Planning And Urban Design Standards

John Wiley & Sons, Inc., the American Planning Association (APA), and the Community and Regional Planning Program, School of Architecture, University of Texas at Austin, are pleased to present the first edition of Planning and Urban Design Standards, Student Edition. We hope this book will serve as a valuable companion for students in planning and related fields throughout their education.

The Student Edition is not intended as a primary textbook for introductory planning courses. Instead, it functions as a reference for a broad range of courses within accredited planning programs. Additionally, it is designed to be a useful resource for planning-related courses in architecture, landscape architecture, geography, civil engineering, environmental studies, and public administration programs.

To better align the book with planning curricula, we reviewed course materials from 30 accredited planning programs, analyzing 150 syllabi for content. Using 65 keyword categories—ranging from architecture to urban form—we compiled a database of program details, course descriptions, and reading lists.

Our findings revealed that environmental issues constitute a significant portion of planning curricula, often as electives rather than core requirements. This may reflect evolving professional priorities or broader societal concerns. We also noted that required courses tend to share similar reading lists, while electives draw from a wider range of references. The survey highlighted a particular need for more resources on graphic communication, especially in courses related to physical planning, urban design, environmental planning, and transportation.

This Student Edition is an abridgement of the first edition of Planning and Urban Design Standards, edited by Megan Lewis and William Klein of APA. Their comprehensive work made our task both easier and more challenging—easier due to the book’s thoroughness, but challenging because we had to carefully select which material to condense. Our survey and the Student Edition Advisory Board guided these decisions.

Although abridged, this edition includes original content shaped by the Advisory Board, which comprised planning educators and faculty from landscape architecture, architecture, and geography programs:

• Timothy Beatley, University of Virginia
• Cheryl Contant, Georgia Institute of Technology
• Ann Forsyth, University of Minnesota
• Gary Hack, University of Pennsylvania
• Jerold Kayden, Harvard University
• G. Mathias Kondolf, University of California-Berkeley
• Megan Lewis, APA
• Janice Cervelli Schach, Clemson University

We extend our deepest gratitude to Paul Farmer, William Klein, Megan Lewis, and their APA colleagues for laying the foundation for this Student Edition. Their three-year effort in creating Planning and Urban Design Standards built upon Wiley’s legacy with the Graphic Standards series, including Architecture Graphic Standards (now in its 10th edition, with over 1 million copies sold). Like its counterparts in interior design and landscape architecture, this comprehensive volume now has a dedicated Student Edition.

Planning is both a profession and a way of thinking, connecting the best available information to the choices shaping communities and regions. As an academic discipline, it intersects with numerous fields and plays a fundamental role in democracy, engaging citizens and elected officials alike. Students and future leaders are at the start of a lifelong journey in shaping the built environment. We hope Planning and Urban Design Standards, Student Edition will serve as both a launching pad and a touchstone for that journey.

Source:

https://www.just.edu.jo/~arabed/assets/files/UP-702-PlanningandUrbanDesignStandards.pdf