LAND USE, MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT
CIRP 5305
Fall 2012
Office Hours Mondays 5-6pm, Thursdays 1-3pm, University Hall 513
Andrew Whittemore
COURSE OBJECTIVES
The goal of this class is to familiarize students with the perspective of the chief producers of the built landscape: private developers. It is important that planners understand the roles of municipal regulations, demand, competition, financing mechanisms, and the fragmentation and ownership of land if they are to be effective regulators and partners in the development process. Upon completion of this course you will demonstrate a better comprehension of the economic and political processes that shape cities, in particular, the ability of regulators to realize planning goals in light of private actors’ expectation of profits. In addition, assignments will require you to engage with members of the community and public sector, develop a basic knowledge of real estate finance, engage in the assessment and physical design of a site, analyze demographic data in order to understand economic and social trends, and read and understand plans. General planning skills to be developed include: research skills, written, oral and graphic communication skills, quantitative and qualitative methods, the ability to collaborate and negotiate, and the knowledge and use of comprehensive plans.
REQUIREMENTS
Readings for the course will be out of the ULI’s (Urban Land Institute) Urban Plan handbook, which I will provide to you the first day of class, and ULI’s “Real Estate Development: Principles and Process,” 4th ed. The first third of the semester will be spent on the ULI designed educational unit “Urban Plan.” The mission statement of “Urban Plan” is as follows:
“The Mission of UrbanPlanis tocreate a more sophisticated level of discourse among local stakeholders involved in land use decisions through education of tomorrow’s voters, neighbors, community leaders, public officials, and land use professionals so, together, we can create better communities. Through UrbanPlan, students discover how the forces of our market economy clash and collaborate with the nonmarket forces of our representative democracy to create the built environment. This insight provides the essential foundation for any sophisticated land use discussion.”
In Urban Plan, you will be divided into development teams and respond to a “request for proposals” for the redevelopment of a blighted site in a hypothetical community. Each team member will assume one of five roles: finance director, marketing director, city liaison, neighborhood liaison, or site planner. Each team will address financial, market, social, political, and design issues; develop a pro forma and three-dimensional model of their plan, and present their proposal to a “city council” of ULI members that awards the development contract to the winning team. 30% of your final grade is based on your performance in the presentation of your Urban Plan proposal on October 8.
The rest of the semester will be dedicated to producing as part of a team a development proposal for one or more parcels in an area of Downtown Fort Worth abutting Jones Street. This assignment is more fully described in a separate document to be given to you by the instructor. The components of the final assignment are: site conditions analysis, zoning and entitlements, market analysis, development overview and conceptual site plan, and financial pro forma. These written components will count for 40% of your final grade. 20% of your final grade is based on an evaluation of your performance by your teammates to be handed in the last day of class, and 10% of your final grade is based on your presentation of your proposal on the last day of class.Drafts and presentations of the final assignment will be due throughout the semester but will not be graded, only commented upon. I also expect you to be meeting with your teams weekly outside of class, and provide me with updates weekly on your progress. The style (not the substance) of your written and oral assignments will be graded based on the MCRP Term Paper Rubric and AACU Oral Communication Rubrics available at:
COURSE SCHEDULE
Monday, August 27 – Course Introduction – Urban Plan Pitch
In class: Outline of Course, Urban Plan unit, and division into teams
Monday, September 10 – “Urban Plan”
Assignment: Read Urban Plan handbook, complete exercises 3-5
Monday, September 17 – “Urban Plan”
ULI Facilitation
Monday, September 24 – “Urban Plan”
Workshop and ULI Speaker: Frank Bliss
Monday, October 1 – “Urban Plan”
ULI Facilitation
Monday, October 8– “Urban Plan”
City Council Day
Monday, October 15 – Refinement of an Idea
Readings: ULI, Chapters 1 and 3
CLASS MEETING AT UTA SANTA FE CENTER ROOM TBA – Discussion of readings, site visit, and presentation from Jim Johnson
Assignment (due at end of class): select site
Monday, October 22 – The Inception of an Idea
Readings: ULI, Chapters 4-6, 10
In class: In class: Lecture, discussion, assignment presentations
Assignment: Site analysis, project idea and presentation
Monday, October 29 – Finance
ULI, Chapters 7-9
In class: Lecture, Pro-Forma workshop with Kevin Hogan
Monday, November 5 – Market Analysis I
Readings: ULI, Chapters 11-12
In class: Lecture, discussion and assignment presentation
Assignment: “Back-of-the-Envelope” Pro-forma
Monday, November 12 – Market Analysis II
Readings: ULI, Chapters 16-18
In class: Lecture and assignment presentations
Assignment: Market/Marketability Analysis
Monday, November 19 – The Public Sector
Readings: ULI, Chapters 13-15
In class: Lecture, discussion
Assignment: Submit PDC Form to Fort Worth. Note: At a pre-development conference you will need to present to the planning staff a conceptual site plan.
Monday, November 26 – Making It Happen
Readings: ULI, Chapters 19-20
In class: Discussion, workshop (Kevin Hogan or Fred Forgey may be available)
Assignment: Zoning due diligence.
Monday, December 3 – Dress-Rehearsal
In class: presentations.
Assignment: Description of proposed development and conceptual site plan draft.
Monday, December 10 – Presentations
All assignments due and final team presentations.Special guest Jim Johnson, Downtown Fort Worth, Inc.
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