Submitted by Kenneth M. Chilton, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, University of North Carolina-Charlotte, and David Walters, Professor of Architecture, University of North Carolina-Charlotte.

The purpose of the Community Planning Workshop, held at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, is to promote interdisciplinary thinking, collaboration, and understanding between planners and architects. The workshop attempts to break down traditional barriers between land use planning and design.

Planning students have traditionally been zoning-map driven and less familiar with the design elements essential to creating a sense of place. Likewise, architecture students often lack the necessary knowledge of land use regulations, ordinances, and real-world development constraints. The course cultivates planning students' design and drawing skills. The course exposes architecture students to data collection, analysis, and evaluation skills and the role of mapping/GIS in understanding the built environment.

See more examples of course prospectuses that teach smart growth concepts at colleges and universities.

• Community Planning Workshop (PDF)(17 pp, 289 K)