Recreation Land-Use Planning

FOR 421

Department of Forestry

Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Spring Semester, 2009

Instructor:                  Dr. Mae A. Davenport

            194D Agriculture Building

            (618) 453-7476                      

            mdaven@siu.edu

            http://mccoy.lib.siu.edu/~mdaven/

Office hours:              8:00 am – 11:00 am Tuesdays & Thursdays

                                    or by appointment

Scheduled time:         Mondays 10:00 am – 10:50 am, AG 153

                                    Wednesdays 10:00 am – 10:50 am, AG 153 or TBA

                                    Wednesdays 11:00 am – 11:50 am, AG 216 or TBA

Room:                         153 and 216 Agriculture Building

Course description:

This course is designed to provide you with an understanding of principles, policies and tools related to sustainable land use and recreation planning. Specifically, in the course you will 1) investigate the relationships between the natural environment, local economies and quality of life in recreation planning, 2) study examples and case studies of planning across the U.S., and 3) participate in a comprehensive planning process. You will explore current planning “hot topics,” such as sprawl, social justice, regulatory takings, collaboration, and partnerships. You also will participate in a hands-on opportunity to put your knowledge and skills to use in a community level planning project aimed at developing a sustainable conservation areas, parks, and pathways system for the City of Carbondale.

Course materials:

Required texts:            Benedict, M. A. & McMahon, E. T. (2006). Green infrastructure: Linking landscapes and communities. Washington, D.C.: Island Press. ISBN-1-59726-027-4

                                    Flink, C. A., Olka, K. & Searns, R. A. (2001). Trails for the Twenty-First Century. Washington, D.C.: Island Press. ISBN 1-55963-818-4

Suggested texts:           Forsyth, A. & Musacchio, L. R.  (2005). Designing small parks: A manual for addressing social and ecological concerns. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN-13: 978-0-471-73680-6

Required supplies:       1 ½ to 2-inch,3-ring binder for Planning Portfolio

                                    Stapler (all assignments handed in must be stapled)

Student evaluation:

Individual assignments (35%): About 35 percent of your grade is based on your Planning Portfolio and your mid-semester inventory and assessment presentation. Your portfolio, which includes lab reports and reading reviews (or quizzes), will be collected and graded three times over the course of the semester. You must have a 3-ring binder to organize your assignments and turn in to me.

Group assignments (25%): About 25 percent of your grade is based on group efforts and accomplishments. In the Carbondale Conservation Areas, Parks, and Pathways (CAPP) planning project you will work in a Planning Team (3-5 students). Your Team will be responsible for writing and orally presenting an action report. The group to which you are assigned is responsible for its own function. In other words, the allocation of responsibility or tasks, including objective setting, information gathering, reporting, and general quality control is up to the group. However, groups and individual members may consult me at any time for advice or feedback on your progress or other issues.

Exams (40%): Two exams are scheduled during class time mid semester and during finals week. Exams will be a combination of short answer, essay and multiple choice questions.

Specific projects and assignments:

Note: The standard formatting requirements for written assignments in this class, unless otherwise directed, are 12 pt. font, 1-inch margins (top, bottom, left and right), and single spacing. Pay attention to formatting! These format settings may not be the default settings on your computer. Thus, you may need to set them yourself. Your writing should reflect professionalism. Avoid gender exclusive language. Assignments not stapled will not be collected. I value writing and view it as an essential communication tool.

Planning Portfolio: You are expected to keep a Planning Portfolio that you will hand in three times during the semester. The portfolio will contain lab reports, reading reviews and in-class assignments. I would recommend that you keep your notes and handouts related to the CAPP project in your portfolio, as well, to help you stay organized.

1) Reading reviews (Individual-10 at 5 points each): Reading reviews are intended to assess your reading progress and comprehension. For the reviews you will summarize 2-3 key themes in your readings and relate these themes to your own real world observations or the CAPP planning project. Reading reviews should relate to the reading assignments for the particular week they are due (see schedule). These assignments must be typed (at least 350 words) and will be graded on content and quality of writing. The purpose of the readings is to provide support for lecture materials, stimulate your critical thinking, and foster good class discussions. I may substitute reading quizzes for reviews, if needed.

2) Lab reports (Individual-7 reports for 100 points total): You will complete lab reports summarizing lab activities. Topics for the entries are described in the lab schedule. The lab reports are handed in as part of your Planning Portfolio. I encourage you to work together as a team to collect, analyze, and interpret your data for lab assignments; however you must write the reports on your own.

Conservation Areas, Parks and Pathways (CAPP) Planning Project: This project is a hands-on, collaborative recreation land use planning opportunity in which students are charged with the task of developing a CAPP plan for the City of Carbondale. Throughout the semester you will work in Planning Teams to inventory and assess the city’s needs and develop planning alternatives. The goal of the project is to explore opportunities and challenges in planning for the economic, ecological, and social sustainability of Carbondale. The project requires creativity, spontaneity, strategic planning, and teamwork. I will do my best to relate class material to what is going on in the project. To a large extent, how well you do in this class and what you take away from this class depends on how much effort you put into the plan. Many of the course readings are related to concepts and constructs brought out in the project. Several assignments are linked to this project:

1) Inventory and Assessment Presentations (Individual-25 points): As a team you will make a seven minute oral presentation of your findings for both lab reports in class. You will be graded on your individual effort and accomplishments in this presentation.

2) Action Report (Group-75 points): As a group, your planning team will write an Action Report (6-8 pages plus appendices) describing your team’s goal, objectives, and guidelines for conservation areas, parks and pathways in Carbondale. Further instructions will follow.

3) Final Carbondale CAPP Plan Presentation (Group-50 points): This is the final product of the planning process. The class, as a whole, will present the CAPP plan in class and to the City of Carbondale based on information collected in the inventory and needs assessments and the planning teams’ action recommendations. Your team will be responsible for presenting a synthesis of your team’s inventory and assessments and action recommendations. You will also make a one-page handout on your topic for the class presentation. You will receive further content and formatting instructions in class.

Extra credit opportunities:

1) Attendance (10 points):  Students missing only two classes or fewer will receive 10 points in extra credit.

2) Peer evaluation (10 points): Peer evaluations are STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL. Each student will grade his or her Planning Team members on the level of effort each member puts into the project and quality of each member’s work. You also will have to justify the grades you give each team member. Peer evaluation allows you to have some input in rewarding those people who worked diligently toward group goals.

3) Extra report (10 points): Students will have the opportunity to write a 1-2 page report and/or present that report orally for extra credit up to 10 points. You will receive further instructions in class.

Assignment due dates and exams:

Hand in Planning Portfolio: Feb. 4^th

Exam 1: Mar. 2^nd 

Hand in Planning Portfolio: Mar. 23^rd 

Inventory and Assessment presentation: Feb. 25^th   

Action Report Draft (optional) *: April 13^th

Hand in Planning Portfolio: April 20^th   

CAPP plan presentation to class: April 22^nd  

Action Report: Apr. 27^th

CAPP plan presentation to Carbondale Planners: April 29^th (or TBA)

Peer evaluations: May 4^th  

Exam 2: Monday, May 4^th, 12:00 to 1:50 pm

*You are welcome to turn in writing assignment drafts before due dates for feedback. However, the draft must be a sincere attempt at the assignment.  I will not edit your writing, but I will provide suggestions for improving the structure, content or organization of your paper.

500 points are possible and distributed as follows:

Grading component                                                                                                          # points

Planning Portfolio (individual grade)                     

        Reading reviews/quizzes                                                                                                50

        Lab reports                                                                                                                    100

Inventory and Assessment presentation  (individual grade)                                                  25

Exam 1                                                                                                                                   100

Action report (group grade)                                                                                                   75

Final plan presentation (group grade)                                                                                    50

Exam 2                                                                                                                                   100

                                                                                                                           500

Extra credit opportunities:                                                                                                 # points

High attendance (missing 2 classes or fewer)                                                                         10

Extra report                                                                                                                             10

Peer evaluation                                                                                                                        10

                                                                                                                       30

The A-F grading scale will be used. Grades of ‘I’ (incomplete) are typically not given.

A     = 450.00 and >                                               

B     = 400.00-449.99                                                                                            

C     = 350.00-399.99            

D     = 300.00-349.99

F      = <300.00      

***************************

In sum, this class is about opportunities—opportunities to explore the complicated, yet potentially highly rewarding world of recreation land use planning. Through readings, self-reflection, collaboration, and practice you will find opportunities to challenge yourself and challenge each other to develop real-world solutions to real-world problems. It’s up to you to take advantage of these opportunities.

Online resources:

*Master Parks and Recreation Plan for the Greater Missoula Area, http://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/ParksRec/compmasterplan.htm

*Illinois Statewide Comprehensive Plan: http://dnr.state.il.us/OCD/scorp/scorpmain2.pdf

*IDNR Public Attitudes toward Open Space Report: http://dnr.state.il.us/orep/open_space_final_report.pdf

IDNR: dnr.state.il.us/

City of Carbondale: http://www.ci.carbondale.il.us/

Planner’s Web: http://www.plannersweb.com

American Planning Association: http://www.planning.org/

The Project for Public Space: http://www.pps.org

Trust for Public Lands: http://www.tpl.org

Land Trust Alliance: www.lta.org/

Red Lodge Clearinghouse: http://www.redlodgeclearinghouse.org/

Urban parks online: http://pps.org/topics/whyneed/newvisions/

U.S. Department of Energy, Smart Communities Network: http://www.sustainable.doe.gov/index.shtml

Communications for a sustainable future: http://csf.colorado.edu/

Local Government Commission: http://www.lgc.org

Land Use Law overview: http://www.law.cornell.edu/topics/land_use.html

National Parks and Recreation Administration: www.nrpa.org/

Special Notes:

Course text and materials on reserve: The required text is available for purchase at the University Bookstore at the SIUC Student Center. Their phone number is (618) 536-3321. Reserve materials are available on Morris Library electronic reserve. The web address is:

http://library.ilcso.illinois.edu/sic/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?DB=local&PAGE=rbSearch

            To access: Search by instructor, department, or course. Click on article title. Click on E-items:  Click Here. Enter in student ID.

Attendance policy: It is extremely important that you attend all classroom sessions and show up on time. Attendance is taken and poor attendance or punctuality will affect your progress and accomplishments in this class. Students are responsible for contacting the instructor for make up assignments.

Late assignments: Assignments must be handed in to me on the due-date. Late assignments, handed in within 24 hours, will receive a one-grade level automatic deduction. After one day, the assignment may be turned in for a maximum of half of the points possible.

Participation: Students are expected to 1) be prepared to think critically, 2) participate in class activities, 3) discuss ideas in large and small group settings and 4) listen attentively and respectfully to the ideas of others.

Honor system: As a member of the University community you are expected to engage in the highest level of academic integrity. Academic dishonesty or plagiarism will not be tolerated. Plagiarism is cheating. Anyone who copies the work of other professionals, authors, or students and doesn’t cite their sources in the body of the paper and in the reference section of the paper will receive a failing grade. If you are unclear about what this means, ask your instructor to explain it to you. Please refer to the website: http://www.siu.edu/~docedit/policies/conduct.html for a description of the University’s student conduct code.

Disability support: Any student with a documented disability condition (e.g. physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, etc.) who needs to arrange reasonable accommodations should contact me as soon as possible at the beginning of the semester. Students with special needs should also contact Disability Support Services on campus. Their phone number is (618) 453-5738 and their website is http://www.siu.edu/~dss/.

Emergency procedures: Southern Illinois University Carbondale is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for study and work.  Because some health and safety circumstances are beyond our control, we ask that you become familiar with the SIUC Emergency Response Plan and Building Emergency Response Team (BERT) program.  Emergency response information is available on posters in buildings on campus, available on the BERT’s website at www.bert.siu.edu, Department of Public Safety’s website www.dps.siu.edu (disaster drop down) and in the Emergency Response Guidelines pamphlet.  Know how to respond to each type of emergency.

Instructors will provide guidance and direction to students in the classroom in the event of an emergency affecting your location.  It is important that you follow these instructions and stay with your instructor during an evacuation or sheltering emergency.  The Building Emergency Response Team will provide assistance to your instructor in evacuating the building or sheltering within the facility.

Course schedule:

Lab schedule: