plan, urban structure plan, or as a vision or set of scenarios for future community development and change.  Land use planners work in a wide variety of settings and sectors, and typically constitute the largest group of local government planners working in either current or long-range planning offices.

Internationally, Oregon is well know for its land use policies. While we focus here at PSU on planning in the Oregon land use planning context, the degree- and focus on land use- transfer well. The goal of learning is to highlight the politics of land use planning that holds true for anywhere in the world.
 

Where land use planners work:

Organization TypeExamples of Agencies and Organizations
Government planning agenciesCity of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability
Washington County Planning and Development Services
Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development
Port of Portland
TriMet
Metro
Planning consulting firmsCogan Owens Greene
SERA
David Evans and Associates
Angelo Associates
Alta Planning
Community development organizationsSoutheast Uplift Neighborhood Program
REACH Community Development
Living Cully
Development firmsGerding Edlen
Williams and Dame
BEAM Development
Advocacy organizations1000 Friends of Oregon
Portland Audubon
Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland
Urban Greenspaces Institute

Foundational knowledge and skills:

CapabilitiesCourseType
Conceptual, legal and technical aspects for plan implementation; roles and modes for regulatory and investment strategiesUSP 542 Land Use ImplementationPolicy
Site assessment, site design, zoning and planning interpretationUSP 524 Site PlanningSkill
American legal context and enabling authority for planning and land use regulationUSP 555 Land Use: Legal AspectsPolicy
Analysis of fiscal and distributional impacts of local land use decision-making and outcomesUSP 579 State and Local Public FinanceSkill

Recommended course sequencing:

 FallWinterSpring
Year 1-USP 542
USP 579 (or 2nd year)
USP 524
Year 2-

USP 555

 

 

Additional knowledge and skills relevant to field: Please check with your adviser, the course instructor, and the Course Projection Guide to make sure you take classes when they are offered.

AreaCourse(s)Type
Real Estate    USP 523 Real Estate Development IPolicy, Skill
USP 546 Real Estate Development IISkill
USP 529 Green BuildingsPolicy
RE 521 Real Estate Finance ISkill
See also: Graduate Certificate in Real Estate Development 
Food Systems      USP 576 Feeding the CityTheory, Policy
PA 574 Food and Agricultural PolicyTheory, Policy
PHE 527 Food Systems & Public HealthTheory, Policy
See also: Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Food Systems 
Urban Design  See also: Graduate Certificate in Urban DesignTheory, Policy, Skill
HousingUSP 567 Urban Housing PoliciesPolicy
USP 596 Affordable Housing FinanceSkill
USP 523 Real Estate Development IPolicy, Skill
Regional and Transportation PlanningUSP 570 Transportation and Land UseTheory, Policy, Skill
 See also: Graduate Certificate in Affordable Housing