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Planning and the Law: The Takings Clause
This course will help students understand and explore three legal concepts borne of the United States Constitution's Takings Clause: eminent domain, regulatory takings, and exactions. By the end of the course, students will be able to identify whether a particular government action is at risk of violating the Takings Clause.
Planning and the Law: Procedural Due Process
The United States Constitution protects rights to "due process." In a land use law context, due process is why local governments must treat legislative and quasi-judicial decision making differently. At the end of this course, students will be able to differentiate between legislative and quasi-judicial decisions and to understand the due process implications of the distinction.
The Ethics of Office Administration, Part 1
The administration of a planning office—whether in the private or public sector—can raise ethical questions. This course introduces these questions and presents tools for analyzing them.
The Ethics of Office Administration, Part 2
The second course in the "Ethics of Office Administration" series discusses how to identify, evaluate, and resolve difficult scenarios that might arise in a planning office.
Regulating Sex Businesses, Part 1: Principles and Foundations
This course shows how to lay the foundation for ordinances that mitigate the negative effects of sex businesses while conforming with constitutional requirements under the First Amendment.
Regulating Sex Businesses, Part 2: Practical Tips
This course will provide practical tips for developing local zoning and licensing regulations for sexually oriented businesses. This course builds on material from Part 1 of this two-part series.
Defensible Sign Regulations
Communities regulate the characteristics of signs to achieve multiple goals, such as limiting driver distraction, maintaining the aesthetic character of the community, and implementing aspects of related plans. This course will show participants how to draft—and adopt—sign ordinances that accomplish those purposes while conforming with the First Amendment.
Form-Based Codes 101: Corridors
Corridors have historically been a key element of the urban fabric of every American town and city, yet they are also commonly problematic. This course looks at the roots of the problem for examples of how corridors can be designed and coded.
Form-Based Codes 101: Preparing a Form-Based Code
This course explores basic questions and decisions to consider when preparing a form-based code. It also covers the different approaches to regulating urban form and provides guidance for selecting an organizing principle for your form-based code. Finally, the course explains the visioning and creating of a plan, followed by drafting, testing, and assembling your code.
Planning Ethics
The work of planning for communities is rooted in values, often unexpressed, about the role of government in working for a better future. This course reviews the expectations expressed in the AICP Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct and then explores the application of the code in a number of planning ethics case studies. This conversation about building and sustaining an ethical planning organization sets out to define what makes an ethical planning organization and describes steps that planners can take to improve the ethical climate of their organizations.
Form-Based Codes 101: Legal Aspects
This course explores the legal issues of creating and using a form-based code.
Time Value of Money for Planners
This course will introduce planners to the concept of time value of money that will provide the foundation for real estate pro forma analysis.
Property Cash Flow Analysis for Planners
This course will introduce planners to property cash flow analysis, which provides the foundation for real estate pro forma analysis.
Property Valuation for Planners
This course builds on topics covered in the previous two courses from this series, time value of money and property cash flow, to undertake a discounted cash flow analysis of property value.
Real Estate Debt for Planners
This course introduces planners to basic concepts of real estate debt, including metrics used in obtaining a mortgage and other concepts like borrowing capacity, and amortization analysis.
Multi-Family Property Valuation Case Study for Planners
This course will take planners through a case study multi-family property valuation. The course will build upon previous course topics of time discounting, internal rate of return, net operating income, lease structures, debt payments, and risk assessment.
Introduction to Healthy Communities
This course provides an overview of the healthy community movement and the relationship between health and planning.
Comprehensive Planning for Healthy Communities
This course covers the process of incorporating public health goals into a General Plan or Comprehensive Plan for a region, county, city, town, or neighborhood.
Regulating Electronic Message Centers
This course provides practical, solution-focused guidance for regulations that leverage digital sign technology while protecting community aesthetic values and safety concerns. This course is available for free.
Creating a Low-Carbon, Resilient City
This course introduces strategies for achieving low-carbon, resilient communities.
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