Understanding laws and regulations is key to implementing effective planning policies and ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local statutes. Planetizen Courses offers classes on a wide range of regulations and legal issues that planners routinely come up against. Learn about code drafting, ethics, land use regulation, and how to navigate legal processes.

Law and Policy Courses

Save

bookmark
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

Save

bookmark
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

Save

bookmark
bright neon signs in las vegas
Defensible Sign Regulations
Eric Damian Kelly
63 Mins
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A
  • SACPLAN CPD

Save

bookmark
stores and buildings on main street
Introduction to Planning
Mary Reilly
46 Mins

Save

bookmark
Image of International Symbol of Access next to weighing scales
US Disability Access Laws for Planners
Jonathan Katz-Ouziel, Thomas Hamed
109 Mins
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM

Save

bookmark
colorful townhomes
Missing Middle Housing: Meeting the Growing Demand for Walkable Urbanism
Daniel Parolek
72 Mins
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A

Save

bookmark
Panel of five speakers on webcams
Housing and Racial Justice: Current Events Urban Resilience
59 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD

Save

bookmark
wood carved letters spelling out ethics
Ethics: Balancing a Business Friendly Planning Environment
Carol D. Barrett
59 Mins
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A
  • SACPLAN CPD

Save

bookmark
aerial view of cars on highway
Transportation Planning: Strategies for Working with Roadway Capacity
Richard Willson
63 Mins
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A
  • SACPLAN CPD

Save

bookmark
person standing in front of a colorful mural
Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design
Kayla Hunter
59 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM

Save

bookmark
skyline of LInkcoln Park Chicago
Economic Thinking for Planners: Cities, Externalities, and Governance
Peter Gordon
56 Mins
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD

Save

bookmark
handshake
Planning Official Ethics 101
Wayne Beyea
62 Mins

Save

bookmark
american flag with government building in background for urban planning course
Leadership in Planning: Strategic Decision-Making in the Public Interest
Jeff Levine
60 Mins
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A
  • SACPLAN CPD

Save

bookmark
wildfire on a hill behind a row of suburban homes
Resilience Planning for Wildfires
Chris Holtkamp
58 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM

Save

bookmark
zoning law books
Code Drafting and the Law
Mark White
66 Mins
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A
  • SACPLAN CPD

Save

bookmark
collage of images with families, a crowded sidewalk, and a farmer's market
Defining Neighborhoods
Emily Talen
54 Mins
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A
  • SACPLAN CPD

Save

bookmark
A crumbling residential building with collapsed floors
Building Bad, Part 1: How Architectural Utility is Constrained by Politics
Jonathan Ochshorn
57 Mins
  • CIP
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM

Save

bookmark
government building
Economic Thinking for Planners: Local Government and Governance
Peter Gordon
53 Mins
  • AICP CM
  • SACPLAN CPD

Save

bookmark
Austin comprehensive plan graphic
What is a Comprehensive Plan?
Mary Reilly
60 Mins

Save

bookmark
exterior photo of home for urban planning course
Exploring the Regulation of Short-Term Rentals
Malak Hakim
67 Mins
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A

Save

bookmark
examples of universal design which include bus stop sign with large letters, public transit space for wheelchair bound people
Planning for Universal Design
Lance Freeman
46 Mins
  • CIP
  • AICP CM

Save

bookmark
closeup of ethics defintion
Ethics: Balancing a Business Friendly Planning Environment, Part 2
Carol D. Barrett
56 Mins
  • AICP CM
  • CNU-A
  • SACPLAN CPD

Save

bookmark
interior of marijuana dispensary
Local Regulation of Marijuana Businesses
Alan Weinstein
56 Mins
  • AICP CM

Save

bookmark
Sprawling residential neighborhoods with many single family houses.
Arbitrary Lines: How Zoning Broke the American City and How to Fix it
Nolan Gray
67 Mins
  • AIA CES
  • AICP CM

Top Law and Policy Instructors

Richard Willson

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

VIEW COURSES
Daniel Parolek

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

VIEW COURSES
Eric Damian Kelly

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

VIEW COURSES
Peter Gordon

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

VIEW COURSES
Peter Henn

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

VIEW COURSES
Mary Reilly

Mary Reilly is a land use educator with Michigan State University Extension.

VIEW COURSES
Alan Weinstein

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

VIEW COURSES
Jennifer Raitt

Jennifer Raitt is the Executive Director of the Northern Middlesex Council of Governments. She has nearly...

VIEW COURSES
Nolan Gray

M. Nolan Fray is the Research Director for California YIMBY, an expert in urban land-use regulation...

VIEW COURSES
Álvaro Huerta

Dr. Álvaro Huerta is a Religion and Public Life Organizing Fellow at Harvard Divinity School and...

VIEW COURSES
Lance Freeman

Lance Freeman is a Professor in the Urban Planning Program at Columbia University in New York...

VIEW COURSES
Brad Neumann

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

VIEW COURSES
Wayne Beyea

Wayne Beyea is a faculty member and senior specialist - outreach within the MSU School of...

VIEW COURSES
Malak Hakim

Malak Hakim is a nationally accredited urban planner.

VIEW COURSES
James Carpentier

James Carpentier is State and Local Government Affairs Manager with the International Sign Association (ISA).

VIEW COURSES
Lisa Wise

As a planner and Certified Public Accountant, Ms. Wise has 20 years of professional experience in...

VIEW COURSES
Thomas Hawkins

Thomas Hawkins, a Florida licensed attorney, has represented parties on all sides of the planning and...

VIEW COURSES
Mark White

S. Mark White is recognized as an expert in zoning and planning/land use law.

VIEW COURSES
Carol D. Barrett

Ms. Barrett is a highly acclaimed expert in planning ethics.

VIEW COURSES
Thomas Hamed

Thomas Hamed, AICP is a transportation planner who specializes in commuter transportation and mobility for all...

VIEW COURSES
Jonathan Katz-Ouziel

Jonathan Katz-Ouziel is an autistic planner, an independent accessibility consultant, and the founder of Opossum House...

VIEW COURSES
Elizabeth Doerr

Elizabeth Doerr is a writer with expertise and awareness around social and racial justice issues and...

VIEW COURSES
Lynn Peterson

Lynn Peterson is a nationally recognized transportation and land use integration expert.

VIEW COURSES
Jonathan Ochshorn

Jonathan is a registered architect with an academic background in structural engineering and urban design as...

VIEW COURSES

Related Topics

SEARCH MORE TOPICS BELOW

Master Urban Planning Skills With A Planetizen Courses Subscription.

Sign up
Computer

High quality video lessons developed by experts.

Analytics

Complete course work to receive a certificate from Planetizen.

Certificate

Test your comprehension with course quizzes.

Cloud

Access reading lists, articles, and other materials prepared by instructors.

All Law and Policy Courses

Urban Design for Planners 8: Parking and Traffic Sign Up

Save

bookmark

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
GeoDesign Using CommunityViz: Buildout and Visualization Sign Up

Save

bookmark

GeoDesign Using CommunityViz: Buildout and Visualization

Instructor: Chuck Donley

This second course in the "GeoDesign with CommunityViz" series shows how the CommunityViz extension of ArcGIS can guide the design, and assess the impacts, of a project.

4.07
130 Mins
SACPLAN CPD
GeoDesign with CommunityViz: Land Use Designer Sign Up

Save

bookmark

GeoDesign with CommunityViz: Land Use Designer

Instructor: Chuck Donley

Learn how the CommunityViz extension of ArcGIS can guide the design of a project and assess the project's impact. This course specifically focuses on a suitability analysis using essential functions and the Land Use Designer wizard.

4.16
86 Mins
SACPLAN CPD

Topic

Credit

Software