Land Use | Planetizen Courses

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

city created in sketchup

The DIY Form-Based Code: Publishing and Expanding

87 Mins

several cranes on construction site

Land Use Planning to Support Economic Development

57 Mins

AICP CM
CNU-A
SACPLAN CPD

aerial view of houston freeways

Transportation Planning: Making Transportation Plans—Rationality and Politics

Richard Willson

60 Mins

AIA CES
AICP CM
CNU-A
SACPLAN CPD

bicyclists with city bus in background in santa monica

Incorporating the Sustainable Development Goals into the Planning Process

66 Mins

CIP
AIA CES
AICP CM
SACPLAN CPD

tall trees and mountains with a night sky of stars

Lighting Regulations and Dark Sky Places

66 Mins

CIP
AIA CES
AICP CM

3-d street created with planning software

Urban Design for Planners 8: Parking and Traffic

90 Mins

AICP CM
CNU-A
LA CES

colorful townhomes

Missing Middle Housing: Meeting the Growing Demand for Walkable Urbanism

72 Mins

AIA CES
AICP CM
CNU-A

portrait of Daniel Burnham

Make No Little Plans: Daniel Burnham and the American City

58 Mins

AICP CM

redlining map

Race, Space, and Planning

66 Mins

AIA CES
AICP CM

aerial view of houses

U.S. Housing Policy: What Every Planner Needs to Know

59 Mins

AIA CES
AICP CM

homes being rebuilt from natural disaster

Disaster Resilience and Recovery Through Land Use Planning

Walter Gillis Peacock

78 Mins

SACPLAN CPD

government building with columns

Form-Based Codes 101: Legal Aspects

Daniel Parolek, Daniel K. Slone

85 Mins

AIA CES
AICP CM
CNU-A

map of building types

Form-Based Codes: Using Building Types, Part 1

63 Mins

AIA CES
AICP CM
CNU-A
SACPLAN CPD

closeup of a hand holding a pencil and architectural drawings on a desk

The Site Plan

55 Mins

Building exteriors downtown dixon illinois

Zoning for Incremental Development

101 Mins

CIP
AIA CES
AICP CM

Bird-eye view of a freeway in constructions alongside a housing district

Federal Takings Law: Balancing Private Property Rights with the Public Interest

55 Mins

AIA CES
AICP CM

screenshot of map created with communityviz

GeoDesign Using CommunityViz: Buildout and Visualization

130 Mins

SACPLAN CPD

park with buildings in background

Calculating the Benefits of Parks, Trails, and Open Space

34 Mins

AICP CM
CNU-A
SACPLAN CPD

freeway with Dallas skyline in background

Transportation Planning: Principles and Practices of Transportation Finance

Richard Willson

62 Mins

AIA CES
AICP CM
CNU-A
SACPLAN CPD

historic buildings in Charleston South Carolina

Introduction to Historic Preservation

Meredith Johnson

38 Mins

AICP CM
SACPLAN CPD

person standing in front of a colorful mural

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design

59 Mins

CIP
AIA CES
AICP CM

smoke and air pollution from smokestack

Economic Thinking for Planners: Economics of the Environment

56 Mins

AICP CM
SACPLAN CPD

aerial view of new york city

The American City, Part 4: Complexity and Pattern in the City

Mark David Major

53 Mins

AIA CES

Exterior of Pruitt Igoe housing complex

The Pruitt-Igoe Myth

84 Mins

AICP CM

Top Land Use Instructors

David Dixon

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

Emily Talen

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

Richard Willson

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

Kristin Faurest

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

Chris Holtkamp

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

Donald Shoup

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

Daniel Parolek

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

Eric Damian Kelly

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

Eliot Allen

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

Jason Luger

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

Mark David Major

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

Menka Sethi

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

Norman Wright

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

Peter Henn

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

Jeff Speck

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

Jason Neville

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

Katrina Johnston-Zimmerman

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

Meredith Johnson

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

Brad Neumann

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

Kevin Credit

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

Alan Weinstein

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

Todd J. Poole

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

Geoffrey Ferrell

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

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

Generative AI, Ethics, and the Future of Urban Planning

Instructor: Tom Sanchez

Explore the ethical and equity implications of using generative AI in urban planning. This course addresses bias, transparency, public trust, emerging tools like digital twins, and offers practical guidance for responsible adoption.

4.30

66 Mins

CIP

AIA CES

AICP CM

Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

Instructor: Jeff Speck

Jeff Speck explains his five principal reasons for building more walkable places — Economics, the Environment, Public Health, Equity, and Social Cohesiveness — arming practitioners with a full range of arguments in favor of pro-walkability planning.

4.53

79 Mins

CIP

AIA CES

AICP CM

Free

Transportation Planning: The Role of Transportation Systems in Social and Economic Life

Instructor: Richard Willson

By the end of this course, you will have a strong understanding of the way in which transportation systems interact with society and the economy.

4.39

47 Mins

AIA CES

AICP CM

CNU-A

SACPLAN CPD