Land use is the practice of determining how to build on, conserve, or otherwise alter land, as well as how to distribute resources and regulate development. Land use decisions dictate urban growth, development patterns, and density through infrastructure networks, zoning codes, and regulations. Key in on the latest debates in land use regulation and zoning, such as the evolution from land use-based codes to form-based codes, with Planetizen Courses that will help you understand where land use policies come from and where they're going.

Land Use Courses

bike lane
Bicycle-Friendly Streets: Design Standards
Michelle DeRobertis
41 Mins
  • SACPLAN CPD
suburban homes aerial photo
Time Value of Money for Planners
Menka Sethi
80 Mins
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A
cars and buses on busy street with metro train in background
Transportation Planning: The Role of Transportation Systems in Social and Economic Life
Richard Willson
47 Mins
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A
  • SACPLAN CPD
still from the movie of two people walking on sidewalk with trees and buildings in the background
Lewis Mumford on the City 4: The Heart of the City
29 Mins
  • AICP CM
Denver union station with city skyline aerial photo
Introduction to Transit Oriented Development
John Hersey
51 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD
Image of a suburban area skyline birdeye view with houses, commercial buildings, and greenery
Zoning Code Reform: Legal and Practical Considerations When Making “Quick Fixes” to Your Zoning Code
Peter Henn
102 Mins
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
bicyclists cross bridge in park with houston skyline in background
Greening the Neighborhood: An Introduction to LEED-ND
Eliot Allen
51 Mins
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD
electronic church sign on street corner
Regulating Electronic Message Centers
James Carpentier
49 Mins
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A
  • SACPLAN CPD
group of telecommunication towers
Complying With Federal Law in Regulating Telecommunications
Alan Weinstein
67 Mins
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
modern house called Falling Water by architect Frank Lloyd Wright
Historic Preservation: How-to Guide
Meredith Johnson
73 Mins
  • CIP
  • 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
neon entertainment signs
Regulating Sex Businesses, Part 2: Practical Tips
Eric Damian Kelly
62 Mins
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A
map created in Urbansim cloud platform for urban planning course
Regional Planning Workflows in the UrbanSim Cloud Platform
Sam Blanchard
57 Mins
rooftop urban garden with buildings in backgorund
Urban Agriculture
47 Mins
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD
women and children sitting at praxagora kok project in Stockholm
Women and Cities 3: Gender Equity in Private Life
Katrina Johnston-Zimmerman
54 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
Waves impact breakwater
Resilience Planning for Coastal Hazards
Chris Holtkamp
81 Mins
  • CIP
  • AICP CM
downward view of crowd crossing intersection
Introductory Population Analysis with Excel
William Riggs
50 Mins
  • SACPLAN CPD
building under construction
Real Estate Debt for Planners
Menka Sethi
73 Mins
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A
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
cars on highway with suburb in background
Lewis Mumford on the City 5: The City as Man's Home
31 Mins
  • AICP CM
aerial of denver with buildings and transit
Equitable Transit Oriented Development
John Hersey
57 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD
A women giving a presentation in front of her coworkers
The First Five Years: A Practical Land Use Toolbox for New Planners
Corrin Wendell
111 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
constitution of the united states we the people preamble
Planning and the Law: The Takings Clause
Thomas Hawkins
69 Mins
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A
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

Top Land Use Instructors

David Dixon

David is well known for helping create new, mixed-use urban districts (in both cities and suburbs)...

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Emily Talen

Emily Talen is Professor of Urbanism at the University of Chicago. Her research is devoted to...

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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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Kristin Faurest

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

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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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Donald Shoup

Donald Shoup is Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Urban Planning at UCLA. His research...

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Daniel Parolek

Daniel Parolek is a nationally recognized thought leader in architecture, design, and urban planning, specifically in...

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Eric Damian Kelly

Eric Damian Kelly is a lawyer and planner with more than 35 years of experience working...

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Eliot Allen

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

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Jason Luger

Jason Luger is a lecturer in City and Regional Planning at UC Berkeley, College of Environmental...

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Mark David Major

Dr. Mark David Major, AICP, CNU-A is a Professor of Urban Design at the Savannah College...

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Menka Sethi

Menka Sethi is an accomplished consultant and professor in the field of real estate development and...

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Norman Wright

Norman Wright is the Director of Neighborhood Services for Adams County, Colorado. In his career as...

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Peter Henn

PETER J. HENN, Esq., AICP, is a land use attorney at Jones Foster in West Palm...

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Jeff Speck

Jeff Speck is a city planner who advocates internationally for more walkable cities.

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Jason Neville

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

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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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Meredith Johnson

Meredith is the owner of Johnson Planning and Preservation LLC, a boutique firm that works to...

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Brad Neumann

Brad Neumann is a MSU Senior Extension Educator who serves as an educational resource for local...

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Kevin Credit

Kevin is the Assistant Director for Urban Informatics at the Center for Spatial Data Science at...

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Alan Weinstein

Alan Weinstein holds a joint faculty appointment at Cleveland State University’s Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and...

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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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Geoffrey Ferrell

Geoffrey is one of the originators of the modern practice of Form-Based Codes. His work ranges...

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Mary Madden

Mary Madden has nearly 20 years of experience in the fields of urban planning and design...

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All Land Use Courses

Building Bad, Part 2: How Architectural Utility is Damaged by Expression Sign Up

Building Bad, Part 2: How Architectural Utility is Damaged by Expression

Instructor: Jonathan Ochshorn

Join Jonathan Ochshorn on a captivating exploration of his theory "Building Bad" in Part Two of this course. Discover the fascinating interplay between artistic expression and the functionality of buildings, and how they can sometimes clash.

4.33
59 Mins
CIP
AIA CES
AICP CM
Building Bad, Part 1: How Architectural Utility is Constrained by Politics Sign Up

Building Bad, Part 1: How Architectural Utility is Constrained by Politics

Instructor: Jonathan Ochshorn

Discover the theory of “Building Bad”: an examination of the costs and benefits that can limit the functionality of buildings in exchange for profits.

4.38
57 Mins
CIP
AIA CES
AICP CM
Environmental and Sustainability Standards Sign Up

Environmental and Sustainability Standards

Instructor: Carlos Zapata

This course explains the different and most relevant sustainability standards—such as GRI, CDP, SASB, ISO, B-Corp, and others—as well as the differences between process and performance standards.

4.20
61 Mins
CIP
AICP CM

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