PPA 250, California Land Use Policy, Fall 2004

PPA 250 - California Land Use Policy
Fall 2004 --- Section 1

Peter M. Detwiler
Amador Hall, Room 362
Monday evenings, 6:00 - 8:50 p.m.

This interdisciplinary graduate course examines how public policies influence land uses. We will learn about the basic tools of land use planning and development. Later we will confront the issues that will dominate California's land use agenda as the new century unfolds: urban design, the fiscalization of land use, redevelopment, and the challenges of social equity. By the end of the semester, you will be prepared to cope with these issues in professional settings.

Methods. This course offers you several ways to learn and then apply your lessons. Early in the semester, I’ll rely on lectures to explore the weekly topics. As the semester progresses, we’ll engage in seminar discussions to explore the reading assignments. The writing assignments allow you to reflect on what you've read. Three group projects give you the experience of researching, preparing, and presenting professional proposals.

Office Hours. When you need answers to questions or want some advice, you can arrange to meet me on Monday afternoons, before class in Tahoe Hall, Room 3039. You can call me at home (916/455-4574) or at my Capitol office (916/445-9748). You can also fax material to my office (916/322-0298) or send me an e-mail message: detwiler@pacbell.net.

Assignments. The reading assignments offer you a variety of formats: journal articles that explore theories, magazine articles that offer opinions, reference works that present frameworks, and books that offer narrative interpretations. Quite frankly, the readings are extensive. Based on students’ experiences in previous semesters, you should plan to spend three hours preparing for every class hour. In other words, you will need to invest about eight to ten hours a week getting ready for the next class. The readings are always due on the dates listed in this syllabus.

You must keep up with the reading assignments to take advantage of my presentations and to participate in the class discussions. You will contribute to your colleagues by drawing on your own professional experiences, your collateral reading, and your other courses. Please come to class prepared with questions to ask or arguments to share.

Making and implementing land use policy is rarely a solitary experience. Professionals must collaborate with one another to achieve success. That's why this course relies so heavily on group projects and class participation.

There are six writing assignments: two essays, a book review, and the three group projects. Besides reviewing your papers' substance, I will reward your clarity, brevity, and organization. Because I place a premium on clear and lively writing, I strongly encourage you to consult Hacker’s Pocket Style Manual, one of our required books.

You must turn in your papers on the dates listed in this syllabus. I will penalize a late paper a full letter grade for each day that you are late.

Extra Credit. Sometimes an assignment just doesn't turn out the way you wanted: your working group flaked out, you hated the reading assignments, or the book review was a real struggle. You may write another book review to earn up to 5% extra credit. See Memo I.

Course Reader. Besides reprinting articles, the Course Reader contains eight memos from me to you, explaining your assignments:

Memo A offers useful advice on coping with your reading assignments.
Memo B gives you my recommendations for successful writing.
Memo C describes your short essay on “The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces.”
Memo D is a detailed explanation of your book review.
Memo E explains your essay on California’s suburbs.
Memos F, G, and H describe the three group projects.
Memo I tells you about the extra credit opportunity.

Grades. Your semester grade will reflect this schedule:
Assignment A	Essay on “Small Urban Spaces”	5%
Assignment B	Book review of Wye Island	15%
Assignment C	Essay on California’s suburbs	20%
Group Project I	Plan evaluation project	10%
Group Project II	Community observation project	10%
Group Project III	Community reinvestment project	20%
Class participation		20%
[Extra credit]		[5%]

Reading List. The semester's required readings include a text (Fulton), three books with different approaches to land use issues (Barbour, Gibbons, Jackson), and a writing resource book (Hacker). In addition, there are on-line chapters and articles. The Course Reader contains other articles and the advisory memos.

Barbour, Elisa. (2002.) Metropolitan Growth Planning in California, 1900-2000. San Francisco: Public Policy Institute of California.

Fulton, William. (1999.) Guide to California Planning (2^nd Edition). Point Arena: Solano Press Books.

Gibbons, Boyd. (1988.) Wye Island. Washington, D.C.: Resources for the Future.

Hacker, Diana. (2004.) A Pocket Style Manual (4^th Edition) Boston: Bedford Books.

Jackson, Kenneth T. (1985.) Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States. New York: Oxford University. Press.

The Hornet Bookstore stocks these books, with a good supply of used books in decent condition. They’re also available from local bookstores and from on-line retailers. At our first class, I will explain how you can obtain the Course Reader.

Schedule and Assignments. Here is our weekly schedule and the specific assignments for the Fall 2004 semester.

Week 1, August 30: Introductions. Who are these other people? And what does he really expect from us this semester? What are we going to do between now and December 13? Our first evening begins with self-introductions and descriptions of the assignments. Ask lots of questions tonight.

Week 2, September 6: No Class (Labor Day). The CSUS campus is closed but this week is a great opportunity to organize your Working Group; your first group project is due in a month. Graduate education is self-education, so prepare yourself by reading:

Jackson, Introduction
Chapter 1, “Suburbs as Slums.”
Chapter 2, “The Transportation Evolution and the Erosion of the Walking City.”
Chapter 3, “Home, Sweet Home: The House and the Yard.”
Chapter 4, “Romantic Suburbs.”
Chapter 5, “The Main Line: Elite Suburbs and Commuter Railroads.”
Chapter 6, “The Time of the Trolley.”
Chapter 7, “Affordable Homes for the Common Man.”
You must also watch the video, “The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces” (video #2925) which is available in the CSUS Library Media Center.

Week 3, September 13: Making Policies, Making Plans. How do policy advisors and decision-makers think about land use policy? To prepare for the class, you read:

Fulton, Chapter 1, “Introduction: How Planning in California Really Works.”
Chapter 2, “The Californias.”
Chapter 3, “The Emergence of Urban Planning and Land Use Regulation.”
Barbour, Chapter 1, “Introduction.”
Chapter 2, “The Foundation of the Regional Growth Management System.”
Chapter 3, Postwar Planning.”
Course Reader: “Memo A: Coping With Your Reading Assignments.”
“Memo B: Recommendations For Successful Writing.”
“Memo C: Short Essay on ‘The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces.’”
Detwiler, “Jello Without The Mold.”
Campbell, “Green Cities, Growing Cities, Just Cities?”
Also DUE ON THIS DATE is your short essay on Holly Whyte’s video.

Week 4, September 20: The General Plan. Why do the courts call a general plan the constitution for local development? What goes into a general plan? What about the other requirements besides the mandated elements? How can we tell if a general plan is any good? To prepare for tonight’s class, you read:

Week 5, September 27: Urban Design. How do people use their communities? What makes some places exciting? What condemns most suburbs to mind-numbing mediocrity? We'll discuss the concepts behind the Ahwahnee Principles. To prepare for this class, you read:

Week 6, October 4: Environmental Review. Why is the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) one of the most potent land use laws? Where did CEQA come from? Why is it so controversial? What do its defenders say? To prepare for the class, you read:

Week 7, October 11: Regulating Land Uses. Where do governments get their power to regulate the use of private property? Among the most traditional methods of regulating land use are zoning and use permits. Why is there so much litigation? To prepare for the class, you read:

Week 8, October 18: Developing Land. For many, land is not a resource to be conserved but a commodity that’s bought and sold. How do large parcels become smaller, marketable lots? To prepare for the class, you read:

Week 9, October 25: Wye Island.. An intense narrative of James Rouse's plan to develop a Chesapeake Bay island, Wye Island is a modern classic of land use literature. Set in Maryland in the early 1970s, this true story teaches us a lot about land use decisions in California at the start of the 21^st Century. Is California in 2004 really any different from Maryland in 1974? To prepare for this evening’s seminar, you read:: Gibbons, Wye Island (the entire book).

Week 10, November 1: Exactions, Dedications, and Takings. The Constitution protects property rights but governments can regulate private property. When landowners propose development, what can public officials require? What does the Constitution allow and what do the statutes permit? How do the players put these rules into practice? To prepare for the class, you read:
Also DUE ON THIS DATE is your book review of Wye Island.

Week 11, November 8: The Fiscalization of Land Use. This evening we explore the links between dollars and dirt. What are the fiscal consequences of land use decisions? What are the land use consequences of fiscal decisions? To prepare, you read:
Also DUE ON THIS DATE is Group Project II, “Observe and Record Project.”

Week 12, November 15: Redeveloping California. Redevelopment agencies have literally changed the way that California’s communities look; mostly for the better. But for many, redevelopment remains intensely controversial. What’s the future of property tax increment financing? To prepare for the class, you read:: Fulton, Chapter 15, “Redevelopment.”; Course Reader: AB 2805 (Ridley-Thomas, 2004) bill analysis.; “Redevelopment and the Property Tax Debate,” PPIC Research Brief.; www.ppic.org/content/pubs/RB_298MDRB.pdf; “Beach-Courchesne v. City of Diamond Bar” (2000) 80 Cal.App. 4^th 388.; www.courtinfo.ca.gov

Week 13, November 22: Drawing Boundaries. More than just an exercise in cartographic neatness, drawing local boundaries controls who gets public services, who gets the revenues, and who regulates land use. How these decisions affect development patterns is tonight’s focus. To prepare for the class, you read:
Also DUE ON THIS DATE is your essay on California’s suburbs.

Week 14, November 29: Planning For Whom? Planning involves choices and choices invoke values. What will California look like in the new century? How will private firms and public agencies shape land use patterns as the 21^st Century unfolds? Where does environmental justice fit it? To prepare for this evening’s class, you read:

Week 15, December 6: Community Reinvestment. The working groups present the results of their Group Project III, “Community Reinvestment Project” which is DUE ON THIS DATE. Each Working Group recommends a proposal for community reinvestment in a specific local neighborhood. A panel of local experts responds with constructive criticism on both the proposal's content and your presentation skills. We'll videotape the working groups' presentations. To prepare for this assignment, you read:: Course Reader: “Memo H: Community Reinvestment Project.”

Week 16, December 13: Concluding Thoughts. In our final class meeting, we’ll review last week’s “Community Reinvestment” projects by focusing on what worked well and what needed improvement. Everyone completes the University's formal “Faculty Evaluation Report.” You also have a chance to provide more detailed reactions by filling out my own less formal questionnaire. It's optional but still completely anonymous. At your option, the extra credit book review is DUE ON THIS DATE (see Memo I).

Version: August 8, 2004

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