PAD3330 Midterm

What is the role of an urban planner?

To balance technical expertise and politics; act as neutral experts, consensus builders, advocates, or agents of change.

Where are most planning agencies located in government?

In the executive branch; directors are political appointees, staff are civil service.

What fueled suburbanization after WWII?

GI Bill, FHA mortgages, rising incomes, car ownership, highways, and the baby boom.

What trend stabilized many U.S. cities in the 2000s?

Immigration slowed population loss in major cities.

What characterized Colonial Era planning?

Compact, walkable towns with grids, public squares, and mixed uses.

What movement launched modern city planning?

City Beautiful movement (1893 Columbian Exposition, 1909 Plan of Chicago).

What is zoning?

Dividing land into districts regulating use, size, and design.

Why is zoning popular with governments?

It allows control without paying compensation, unlike eminent domain.

Who created the Garden City concept?

Ebenezer Howard (1898).

What was the Housing Act of 1949?

Federal law that launched Urban Renewal, clearing blighted areas and displacing millions.

What replaced Urban Renewal in 1974?

Community Development Block Grants, with focus on preservation.

What are some consequences of current urban planning?

Sprawl, segregation, gentrification, environmental strain, foreclosure crises.

Where do local governments derive their powers?

From state constitutions and enabling acts.

What are the main tools of local governments?

Police power, eminent domain, taxation, and spending.

What does the Fifth Amendment guarantee in takings?

Just compensation for private property taken for public use.

What does the Fourteenth Amendment guarantee in takings?

Due process in state and local government actions.

What is a regulatory taking?

When regulations reduce property value, raising debate over whether it counts as a taking.

What was Euclid v. Ambler (1926)?

U.S. Supreme Court case that upheld zoning as constitutional.

What was Nollan v. California Coastal Commission (1987)?

Case requiring permit conditions to have a nexus to public purpose (Essential Nexus Test).

What was Dolan v. Tigard (1994)?

Permit case, emphasizing essential nexus, also requiring conditions to be proportional to a project’s impact (Rough Proportionality test)

What was Kelo v. New London (2005)?

Case upholding eminent domain for economic development, sparking backlash.

What is the modern view of planning?

Planning is political and participatory, balancing environment, economy, and equity.

How has the planner-citizen relationship changed?

From top-down control to required citizen participation and facilitation.

What is advocacy planning?

Planning that ensures marginalized voices are included in decisions.

What are key methods of public engagement?

Citizen boards, hearings, collaborative processes.

What are major housing issues today?

Affordability crises and lack of low-income housing.

What causes homelessness in cities?

Lack of affordable housing, foreclosure, weak safety nets.

What other social issues affect planning?

Segregation, gentrification, poverty, environmental justice, transportation, and health.

What is a comprehensive plan?

A long-term vision document guiding land use, housing, infrastructure, and environment.

What are the main goals of comprehensive planning?

Promote health, safety, and welfare.

What are the steps in the comprehensive planning process?

Research, Goal setting, Plan drafting, Implementation, Review and Updating.

What are the two main ways to shape land use?

Public capital investment and land-use controls.

What are types of zoning?

Euclidean, performance zoning, planned unit developments (PUDs), and form-based codes.

What do zoning ordinances regulate?

Site layout, building form, permitted uses, and procedures.

What was the significance of Euclid v. Ambler (1926)?

It upheld the constitutionality of zoning, legitimizing land-use regulation.

What are form-based codes?

Zoning rules focused on physical form and design rather than just land use.

What is the goal of form-based codes?

Walkability, mixed-use development, and predictable urban form.

Dillon’s rule

Local governments only have powers expressly granted by states or directly implied.

Home rule

Local governments have any power not taken away or in conflict with the legislature.

Home rule vs. Dillons’s rule

Expansion vs. Limitation