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Designing the Megaregion

Current megaregion development is destabilizing the natural environment, causing gridlock on highways and congestion at airports, and making cities and suburbs separate and unequal. This course discusses how we can change these trends and invest in megaregions to improve planning and development outcomes developing and older areas.

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Course Info

  • Duration 12 video lessons (65 Mins)
  • Published Published
    2020
  • 4.38
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Browse Course Chapters

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    1.
    Introduction
    Chapter Duration 2 mins
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    2.
    The Megaregion Trend
    Chapter Duration 5 mins
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    3.
    What Trends Need to Change
    Chapter Duration 6 mins
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    4.
    Relating Development to the Natural Environment
    Chapter Duration 4 mins
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    5.
    Making Regulation Relate to the Environment
    Chapter Duration 4 mins
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    6.
    Balancing Transportation in the North East Megaregion
    Chapter Duration 4 mins
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    7.
    Towards Balanced Transportation in Other Megaregions
    Chapter Duration 8 mins
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    8.
    Why Inequality is Built into Megaregions
    Chapter Duration 5 mins
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    9.
    Promoting Affordable Housing Legally
    Chapter Duration 9 mins
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    10.
    Existing Governmental Structures to Manage Megaregions
    Chapter Duration 7 mins
  • Chapter Locked
    11.
    Megaregions and COVID19: Has Everything Changed?
    Chapter Duration 3 mins
  • Chapter Locked
    12.
    Afterword
    Chapter Duration 3 mins

What You Will Learn

  • Learn ways to use GIS, zoning, and subdivision regulations to make development more compatible with nature.
  • Learn about how express passenger rail can help balance local transportation systems.
  • Learn about opportunities for rezoning commercial districts, now with big vacancies from e-commerce, for apartments and townhouses; and also learn about improving development regulations to promote housing equity.

Course Description

City-regions are growing together to form megaregions along the East Coast, in Florida, in Texas, in California, along corridors of development connected to Chicago, and in the Pacific Northwest. A high proportion of U.S. population and economic growth predicted by 2050 is expected to take place in these megaregions.

Current megaregion development is destabilizing the natural environment, causing gridlock on highways and congestion at airports, and creating separate and unequal cities and suburbs. But there is still time to change these trends by investing in megaregions to produce better places in both developing and older areas. This course is about how to leverage a megaregional approach for improved planning and development outcomes. The textbook which can be used as a supplement to this course is "Designing the Megaregion: Meeting Urban Challenges at a New Scale," by Jonathan Barnett, Island Press, 2020.

Use coupon code PLANETIZEN to save 30% on Designing the Megaregion from Island Press.

Learn these skills

  • Development
  • Economics
  • Environmental Planning
  • Housing
  • Land Use
  • Pedestrian Planning
  • Transportation
  • Urban Design
  • Urbanism
  • Zoning Codes

AICP CM

This course is approved for 1 AICP CM credit.

AIA CES

This is 1 LU.

CNU-A

This course is approved for 1 CNU-A credit.

SACPLAN CPD

This course is approved for 1 SACPLAN CPD point.

Meet Your Instructor

Jonathan Barnett

Jonathan Barnett

Jonathan Barnett is Fellow of the Penn Institute for Urban Research and an Emeritus Professor of Practice in City and Regional Planning at the University of Pennsylvania.

Meet Instructor

Join thousands of urban planners on Planetizen Courses

Jonathan Barnett was an excellent, knowledgeable presenter. Enjoyed the course. Particularly liked the innovative concepts of ADU's and reuse of vacant and under performing commercial corridors as a way to address housing and tax base.
- Gale B.
5 Star Review 5 Star Review 5 Star Review 5 Star Review 5 Star Review

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