Introduction to Urban and Regional Planning
one-way Exclusions
Two 1.5 hour lectures per week
Please note that course information listed in the Arts and Science Course Calendar supersedes any information listed on the Geography and Planning website.
For the most current course offerings, registered Queen鈥檚 students should consult .
Course Description
This course provides a broad overview of urban and regional planning, one of the most exciting professions in Canada today. Every Canadian municipality has a land use plan for its future, from the smallest villages in Nunavut to Toronto. The course will critically examine these community plans, which usually include measures to improve the social, environmental, and economic sustainability of their settlements and are guides for infrastructure investment. Some of the questions that will be addressed in the course include:
- How did Canadian community planning evolve over the past century?
- How does community planning work today and who participates in it?
- How are diverse residents of these communities involved in plan preparation and what are their motivations and interests?
- Are the results of the urban development process socially, economically, or environmentally sustainable?
- What is the technical analysis behind the plans and the difficult tasks involved in implementing them?
The course highlights international examples that have affected Canadian practice but focuses upon Canadian communities.
Learning Outcomes
- Identify and describe some major trends in urban and regional planning from prehistoric times to the present.
- Identify and classify important historical plan precedents from maps and drawings.
- Understand the evolution of Canadian community planning from social, environmental, and regulatory perspectives.
- Identify and define key terms and concepts from different interdisciplinary fields that intersect with planning practice.
- Develop a basic familiarity with some of the tools and techniques planners employ in their work.
- Compare and critically assess the quality of contemporary community plans.
Assessments
Subject to Change
- Weekly Quiz (best 9 out of 10): 20%
- Midterm: 20%
- Final Exam: 20%
- Paper Proposal (one page): 5%
- Term Paper (six page plan comparison): 25%
- Attendance, Class Exercises, and Participation: 10%