Environmental planning centers the environment and natural resources in land use and planning decisions. More recently, the rapidly advancing effects of climate change are prompting new urgency for policymakers at all levels to implement climate-friendly policies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, conserve natural resources, and build resilience for the future. Urban planners can have an impact on the environment through land use decisions, zoning codes, and transportation planning policies.

Environmental Planning Courses

view of downtown minneapolis from bridge
Greening the Neighborhood: LEED-ND Metrics
Eliot Allen
65 Mins
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD
aerial view of a city at night
Introduction to Lighting and Light Pollution
Lindsay Malbon
79 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
group of bicyclists in bike lane
Creating a Low-Carbon, Resilient City
Michael R. Boswell, Tammy Seale
48 Mins
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A
  • SACPLAN CPD
variety of products such as household cleaners and cigarettes with green labels
Sustainability Marketing and Greenwashing
Carlos Zapata
46 Mins
  • AICP CM
leed buildings with green space in foreground
Greening the Neighborhood: LEED-ND Globally and v.4 Update
Eliot Allen
51 Mins
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD
tall trees and mountains with a night sky of stars
Lighting Regulations and Dark Sky Places
Lindsay Malbon
66 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
cars in traffic emitting pollution
Transportation Planning: Effects on the Environment, Health, and Social Justice
Richard Willson
57 Mins
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A
  • SACPLAN CPD
sandbags aligned horizontally with a flooded street and houses in the background
Introduction to Resilience Planning
Chris Holtkamp
69 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD
smoke and air pollution from smokestack
Economic Thinking for Planners: Economics of the Environment
Peter Gordon
56 Mins
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD
person standing in front of a colorful mural
Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design
Kayla Hunter
59 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
aerial view of cars at large intersection
Transportation Planning: Travel Behavior Principles and Modelling Approaches
Richard Willson
55 Mins
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A
  • SACPLAN CPD
wildfire on a hill behind a row of suburban homes
Resilience Planning for Wildfires
Chris Holtkamp
58 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
neighborhood with buildings and metro train
Introduction to Urban Sustainability Appraisal Tools
Eliot Allen
69 Mins
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A
  • SACPLAN CPD
A group of workers sorts through electronic waste.
E-Waste: A Growing Concern in Waste Management
Seema Thomas
51 Mins
  • CIP
  • AICP CM
screen capture of the four panelists
The Future of Cities After COVID-19
James Brasuell, Allison Arieff, Mariela Alfonzo, Scott Frazier, William Fulton
57 Mins
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD
closeup map of texas showing weather conditions
Developing a Fact Basis for Hazard Planning
Shannon Van Zandt
62 Mins
  • SACPLAN CPD
two people walking in a flooded street with houses
Resilience Planning for Floods
Chris Holtkamp
69 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD
water dock with buildings in background
Urban Sustainability Appraisal Tools for Communities and Existing Neighborhoods
Eliot Allen
108 Mins
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A
  • SACPLAN CPD
The Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park.
History of U.S. Landscape Architecture, Part 1
Kristin Faurest
64 Mins
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
rooftop urban garden with buildings in backgorund
Urban Agriculture
47 Mins
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD
homes being rebuilt from natural disaster
Disaster Resilience and Recovery Through Land Use Planning
Walter Gillis Peacock
78 Mins
  • SACPLAN CPD
sanitation worker on the back of a garbage truck
Understanding Sanitation Work
Seema Thomas
46 Mins
  • CIP
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD
variety of housing units
Urban Sustainability Appraisal Tools for Planned Neighborhoods and Landscapes
Eliot Allen
85 Mins
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A
  • SACPLAN CPD
Brooklyn Bridge Park at golden hour
History of U.S. Landscape Architecture, Part 2
Kristin Faurest
61 Mins
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM

Top Environmental Planning Instructors

Eliot Allen

Eliot Allen, certified, LEED AP-ND, is an urban planner and Principal with Criterion Planners of Portland...

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Chris Holtkamp

Chris Holtkamp is a certified planner and is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Planning at the...

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Kristin Faurest

Kristin Faurest is a public garden education and outreach professional, author, and landscape architecture educator, committed...

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Carlos Zapata

Carlos Zapata is a Sustainability and ESG professional who is a graduate of Yale's MBA in...

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Michael R. Boswell

Michael R. Boswell is a Professor of City & Regional Planning at California Polytechnic State University...

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Seema Thomas

Seema is an urban development professional focused on developing and expanding innovative and inclusive initiatives to...

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Tammy Seale

Tammy Seale is a principal with Michael Baker International and director of the Sustainability and Climate...

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Lindsay Malbon

Lindsay is an urban lighting and dark sky educator. Her lighting research has been featured in...

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Katrina Johnston-Zimmerman

Katrina is a lecturer, researcher, and advocate for heart-centered cities. Her work focuses on human behavior...

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Richard Willson

Richard Willson is a professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at California State...

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Lauren Dunning

Lauren Dunning is a lawyer and public health practitioner whose work has focused on developing strategies...

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David Rouse

David is a consultant, educator, and author with over 40 years of experience in urban and...

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Michael Manville

Michael Manville is Associate Professor of Urban Planning at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.

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Jason Neville

Jason is an experienced urban planner, redevelopment professional, and affordable housing developer.

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Kayla Hunter

Kayla is an experienced non-profit professional who works with at-risk youth to reimagine unused, neglected spaces...

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Jonathan Barnett

Jonathan Barnett is Fellow of the Penn Institute for Urban Research and an Emeritus Professor of...

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James Brasuell

James Brasuell is the managing editor of Planetizen.

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William Fulton

William Fulton is the director of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research and the former mayor...

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Scott Frazier

Scott Frazier is one of the hosts of the L.A. Podcast. Scott is also Director of...

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Mariela Alfonzo

Mariela Alfonzo is the founder and CEO of State of Place. Mariela also has a PhD...

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Allison Arieff

Allison Arieff is the editorial director of SPUR and a columnist for The New York Times.

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Todd J. Poole

Todd Poole is president, founder, and managing principal of 4ward Planning Inc., with more than 24...

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Peter Gordon

Peter Gordon is Professor Emeritus at the University of Southern California Price School of Public Policy...

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Walter Gillis Peacock

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All Environmental Planning Courses

Area-Based Location Optimization: Urban Green Space Selection Sign Up

Area-Based Location Optimization: Urban Green Space Selection

Instructor: Kevin Credit

By the end of this course you will understand the basic principles of area-based location optimization and be able to solve the knapsack, threshold, and shape problems using LINGO software. The course also shows how to map the results of these skills in QGIS.

4.23
48 Mins
AIA CES
AICP CM
SACPLAN CPD
Location Optimization Sign Up

Location Optimization

Instructor: Kevin Credit

This course introduces the basic principles of location optimization models and provides a hands-on tutorial on point-based location optimization using QGIS and LINGO.

4.32
70 Mins
AIA CES
AICP CM
SACPLAN CPD
Urban Design for Planners 8: Parking and Traffic Sign Up

Urban Design for Planners 8: Parking and Traffic

Instructor: Emily Talen

The final course in the Urban Design for Planners series addresses the automobile as part of the urban fabric. The storage of cars and high levels of congestion can be very detrimental to neighborhoods, but good design can mitigate those negative effects. 

4.20
90 Mins
AICP CM
CNU-A
LA CES

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