PPA 250 - California Land Use Policy

Fall 2005 --- Section 1

Peter M. Detwiler
Sequoia Hall, Room 122
Tuesday 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 (916/651-4115).  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 Diana 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 nine memos from me to you, explaining your assignments:

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 (Gibbons, Jackson, Wolch), 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.

Fulton, William.  (2005.)  Guide to California Planning (3rd Edition).  Point Arena: Solano Press Books.

Gibbons, Boyd.  (1987.)  Wye Island.  Washington, D.C.: Resources for the Future.

Hacker, Diana.  (2004.)  A Pocket Style Manual (4th Edition).  Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s.

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

Wolch, Jennifer, et al., eds.  (2004.)  Up Against The Sprawl: Public Policy and the Making of Southern California.  Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

The Hornet Bookstore stocks these books, including some used books in decent condition.  They’re also available 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 2005 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: Making Policies, Making Plans.  How do policy advisors and decision-makers think about land use policy?  This week is also a great time to organize your Working Group because your first group project is due in a month. To prepare for class, you read:
Fulton, Chapter 1, “How Planning in California Really Works.”
Chapter 2, “The Californias.”
Chapter 3, “The Emergence of Urban Planning and Land Use Regulation.”
Jackson, Introduction
Chapter 1, “Suburbs as Slums.”
Chapter 2, “The Transportation Evolution and the Erosion of the Walking City.”
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.’”
You must also watch the video, “The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces” (video #2925) which is available in the CSUS Library Media Center.
Also DUE ON THIS DATE is your short essay on Holly Whyte’s video.
Week 3, September 13: Dirt, Dollars, and Duties.  Land use, public finance, and governance are intertwined.  This week we examine those connections.  Because graduate education is self-education, you prepare yourself by reading:
Fulton, Chapter 4, “The Structure of Planning Decision-Making, Part I.”
Chapter 5, “The Structure of Planning Decision-Making, Part II.”
Jackson, 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.”
Wolch, Introduction, “Making Southern California.”
Chapter 1, “W(h)ither Sprawl?”
Course Reader:  Detwiler, “Jello Without The Mold.”
Campbell, “Green Cities, Growing Cities, Just Cities?”
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?  Besides the required elements, what about the other requirements?  How can we tell if a general plan is any good?  To prepare for tonight’s class, you read:
Fulton, Chapter 6, “The Basic Tools, Part 1, The General Plan.”
Chapter 12, “Doing The Big Deals: Specific Plans & Development Agreements.”
OPR’s General Plan Guidelines
Chapter 1, “General Plan Basics.”
Chapter 2, “Preparing and Amending the General Plan.”           
www.opr.ca.gov/planning/PDFs/General_Plan_Guidelines_2003.pdf
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:
Fulton, Chapter 18, “Urban and Environmental Design.”
Course Reader: Southworth, “Walkable Suburbs?”
“The Ahwahnee Principles.”
www.lgc.org/ahwahnee/principles.html
“Towards More Livable Communities.”
www.lgc.org/freepub/land_use/articles/ahwahnee_article/page01.html
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:
Fulton, Chapter 9, “The California Environmental Quality Act.”
Chapter 22, “Structure of Natural Resources Protection.”
Chapter 23, “Endangered Species: Habitat Protection.”
Chapter 24, “Other Natural Resource Issues.”
Wolch, Chapter 8, “The Preservation of Nature at the Urban Fringe.”
Course Reader: Olshansky, “CEQA and Local Planning.”
OPR’s General Plan Guidelines, Chapter 7, “CEQA and the General Plan.”
www.opr.ca.gov/planning/PDFs/General_Plan_Guidelines_2003.pdf
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:
Fulton, Chapter 7, “The Basic Tools, Part 2: Zoning Ordinances & Development Codes.”
Jackson, Chapter 9, “The New Age of Automobility.”
Chapter 10, “Suburban Development Between the Wars.”
Course Reader: AB 838 (Spitzer, 2003) bill analysis.
“Memo F: Plan Evaluation Project.”
Also DUE ON THIS DATE is Group Project I, “Plan Evaluation Project.”
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:
Fulton, Chapter 8, “The Basic Tools, Part 3: The Subdivision Map Act.”
Chapter 16, “Housing.”
Chapter 17, “The Emergence of ‘Smart Growth’ and Infill Development.”
Jackson, Chapter 11, “Federal Subsidy and the Suburban Dream.”
Chapter 12, “The Cost of Good Intentions.”
Chapter 13, “The Baby Boom and the Age of the Subdivision.”
Wolch, Chapter 10, “Smart Growth or Smart Growth Machine?”
Chapter 11, “Living on the Edge: Growth Policy Choices for Ventura County.”
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 21st Century.  Is California in 2005 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:
Fulton: Chapter 10, “Exactions.”
Chapter 11, “Traditional Growth Management.”
Chapter 13, “The Consequences of Regulation.”
Course Reader: Strong, et al., “Property Rights and Takings.”
“Memo B: Recommendations For Successful Writing.”
“Memo D: Writing A Book Review.”
United States Supreme Court, “Kelo v. City of New London.”
www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/04slipopinion.html
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:
Fulton, Chapter 14, “Economic Development.”
Chapter 19, “Infrastructure and Infrastructure Finance.”
Chapter 20, “Transportation Planning and Funding.”
Chapter 21, “School Facilities Planning.”
Jackson, Chapter 14, “The Drive-In Culture of Contemporary America.”
Wolch, Chapter 5, “Where Is The ‘Region’ In Regional Transportation Planning?”
Chapter 6, “Metropolitan Fiscal Structure.”
Course Reader:  Detwiler, “Chapter 1: Introduction.”
“Memo G, Observe and Record Project.”
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.”
Wolch, Chapter 9, “Can Growth Control Escape Fiscal and Economic Pressures?”
PPIC Research Brief: “Redevelopment and the Property Tax Revenue Debate.”
www.ppic.org/content/pubs/RB_298MDRB.pdf
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:
Jackson, Chapter 8, “Suburbs into Neighborhoods … Municipal Annexation.”
Wolch, Chapter 3, “Urban Sprawl, Racial Separation, and Federal Housing Policy.”
Chapter 4, “From the Barrio to the ‘Burbs?”
Week 14, November 29: Planning For Whom?  Planning involves choices and choices invoke values.  What will California look like later this century?  How will private firms and public agencies shape land use patterns as the 21st Century unfolds?  Where does environmental justice fit it?  To prepare for this evening’s class, you read:
Fulton, “Conclusion.”
Jackson, Chapter 15, “The Loss of Community in Metropolitan America.”
Chapter 16, “Retrospect and Prospect.”
Wolch, Chapter 2, “Environmental Racism and Urban Development.”
Chapter 12, “The Experimental Metropolis.”
Gen’l Plan Guidelines, Chapter 2, “Sustainable Development & Environmental Justice.”
www.opr.ca.gov/planning/PDFs/General_Plan_Guidelines_2003.pdf
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.
Course Reader: “Memo B: Recommendations For Successful Writing.”
“Memo E: Thoughts on California’s Suburbs.”
DUE ON THIS DATE is your culminating essay on California’s suburbs.

At your option, the extra credit book review is DUE ON THIS DATE (see Memo I).

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Version: July 9, 2005