Law and Policy | Planetizen Courses

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

government building with columns

Form-Based Codes 101: Legal Aspects

Daniel Parolek, Daniel K. Slone

85 Mins

AIA CES
AICP CM
CNU-A

Save

aerial view of boston with housing and city skyline in background

Constitutional Limitations on Planning and Zoning

61 Mins

Save

map of building types

Form-Based Codes: Using Building Types, Part 1

63 Mins

AIA CES
AICP CM
CNU-A
SACPLAN CPD

Save

vintage photo of a boat with migrants near ellis island

A Brief History of Immigration and Planning

65 Mins

AIA CES
AICP CM

Save

columns in front of government building

Planning and the Law: Procedural Due Process

69 Mins

AICP CM
CNU-A

Save

church surrounded by city buildings

Federal and State Religious Land Use Statutes

61 Mins

AIA CES
AICP CM

Save

Neighborhood

Taking Meaningful Action Towards Fair Housing

53 Mins

CIP
AICP CM

Save

aerial photo of atlanta georgia skyline

Form-Based Codes 101: Citywide and Countywide Code Updates

Lisa Wise, Daniel Parolek, Mary Madden, Peter Park

59 Mins

AIA CES
AICP CM

Save

aerial of residential streets

How Does Zoning Work?

49 Mins

Save

various maps of building types

Form-Based Codes: Using Building Types, Part 2

53 Mins

AIA CES
AICP CM
SACPLAN CPD

Save

two elderly people crossing the street

The Pedestrian Safety Crisis in the U.S.

53 Mins

AICP CM
SACPLAN CPD

Save

aerial of freeways connecting

Economic Thinking for Planners: Overview

56 Mins

AICP CM
SACPLAN CPD

Save

group of telecommunication towers

Complying With Federal Law in Regulating Telecommunications

67 Mins

AIA CES
AICP CM

Save

aerial view of houses

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

59 Mins

AIA CES
AICP CM

Save

child playing with bubbles in park

Introduction to Healthy Communities

72 Mins

AIA CES
AICP CM
CNU-A
SACPLAN CPD

Save

aerial view of rural farm land

Overview of the Zoning Process

38 Mins

Save

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

Save

aerial of los angeles apartments and housing

Controlling Rents

Michael Manville

76 Mins

CIP
AIA CES
AICP CM

Save

cargo ship with freights

Economic Thinking for Planners: Gains from Trade, Labor, and Immigration

47 Mins

AICP CM
SACPLAN CPD

Save

map view of mixed housing types

The YIMBY Movement: Opportunities and Challenges for Planners

Mark Vallianatos

66 Mins

AIA CES
AICP CM
CNU-A
SACPLAN CPD

Save

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

Save

electronic church sign on street corner

Regulating Electronic Message Centers

James Carpentier

49 Mins

AICP CM
CNU-A
SACPLAN CPD

Save

wide angle shot of Austin Texas with a freeway and city skyline

Environmental and Sustainability Standards

61 Mins

CIP
AICP CM

Save

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

Top Law and Policy Instructors

Richard Willson

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

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...

Peter Gordon

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

Peter Henn

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

Mary Reilly

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

Alan Weinstein

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

Jennifer Raitt

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

Nolan Gray

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

Álvaro Huerta

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

Lance Freeman

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

Brad Neumann

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

Wayne Beyea

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

Malak Hakim

Malak Hakim is a nationally accredited urban planner.

James Carpentier

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

Lisa Wise

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

Thomas Hawkins

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

Mark White

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

Carol D. Barrett

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

Thomas Hamed

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

Jonathan Katz-Ouziel

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

Elizabeth Doerr

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

Lynn Peterson

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

Jonathan Ochshorn

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

Master Urban Planning Skills With A Planetizen Courses Subscription.

Sign up

All Law and Policy Courses

Save

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

Instructor: Emily Talen

Urban planners and urban designers are interested in building places that embody beauty and hope. In this course, Emily Talen, PhD, FAICP, presents free urban design software tools that can help urban planners and urban designers visualize changes in the built environment to support the overarching goal of creating better places.

4.28

59 Mins

AIA CES

AICP CM

CNU-A

SACPLAN CPD

Save

Building a Transit Map Web App

Instructor: Yoh Kawano

This course examines the entire process of building an interactive, web-based mapping application.

4.37

84 Mins

AICP CM

SACPLAN CPD

Save

Introduction to WebGIS

Instructor: Yoh Kawano

This course explains various Internet technologies commonly used to build web-based visualization applications with municipal data.

4.30

52 Mins

AICP CM

SACPLAN CPD