SC 444 - Land Use & Regional Planning

3 Credits

Outline Effective Date 2024 Winter
2024/2025

Lecture Hours: 42
Lab Hours: 28
Course Description:
This course focuses on land-use planning frameworks, legislation, and policies, and explores concepts of urban ecology and development, while also addressing economic sustainability and land conservation in urban and rural environments. The knowledge of these tools provides students with skills to assess and coordinate activities that impact land-use and stewardship. Emphasis is on integrated land management, best management practices, and environmental assessments, including urban environments.

Rationale:
This is a required course for second year students enrolled in the Land Stewardship and Conservation major of the Environmental Sciences diploma and for third year students enrolled in the Bachelor of Applied Science Environmental Management degree program.

Coordination of industrial and municipal development to prevent or minimize environmental disturbance requires significant planning. Land use planning frameworks and regulatory acts are increasingly being used to guide regional planning in Alberta. An in depth understanding of land use planning strategies and how they may be utilized to preserve and maintain natural areas, wetlands, and/or traditional land use within development areas is needed. Urban areas contain approximately 80% of the population in North America and corridors between large centers are continuing to expand. The loss of natural areas, their biodiversity, and agricultural land through the rapid expansion of major urban centers increases the need for land use planning and decision making for protection of landscapes. In conjunction with urbanization, traditional land uses are changing, with multiple stakeholders impacting the land base. Developing strategies to mitigate the impacts on wildlife, waterbodies and green areas that meet the needs of the environment and human health while balancing economic sustainability is a challenge that land use planners must deal with. The land use planner is skilled in analysis and recommending sustainable options that allow urban, rural, and industrial activities to co-exist on the landscape. This course provides a working knowledge and legislative mechanisms for land use planning in Alberta. This skill base can then provide the ability to assess and mitigate the impacts of human activity and provide the tools necessary to coordinate those activities in a sustainable manner.

Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None

Course Learning Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to

explain land use planning with regard to human health, economic sustainability and responsible environmental management.
compare land use planning in urban, rural, and regional areas.
describe the major land uses in western Canada and their environmental impacts.
reviewing current legislation, policies, and guidelines of land use to ensure sustainable development.
analyze the Alberta Land-use Framework, Municipal Government Act and Alberta Land Stewardship Act.
design an integrated land management plan to be used as a tool of the Alberta Land-use Framework.
assess the environmental effects of a land use project and recommend minimal disturbance options.
evaluate the impact of urban communities in Canada with regards to biodiversity, economics, and social values.
compare alternative community urban designs that incorporate ecosystem services, wildlife, recreation, and purpose sustainable alternatives to current practices.
investigate management techniques for incorporating existing wetlands and floodplains within urban centers.
synthesize and apply regulations, policies, and tools as strategies for enhancement, protection, and conservation of ecosystems and their functions.
determine the type of environmental assessments required based on the proposed activity.
evaluate and critique environmental impact assessments and the information contained therein.

Required Resource Materials:
As provided by the instructor.

Optional Resource Materials:
None

Conduct of Course:

The course consists of approximately 42 hours of lecture and 28 lab hours.

The lecture is a formalized classroom situation where the instructor discusses pertinent topics and students normally take notes. Student-questions are encouraged to clarify subject areas. A biweekly lab will engage students in hands-on activities including some GIS labs that will support material and concepts introduced in lectures.

Classroom and laboratory attendance is considered vital to the learning process and as significant to the students’ evaluation as examinations and reports, therefore absenteeism is recorded.

Students having a combination of excused and/or unexcused absence of 20 percent or higher for the scheduled course hours can be required to withdraw and would then automatically receive a “RW” (required withdrawal) for the course, regardless of any other evaluation results. (RW is a failing grade).
An excused absence is one that is verified with your instructor. Verification should be prior to the absence or the next class day following the absence. Verification of the absence may take the form of a note from your doctor/College nurse regarding illness, or a note from another instructor regarding a field trip or other activity, or authorization by your instructor following an in-person meeting. Be sure to contact your instructor and ask what they will require from you as verification for each absence. An unexcused absence is anything NOT verified by the instructor prior to the absence or the next class day following the absence.

NOTE: Any exceptions to the above attendance policy (e.g., timetable conflicts, work-related issues) must be approved in writing by the Department Chair prior to the beginning of the course.

It is the students’ responsibility to know their own absentee record.

Normal hours are 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., with potential for evening courses, exams or extended field trips. Students are expected to be available for classes during these times.

Content of Course:

The following are topics to be covered in class. Topic order may change due to projects or assignments, or as time permits may be added or deleted. Within each heading are topics for study, research, and discussion.

Unit 1. Introduction to Land Use

Unit 2. Land Use Planning Strategies

Unit 3. Integrated Land Management

Unit 4. Planning Options for Urban Ecosystems

Course Assessments:

Midterm Exams	20%
Final Exam	30%
Lab Assignments (3 to 5 assessments)	50%
Total	100%

The assignments in SC 444 help students learn about land use plans and environmental impact assessments by working through the process rather than solely by lecture-based learning. Assignment details and evaluation of each are discussed by the instructor. Assignments may involve individual and/or group work.

To obtain credit for this course, all assignments must be completed and a minimum grade of 1.0 must be achieved.

Late assignments are not graded, and a zero mark is assigned. Any assignment that is missed due to tardiness or unexcused absenteeism results in a zero.

All reports, assignments and exams are graded on a percentage (%) basis and a total course percentage is calculated using the above weighting values. Finally, the total course percentage is converted to a letter grade as described in the grade section of this course outline.

Lecture exams may contain discussion-type, short answer, matching, true-false-justify, and multiple-choice questions.

Course Pass Requirements:
A minimum grade of D (50%) (1.00) is required to pass this course. Students must maintain a cumulative grade of C (GPA - Grade Point Average of 2.00) in order to qualify to graduate.