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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
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Browse Course Chapters

  • Chapter Locked
    1.
    Introduction
    Chapter Duration 2 mins
  • Chapter Locked
    2.
    The Megaregion Trend
    Chapter Duration 5 mins
  • Chapter Locked
    3.
    What Trends Need to Change
    Chapter Duration 6 mins
  • Chapter Locked
    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
  • Chapter Locked
    7.
    Towards Balanced Transportation in Other Megaregions
    Chapter Duration 8 mins
  • Chapter Locked
    8.
    Why Inequality is Built into Megaregions
    Chapter Duration 5 mins
  • Chapter Locked
    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

Course Reviews

4.39
Jeff Randolph

Jeff Randolph

Satisfied
gregory Haley

gregory Haley

Extremely Satisfied
Brad Wiseman

Brad Wiseman

Extremely Satisfied
Joshua Baehr 1

Joshua Baehr 1

Satisfied
Overall a very informative and wide-ranging course. However, there were some inaccuracies. For instance, Southern California has an association of governments (SCAG) that serves as the regional planning agency, particularly focused on transportation and land use. Second, the CA High Speed Rail Project is primarily delayed due to environmental review and land acquisition issues, not mountains. Third, red-lining was a practice with racist undertones in many places, but that was missing from the discussion.

Course Reviews

50%
40%
9%
1%
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Larry Wofford

Larry Wofford

Extremely Satisfied
Great presentation with appropriate pace and detail.
Trey Hailey

Trey Hailey

Extremely Satisfied
James Hoegler

James Hoegler

Normal
Eric Hammer

Eric Hammer

Satisfied
nmarinh

nmarinh

Extremely Satisfied
kaukerplan

kaukerplan

Extremely Satisfied
April Fisher

April Fisher

Normal
Melissa Edwina Buys

Melissa Edwina Buys

Extremely Satisfied

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