Urban & Environmental Planning

Daphne Spain — Department Chair

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT

Students in the Planning program develop the understanding, sensitivity, and skills necessary to pursue professional careers in a variety of public, private, and nonprofit roles. The Department values environments where countrysides are productive and appropriately protected, where cities have vital centers and efficient means of movement, and where neighborhoods offer opportunities for all to live affordably and safely. The curriculum introduces students to the theories of planning, methods of analysis, effective means of communication, planning processes, and creative strategies for implementation. Choosing a Career In Urban Planning - the 28-page 2008 version of this brochure, is now posted here and can be viewed and printed.

One of the distinctive features of the program is a strong concern for community sustainability. While the topic is addressed in specific courses with that title, the concept of sustainability provides an underlying framework throughout the curriculum. Our goals are similar to those of the American Planning Association's Guide to Planning for Sustainability. The title of our department is Urban and Environmental Planning. We believe it is necessary to consider both the urban and environmental aspects of a setting to address its issues, problems, and opportunities. We are as much concerned with the economy and issues of equity as we are with the environment, and find it more useful to emphasize linkages than distinctions. We hope to inspire our students to have the same enthusiasm we feel for addressing the planning needs of sustainable communities.

The Department is built on a distinguished faculty and excellent students. Many of the faculty are engaged in current professional and civic work in addition to pioneering research and publications. A number of part-time faculty who are active full-time professionals also contribute to the course offerings. The Institute for Environmental Negotiation works closely with the Department and frequently involves faculty and students in research projects.

DEGREES

The Department offers two degrees. In addition to a four-year Bachelor’s and a two-year Master’s of Urban and Environmental Planning, the Department offers a Minor for students throughout the University and a certificate in Historic Preservation. There are also a number of dual degree opportunities within the Master’s program.

The Institute for Environmental Negotiation (IEN)

Negotiation, mediation, and other interactive and collaborative problem solving approaches are increasingly important in planning, policy making and in the resolution of development controversies. The Institute for Environmental Negotiation of the Department of Urban and Environmental Planning is a major resource for the acquisition of these conflict resolution skills.

The Institute sponsors visiting mediation practitioners, offers courses in negotiation skills and public involvement, and provides training opportunities through internships. The Mediator, newsletter of the institute, is also available online.

NEWS AND EVENTS

June 25, 2009

Faculty Receive University Academic Community Engagement Grants

ACE Faculty Grants Program

{News from the Office of University and Community Partnerships}The Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost announced today the School of Architecture faculty who are recipients of the 2009 Academic Community Engagement (ACE) grants. These grants are awarded to U.Va. faculty members who create a new course or revise an existing course to incorporate a community service or community-based research project. Tanya Denckla Cobb, Senior Associate at the Institute for Environmental Negotiation, and Timothy Beatley, the Teresa Heinz Professor of Sustainable Communities, designed the course “Community Food System Planning: PART II.” Students in their class will continue to explore the challenges of acquiring local food in Charlottesville and its surrounding communities, while working with the Jefferson Board for Aging and Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission to develop a comprehensive plan to improve access. Betsy Roettger, lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Advising in the Department of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, designed the course "Designing Higher-Density Affordable Housing.” Students in this class will choose different affordable housing projects in Charlottesville each year and work with Virginia Supportive Housing (VSH) to assure that the building plans and processes are environmentally responsible. John Quale, an assistant professor and the director of the ecoMOD project, designed the course "Evaluating ecoMOD, ecoMOD Design Studio and ecoMOD engineering class.” This class is a continuation of the previously established ecoMOD project, which focuses on working with community partners to create affordable housing that is also environmentally friendly.

June 11, 2009

IEN Presents McCarthy Leadership Award to Joseph Maroon

[by Jane Ford, UVa News Services] Joseph H. Maroon, director of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, is the recipient of the 2009 Gerald P. McCarthy Award for Leadership in Environmental Conflict Resolution. The University of Virginia's Institute for Environmental Negotiation presents the award annually on behalf of the Virginia Natural Resources Leadership Institute, a partnership between the Virginia Department of Forestry, Virginia Cooperative Extension and the institute. Maroon, who has been director of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation since 2002, was recognized for his leadership and vision in leading non-governmental organizations and state agencies with exemplary skills in consensus-building. Maroon received the award at the graduation dinner for the 2009 class of the Virginia Natural Resources Leadership Institute, held Thursday in Charlottesville. "I am pleased that the selection committee sought to honor an individual for following what is often a difficult path. It is too easy to see interests outside of an agency as the 'them,' either to be avoided or defeated," institute director Frank Dukes said. "I have seen firsthand Mr. Maroon's commitment to the hard work of consensus-building. This award honors the individual but also the actions of working across differences to find meaningful solutions to Virginia's many environmental challenges." The award is given to an individual who demonstrates leadership in preservation and protection of the commonwealth's environment; supports collaborative problem-solving through actions, contributions and/or educational programs; and acts as a role model to other groups and individuals for the resolution of environmental issues. The Gerald P. McCarthy Award for Leadership in Environmental Conflict Resolution was created in 2004 to honor McCarthy, its first recipient, and his efforts to protect and promote environmental literacy and mediation in Virginia. McCarthy is executive director of the Virginia Environmental Endowment.

June 8, 2009

UVa Planning Professor Launches Model Curriculum Web Site Devoted to the Built Environment and Health

Built Environment + Public Health

[UVa News, by Jane Ford] At the turn of the last century, urban planners and public health officials often worked hand-in-hand to improve public health by building better water and sewer infrastructure, addressing transportation issues and creating parks and open spaces. But the two disciplines later drifted apart. Though the two fields have begun to re-converge over the last decade on the research level, they remain infrequent partners in the classroom. Yet scientific evidence suggests that many chronic illnesses – including obesity, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, respiratory diseases and mental health, as well as infant and childhood health issues – are linked to the built environment. To bridge the classroom gap between public health and planning professionals, Nisha Botchwey, an assistant professor in the University of Virginia's School of Architecture, created a Web site that defines a model interdisciplinary curriculum to address the health implications of the built environment. The target audience is planning and public health faculty and students and those interested in continuing education in the convergence of the fields of health and the natural and built environment. "The curriculum can be easily adaptable for use in schools of planning and public health," Botchwey said. "Students will be able to build fundamental knowledge across disciplines and develop skills to interact effectively across fields." The idea for the Web site grew out of a course Botchwey first taught in 2004 that delved broadly into health and the built environment. In 2007, Botchwey searched the Web for courses and programs at other institutions that integrated the two areas of study, and identified only six courses devoted to this intersection of the disciplines — planning and public health histories, health disparities, air and water quality, physical activity, social capital and mental health. Botchwey collaborated with instructors in these courses to develop content, assignments and evaluations for the Web-based curriculum. The focus of the Web site is to "illustrate how environmental approaches can reduce the incidence of diseases and stimulate an exchange of ideas and set the stage for continued collaboration across fields." Botchwey said. The online curriculum outlines a semester of study that can be used in whole or part to address the topics in an interdisciplinary manner. Botchwey shaped the curriculum into a 15-week model course comprising four units, which follow content as well as active learning-centered approaches to the material. Readings, guest lectures, field-based assignments, data-collection activities and community involvement are structured to engage students in critical thinking, and to develop skills to address the issues as professional planners, public health practitioners and other related professionals. "Unit 1: Planning and Public Health Foundations" focuses on developing an understanding of public health and planning history, its evolution and historical and current theories on the relationship between the built environment and public health. "Unit 2: The Natural and Built Environment" is geared toward identification of contemporary features of the built environment, such as patterns of development, parks, public works projects, housing and transportation systems, that reflect past efforts to influence health. Methods developed by architects, urban planners, public health professionals, sociologists and anthropologists to address current health impacts of the built environment are also identified. Topics to be covered include air and water quality, land use, transportation, and environmental and health impact assessments. "Unit 3: Vulnerable Populations and Health Disparities" is designed to explore issues related to mental health, social capital and environmental justice. The goal is to give students opportunities to learn about themselves and the context in which others operate, and to better integrate that understanding when evaluating differing built environments, socioeconomic positions, social and cultural backgrounds and health status. "Unit 4: Health Policy and Global Impacts" focuses on sustainable planning, global warming and healthy housing. For each unit, the Web site provides sample syllabi, lists of readings and course assignments, and links to related organizations, conferences and videos. "The course curriculum provides the tools that allow for the lens of planning and place and the lens of public health professionals to be united in a common frame of analysis," Botchwey said. The Web site was created with financial support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

April 22, 2009

Karen Firehock's Students Create Plans for Lynchburg's "eco park"

Lynchburg News & Advance

Lynchburg plans city eco-park By Liz Barry, Lynchburg News & Advance A boarded-up brick warehouse on Rutherford Street is a faint shadow of its industrial past — the roof sags, vines slink through broken windows and the air smells faintly of chemicals. Starting in the early 1900s, the 16.9-acre site was home to the Thornhill Wagon Company, one of the largest manufacturers of farm wagons in the east. Later it became the Allen-Morrison Corporation, which produced the ubiquitous metal Coca-Cola signs that now populate antique stores and old-time diners. When Allen-Morrison went out of business in 1996, the company abandoned a cluster of brick and metal buildings. In 2003, the city of Lynchburg acquired the property through eminent domain and developed a plan to transform the industrial wasteland into a cutting-edge “eco-park.” “Our goal is that this park will model sustainability, and we want to use green building practices as much as we can as we design this park,” said Parks and Recreation Director Kay Frazier. The project, referred to as “City Stadium Park,” was one of 16 chosen nationwide for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfields Program. The program provides grant money for the redevelopment of property with hazardous environmental issues. The EPA grant, along with money from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, has funded the early stages of the site’s transformation. For now, the dilapidated buildings remain an eyesore in the Fort Hill neighborhood, which is home to the future eco-park’s next-door neighbors, City Stadium and Lynchburg Grows, an urban farm that grows organic produce and provides outreach programs for people with disabilities, at-risk youth and others. Soon that will change. The city has secured funding to deconstruct and demolish the buildings as soon as this summer. The eco-friendly teardown will salvage materials that can be recycled or reused in city projects, such as metal, wood planks and bricks. The aim is to keep the materials out of the landfill, Frazier said. This spring, the project received additional momentum when graduate students from the University of Virginia completed conceptual plans for the park for their urban and environmental planning class, taught by adjunct professor Karen Firehock. The plan restores tree canopies and green space to an area that’s dominated by concrete and asphalt. It features a multipurpose athletic field, community center with an indoor gym, playgrounds, trails, picnic shelters and pedestrian access to Lynchburg Grows and City Stadium. Sustainable design elements, such as green roofs and rain gardens, are central to the concept. “They really took it to a new level of sustainable practices because they incorporated a lot of low-impact design strategies and were really trying to reduce the amount of runoff that would ultimately leave the site,” said Erin Hawkins, environmental reviewer for the city of Lynchburg. [article continues at News & Advance]

February 25, 2009

New U.Va. Study Sheds Light on Foreclosures in States and Metropolitan Areas

USA Today Article quoting William Lucy

{UVa News, by Jane Ford} National housing price declines and foreclosures have not been as severe as some analyses have indicated, and they are not as important as financial manipulations in bringing on the global recession, according to a new analysis of foreclosures in 50 states, 35 metropolitan areas and 236 counties by University of Virginia professor William Lucy and graduate student Jeff Herlitz. Their analysis shows that most foreclosures have been concentrated in California, Florida, Nevada, Arizona and a modest number of metropolitan counties in other states. In fact, they claim that "66 percent of potential housing value losses in 2008 and subsequent years may be in California, with another 21 percent in Florida, Nevada and Arizona, for a total of 87 percent of national declines." [for complete article, follow link to UVa News]