Land Use Planning Systems
This course will concentrate on planning systems and planning cultures. The course applies a comparative approach to land use planning systems, and will also deal with the socio-spatial context of land use planning. The aim is to learn to understand and analyse different planning systems, their tools, processes and contexts.
The course will meet in Zoom on Wednesdays and Fridays 10:15–11:45 AM (depending on the COVID-19 situation, some sessions may be organised as hybrid sessions allowing attendance both online and on campus).
Teachers: Hanna Mattila (hanna.mattila@aalto.fi), Vesa Kanninen (vesa.kanninen@aalto.fi) and guest lecturers
Programme, Fall 2020 (subject to minor changes)
9.9. Introduction: What is land-use planning? (Hanna Mattila)
11.9. Planning systems – comparative approaches (& instructions for the group work) (Hanna Mattila)
Readings for the session: P. Newman and A. Thornley (1996), Urban Planning in Europe. International Competition, National Systems and Planning Projects, pp. 27-75. and V. Nadin and D. Stead (2008)," European Spatial Planning Systems, Social Models and Learning".
16.9. The Finnish planning system I (Hanna Mattila)
Readings for the session: Finland - A Nordic Approach to spatial Planning (an excerpt from Kai Böhme's book Nordic Echoes of European Spatial Planning)
18.9. The Finnish planning system II (Hanna Mattila)
Readings for the session, browse: Land Use and Building Act (132/1999) (unofficial translation; recent amendments not included)
23.9. Reforming the Land Use and Building Act (Raine Mäntysalo)
25.9. The British planning systems (Vesa Kanninen)
Readings for the session:
B. Cullingworth & al. (2015), Town and Country Planning in the UK, 15th edition, pp. 2-16. and P. Booth (2007), "The Control of Discretion. Planning and the Common Law Tradition".
30.9. The US planning systems (Hanna Mattila)
Readings for the session: B. Cullingworth & R. Caves (2009), Planning in the USA. Policies, Issues and Processes, 3rd edition, pp. 63-91.
2.10. What can the LBA reform learn from other European planning systems – insights into planning in France, Germany and the Netherlands (Guest speakers: Kaisu Kuusela & Kaisa Schmidt-Thomé)
Readings for the session:
7.10. Planning cultures (Tuomas Ilmavirta)
Readings for the session: B. Sanyal (2005) Hybrid Planning Cultures: the Search of the Global Cultural Commons. Pages 3–27 in Planning Cultures. ed. by Bish Sanyal. Available at Aalto library e-books.
9.10. Planning in the EU context (Eva Purkarthofer)
14.10. Group work presentations
16.10. Group work presentations
19.10. Home exam (starts)
25.10. Home exam (ends)
Assessment: Grades will be based on the assignments (group assignment, in-class assignments) 40 % and home exam 60 %. You are required to pass both parts, assignments and home exam, to pass the course.
Answer questions 1, 2 and 3 with a short essay, and submit your response via MyCourses by Sun 25 Oct midnight:
1. What is meant by “discretionary planning systems”? How, why, and where discretionary systems have emerged? How do discretionary planning systems differ from regulatory systems? What are the strengths and weaknesses of discretionary planning systems when compared to regulatory systems?
2. Describe the history and the main characteristics of zoning in the US. How does zoning in the US differ from the European traditions of land-use regulation? What is the relation between the concepts of zoning and planning in the US based planning discourse?
3. How has the EU influenced land-use planning in its member countries? What kind of competencies EU has in land-use planning? What does the Europeanisation of planning mean? How has the EU membership influenced planning in Finland?
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Criteria for a good essay answer:
- Read the questions through carefully and make sure that you really answer the question
- Don’t copy the readings and lecture slides; use your own phrasing
- Illustrate your answers with examples (from your group works etc.)
- Reflect critically on the readings and lectures; feel free to express your opinions, as long as you back them up with reasons
Note that you are allowed to use Finnish and Swedish in addition to English when answering the questions.
Good luck!
Questions will be available here as of Monday 19 Oct 9 AM. Please submit your responses as a word or pdf file by Sunday 25 Oct midnight.