All Writing Courses
Missing Middle Housing: Meeting the Growing Demand for Walkable Urbanism
Learn about Missing Middle Housing and how to integrate these types into existing neighborhoods.
Legal Issues in Sign Codes
This course provides basic knowledge of the legal issues involved in sign codes, focusing on constitutionally-compliant sign codes in the aftermath of U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Reed v Town of Gilbert
Frontage Types and the Public Realm
This course reviews the 10 primary frontage types and how each shapes the public realm. This course focuses on understanding the features and distinctions of each type and in which locations or contexts each is appropriate.
Regulating Electronic Message Centers
This course provides practical, solution-focused guidance for regulations that leverage digital sign technology while protecting community aesthetic values and safety concerns. This course is available for free.
Calculating the Benefits of Parks, Trails, and Open Space
This course provides examples of how to calculate market and non-market values of parks, trails, and open space, as well as how to identify potential revenue-generating opportunities for long-term maintenance and operation.
SketchUp 2016 for Planners: Site Planning
This course introduces intermediate SketchUp skills, like the program's geolocation functions, and demonstrates how to create more complex models of planned projects or developments.
SketchUp 2016 for Planners: Introduction
This course introduces how planners and architects represent three-dimensional objects in two-dimensions, with step-by-step instructions for creating and using simple 3D models.
The Story of Sprawl
This series of historic films, ranging from 1939 until 1965, offers a unique look at the forces that created urban sprawl.
The Story of Sprawl - With Commentary Tracks
This series of historic films, ranging from 1939 until 1965, offers a unique look at the forces that created urban sprawl. Join expert commentators as we go back in time and uncover how America changed shape.
Multi-Family Property Valuation Case Study for Planners
This course will take planners through a case study multi-family property valuation. The course will build upon previous course topics of time discounting, internal rate of return, net operating income, lease structures, debt payments, and risk assessment.
Office Property Valuation Case Study for Planners
This course offers a case study of office property valuation, building upon topics from previous courses, including time discounting, internal rate of return, net operating income, lease structures, debt payments, and risk assessment.
Property Valuation for Planners
This course builds on topics covered in the previous two courses from this series, time value of money and property cash flow, to undertake a discounted cash flow analysis of property value.
Property Cash Flow Analysis for Planners
This course will introduce planners to property cash flow analysis, which provides the foundation for real estate pro forma analysis.
Educational Space Programming for a New or Renovated Facility
This course shows how to develop a building program for an education facility. A program, sometimes referred to as educational specifications, documents the vision, goals, activities, square footage needs, and spatial relationships for new or newly renovated facility before the design process begins.
K-12 Master Facility Planning
This course shows the steps necessary to develop a successful facility master plan for K-12 education.
Form-Based Codes 101: Citywide and Countywide Code Updates
The final course in the "Form-Based Codes 101" series explores citywide form-based coding—the assessment of an entire city to determine where form-based code application should occur.
Form-Based Codes 101: Legal Aspects
This course explores the legal issues of creating and using a form-based code.
Form-Based Codes 101: Preparing a Form-Based Code
This course explores basic questions and decisions to consider when preparing a form-based code. It also covers the different approaches to regulating urban form and provides guidance for selecting an organizing principle for your form-based code. Finally, the course explains the visioning and creating of a plan, followed by drafting, testing, and assembling your code.
Form-Based Codes 101: Downtowns
Downtowns are the historic center of most American cities. In this course, we will review their role in establishing the past and future character of the city, walking through a series of form-based code case studies across a range of scales and contexts.
Form-Based Codes 101: Corridors
Corridors have historically been a key element of the urban fabric of every American town and city, yet they are also commonly problematic. This course looks at the roots of the problem for examples of how corridors can be designed and coded.