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Purpose: This study attempts to assess the status of sustainability across Urban and Regional Planning (URP) Undergraduate programs in Turkey by (1) examining the contents of sustainability courses, and (2) acquiring more information about how the courses are taught and evaluated. Research Methods: The study is based on a document analysis of course syllabuses, which are documents including course description, course objectives, course content, reading materials, recommended textbooks, and evaluation techniques. The course syllabuses are examined using both descriptive and content analysis. With the descriptive analysis, the current status, teaching and evaluation methods, and teaching instruments are identified; with the content analysis, common themes are defined. Findings: The results showed that sustainability was taught through different themes, including economic, environmental, and social contexts which are fundamental in URP undergraduate education. The most frequently recurring themes included tourism and conservation, alongside ecology, planning, urban ecology, and environmental issues. It was found that themes such as urban and sustainable planning, improvement, and development all had roots in the theme of sustainability. In contrast, it was also noticed that economy/economics, while important, was barely touched. Implications for Research and Practice: In this study, the findings regarding how sustainability is currently covered in URP undergraduate programs across Turkey have been systematically presented with the expectations that this contributes to curriculum development overall and in a better way.

Time-honoured university policies, such as the credit-hour and academic freedom, present challenges for professional education programs tasked with operationalizing entry-to-practice competence frameworks for professional accreditation. A single embedded case study was used to explore how professional programs from one mid-sized Canadian university are approaching and perhaps problematizing the development and assessment of competence. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with educational leaders (faculty and staff, n=21) from a sample of nine programs. Following a grounded theory approach to qualitative analysis, the constant comparative method was used to inductively discern similarities and differences across programs, and to begin building theory about approaches to operationalization. While limited in scope given the use of a single university, our findings highlight: (a) diversity in approaches to operationalization across programs, (b) common attributes which can be used to classify the manner in which these programs operationalize competence, and (c) challenges with supporting faculty to buy in to competency-informed pedagogy and assessment. Given these findings, it is recommended that professional accrediting bodies and education programs spend time to consider the role university-based programs play in determining competence for entry-to-practice, as well their intents for implementing a competence framework, to ensure sufficiency in the approaches being used.

The United Nations estimates that by 2050, more than 66% of the world's population will live in urban areas. In the face of continuing urbanization, how will communities meet the fundamental need for good food? What kinds of public policies, structures, and systems will ensure equitable and just access to food? We argue that urban universities have a responsibility and an extraordinary opportunity to help create equitable community food systems by amplifying community-led planning and policy to strengthen such systems. Drawing on case studies involving the University at Buffalo State University of New York system and its community partners, we describe the ways in which community-university partnerships can leverage policy change to support stronger food systems. We conclude with lessons for such partnerships: the importance of building lasting relationships for policy change, shoring up community capacity, understanding the benefits and burdens for universities and communities, and reimagining universities' responsibilities to their regions.

In spite of decades of use of agent-based modelling in social policy research and in educational contexts, very little work has been done on combining the two. This paper accounts for a proof-of-concept single case-study conducted in a college-level Social Policy course, using agent-based modelling to teach students about the social and human aspects of urban planning and regional development. The study finds that an agent-based model helped a group of students think through a social policy design decision by acting as an object-to-think-with, and helped students better connect social policy outcomes with behaviours at the level of individual citizens. The study also suggests a set of new issues facing the design of Constructionist activities or environments for the social sciences.

This paper presents a co-teaching mentor model, which improved the teaching of academics and enhanced student satisfaction and retention. Two research-focused lecturers responsible for first-year units were partnered with a co-teaching mentor to offer guidance on how the content (urban and regional planning) could be delivered more effectively with an emphasis on student engagement and motivation. These two case studies are discussed and the findings demonstrate the effective transfer of teaching awareness and skills through this process. Five key educational theories underpin the substantive changes made to the way that classes were delivered. The applied relevance and transfer of these ideas can be demonstrated in the reflections from the participating staff through a pedagogical analysis of the before and after changes in their teaching practices, and in the improved student evaluation and retention results.

This paper aims at measuring of environmental knowledge of students who select environmental science course in Urban and Regional Planning Department at Bozok University. This article includes a survey research, with this survey, we can get information about knowledge of environment of students and where they learn them. First briefly, it provides to measure environmental knowledge of students and then it aids to constitute of content of environmental science course. In this manner, we can contribute to improve knowledge of students. At the same time, we can measure our performance. (Contains 2 tables and 2 figures.)

Work placements (including internships) are common in urban and regional planning education but the relevant literature has largely overlooked their assessment and academic standards. To address this gap, the paper presents a study of this topic undertaken within the Australian context. The research involved systematically scoping the status of work placements in planning education in Australia, and exploring the perspectives of participating educators, practitioners and students on appropriate assessment methods and academic standards. We found significant and problematic divergence in these three key stakeholders' perspectives. The implications of these findings are discussed in a national and international context. The consequent proposition is an approach to assessment and standards that promotes a shared understanding across these key stakeholders.

This paper examines how learning happened in an interactive studio setting using the theories and methods of educational ethnography. The study begins with a review of the education literature on the acquisition of professional education and identity, particularly epistemic frame theory. Using a case study approach, we examine students' learning during a two-week period of a graduate urban planning studio during which the instructor faced resistance from the students about course direction. Using qualitative analyses and a new quantitative technique called epistemic network analysis, we describe the process by which students appropriated a particular community of practice. This paper offers a productive way of tracking how specific interactions within learning environments can lead to significant changes in cognitive development.

This paper describes an innovative collaboration between the Center for Sustainable Urban Development at Columbia University and the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Nairobi. By bringing universities into urban policy networks, this partnership aims to re-shape pedagogy, policy and research action for sustainable urban development. The strategy underlying this partnership is to foster meaningful local university/municipality partnerships aimed at improving the social and physical sustainability of cities in the global South as well as transform how and what urban planning students learn in order to manage power and complexity. This paper raises questions about international collaborations that bring universities together with cities and their residents and how those collaborations can be designed to better ensure their success.

This paper shows how the Delphi technique was used to conceptualize and operationalize local planning agency power. In the first of two Delphi studies, twelve scholars suggested four dimensions of agency power: legal authority, degree of control, relative autonomy, and capacity. In the second Delphi study, sixteen professional planners operationalized power dimensions proposed by the first Delphi study. The dimensions were operationalized in the context of Florida's planning system. The proposed measures were tested empirically by reviewing Florida statutes, surveying municipal planning agencies, and conducting statistical analysis. This research presents important lessons learned for researchers interested in Delphi studies and proposes valid empirical measures of local planning agency power. (Contains 4 footnotes, 2 tables, and 1 figure.)

This paper examines urban and regional planning and the urban impact of welfare programs in the United States as compared to the major Northern European capitalist countries. American differences are explained in terms of class structure, ideology, and political organization. (Author/EB)

Presents a framework for formulating urbanization policies and discusses the application of this paradigm in the context of Islamic ideology. Operationalization of the framework is developed as a five-step sequence. (Author/WB)

Presents three learning strategies used in planning education to demonstrate the connection between knowledge and action and to link classroom and field. Described are: (1) the use of descriptive material on city life; (2) group exercises with case studies; and (3) simulations. (Author/WB)

Summarizes the presentations offered, issues discussed, and decisions made at a conference of the (British) Commonwealth Association of Planners and one held by the International Society of City and Regional Planners. Both meetings focused upon trends and future needs in planning education. (WB)

Presented is an overview of the development of planning education at the undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels in Africa. Future needs include greater program flexibility and more help for developing countries to establish their own planning education programs. (WB)

Urban and regional development in Third World countries has been changing in terms of aims, planning style, analytic methods and scope. These evolving perspectives are reviewed, and recommendations for incorporating such changes into professional programs in urban and regional studies are presented. (WB)

Humans have attempted to control nature since the dawn of time. This paper analyzes riverfront greenway planning in two continents with distinct geographic and climatic contexts: Central Arizona and Central Portugal. It is argued that both places had to innovate in urban design and nature conservancy to survive and flourish. A key finding is that traditions and innovations have unique idiosyncrasies endemic to the places where they are conceived, perfected and implemented. For innovations to travel, professionals ought to work with local communities to identify and implement more appropriate urban design courses of action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, nature has been increasingly acknowledged in the urban environment for its importance to people's well-being and quality of life, as well as for its role in building sustainable cities. The idea of nature in cities and the conceptualization of 'green' (e.g. green structure, green fingers, green infrastructure, parks and ecosystem services) are correlated in planning approaches. This study explores the conceptualization of green by analysing the concepts used in the two regions of Oslo and Helsinki, and by investigating their current master and regional plans through quantitative and qualitative analyses. The findings exhibit a variety of green concepts and complementary features (between planning concepts introduced earlier and newer ones). Over the years, and in the light of evolving ideas of nature, the master and regional plans of both regions have set up a multi-functionality framework, more recently influenced by ecosystem services approaches. The study contributes to understanding the evolving conceptualization of green in urban and regional planning approaches. The discussion is linked to place-specific contexts and regulatory practices, and connected – to some extent – to the wider international debate and planning ideas that incorporate nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world is urbanizing rapidly, and many urbanized regions deplete and degrade their environment. The additional polycrisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, epidemics, food insecurity, and reduced water, air, and soil quality asks for a transformational vision for the design and planning of these urban regions. Current planning practices are not able to respond to the complexity of the problems associated with the polycrisis. At the same time, regenerative thinking has not yet been practical enough to be accepted into spatial planning practices and create regenerative regions that can respond to the global polycrisis. This mismatch reinforces the status quo of well-thought-through regenerative frameworks on the one hand and ongoing spatial planning in urban regions on the other. The aim of this study is to create a regenerative framework for regional planning. A range of regenerative frameworks have been analyzed and integrated into one 'framework of frameworks', highlighting clusters of attributes describing the 'what', 'when', 'how', and 'who' of what needs to happen to create a regenerative world. On the other hand, expert judgement of planning practices in nine urban regions around the world provided insight about the priorities for regional regenerative development. This clarified the 'what' and 'where' of different aspects of urban planning in the region. Bringing the theoretical frameworks and practical understanding of urban planning together, the regenerative framework for regional planning provides a practical approach for navigating the complexities of creating a regenerative region. It starts by backtracking to the 1st generation city (of first settlements and indigenous understanding of the land). When this equilibrium is found, it is used to create a vision for the 3rd generation city (in which regenerative potentials are fully used). The comparison with the 2nd generation city (a current anthropogenic industrial city) clarifies what must change, how this change can be achieved, and who the agents of change are to make it happen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban and regional planning in developing and developed countries faces many challenges, among them lacking support of stakeholders. Geodesign is a new approach in the framework of Public Participatory Geographic Information Systems addressing this problem. While Geodesign works have been carried out throughout the world they were separated from economic analysis. In this project, two different development scenarios for Harran District located in Southeast Turkey were elaborated using Geodesign methodology. Due to the importance of this region for agricultural production and its potential for tourism, the focus of this work lies on these sectors. The included financial analysis revealed the huge benefits of a scenario adopting early environmentally friendly technologies. The Net Present Value could be eight times higher if a conversion to orchards on some lands were realized. To streamline the computation of financial benefits on a strategic level an extension to the used GeodesignHub software was developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to define the geographic boundaries of commercial areas by creating a consistent definition, combining various commercial area types, including downtowns, retail centres, financial districts, and other employment subcentres. Our research involved the collection of office, retail and job density data from 69 metropolitan regions across USA and Canada. Using this data, we conducted an unsupervised image segmentation model and clustering methods to identify distinctive commercial geographic boundaries. As a result, we identified 23,751 commercial areas, providing a detailed perspective on the commercial landscape of metropolitan areas in the USA and Canada. In addition, the generated boundaries were successfully validated through comparison with previously established commerce-related boundaries. The output of this study has implications for urban and regional planning and economic development, delivering valuable insights into the overall commercial geography in the region. The commercial boundary and used codes are freely available on the School of Cities Github, and users can reuse, reproduce and modify the boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the implementation of grand spatial planning narratives such as the compact city and polycentricity in planning practice. The effects of overlapping scales on the application of spatial imaginaries in metropolitan space are examined. Using post‐socialist space, the research enriches the geographical context of metropolitan studies. On the basis of a spatial analysis of metropolitan form and centrality and a textual analysis of the relevant spatial plans of three Czech metropolitan areas, the key features in efforts of planning polycentric and compact metropolitan areas are identified as "Administrative blindness", "(De)centralization ambiguity", and "Reactive passivity". By identifying the limits of translating spatial visions into the practical language of statutory regional and land‐use plans, the paper contributes to the debate on the effectiveness of metropolitan planning based on the specific context of Central Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The expansion of African cities leads to the occupation of peripheral urban areas without respecting planning rules. The Greater Lomé (Togo) is no exception to this phenomenon of high-speed horizontal spreading, which causes recurrent flooding. The objective of this research is to understand the spatio-temporal changes in the dynamics of built-up areas in Greater Lomé. The methodology used is based on the analysis of Landsat images from the years 2007, 2012, 2016, and 2020 coupled with direct field observations and a literature review. The results showed an increase in residential areas to the detriment of the other land use/cover types. Estimated at 15,481 ha in 2007, the built-up area reached 35,521 ha in 2020, an increase of 33% to the detriment of vegetation and cultivation areas. This increase was marked by constructions in the floodplain of the Zio River. The field surveys revealed an increase in the density of most of the agglomerations. From 1863 ha in 2007, they increased to 14,485 ha in 2020, an increase of 12,622 ha or approximately 33%. These results indicate that attention needs to be paid to both the planning and control of the development of spaces in the outlying areas of Greater Lomé. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the importance of geological studies for identifying the most suitable areas for regional and urban planning in Greece. Termed as geological suitability studies, these studies aim to determine the geological suitability of land to protect the built environment from natural hazards and hazards associated with human interventions and activities. Key areas of focus include the exploitation of geological resources and the protection of the geological environment. In addition, the application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) for assessing geological parameters, which are crucial for the delimitation of geologically suitable zones, are discussed. Furthermore, the article explores how GIS and MCE can be applied in the development of geological suitability models.

TeMA Journal’s Special Issue Burn or sink - Planning and managing the land features a collection of eight original papers. These were written specifically for this issue following the call for papers launched in October 2022. The papers present ideas, theories, empirical insights, methodologies, experiences, and techniques about policy issues, best practices, and research findings on the Special Issue themes. TeMA Journal has already shown extensive interest in these aspects. Over its 16-year lifespan, the journal has explored broad themes that characterize today’s environmental crisis, with the aim of outlining new planning paths. For the first time, the journal’s editorial staff is proposing a Special Issue aimed at deepening the topic by soliciting articles focused on scientific aspects, the development of innovative practices, and the role of social behaviors.

Drone imagery has the potential to enrich urban planning and historic preservation, especially where it converges with the growing creation and use of 3D models in the context of cities and metro regions. Nevertheless, the widespread adoption of drones in these fields faces limitations, and there is a shortage of research addressing this issue. Therefore, we have conducted a systematic literature review of articles published between 2002 and 2022 drawing from reputable academic repositories, including Science Direct, Web of Science, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), to identify current gaps in the existing research on the application of UAVs to the creation of 3D models in the contexts of urban planning and historic preservation. Our findings indicate five research shortcomings for 3D city modeling: limited participation of planning experts, research focus imbalance, lack of usage for special scenarios, lack of integration with smart city planning, and limited interdisciplinary collaboration. In addition, this study acknowledges current limitations around UAV applications and discusses possible countermeasures along with future prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban planners who are environmentally conscious and aware will take action to take responsibility, inform, and control. Raising environmental awareness is essential in urban planning education to understand environmental problems. Therefore, it is necessary to educate urban planning students on environmental ethics. This study investigates the environmental attitudes and behaviors of urban and regional planning students, who will shape the environment in the future within the context of the value-belief-norm theory. Moreover, to find clues that will shape environmental education in the course curriculum. The study included 226 students from the Department of Urban and Regional Planning in the Faculty of Architecture of Yıldız Technical University (YTU) and Amasya University (AU). Questionnaire data has been evaluated using principal components analysis, correlation analysis, T-test, and ANOVA analysis. According to the study findings, urban planning students have adopted biocentric, ecocentric, and anthropocentric value orientations. The study has found that students with ecocentric value orientation tend to show more pro-environmental behavior. The study concludes that the student’s characteristics also affect how they show pro-environmental behavior and evaluate environmental policies. In conclusion, focusing on ecocentric approaches in urban planning education can positively affect adopting pro-environmental behavior and policies. Additionally, study findings show that students with relatively better economic conditions are more inclined to have a biocentric value orientation. Based on the literature and these study findings, pro-environmental behavior is not a single-dimensional structure caused only by individuals' personal and professional characteristics. People's environmental attitudes and behaviors are shaped by their upbringing, school, friends, and culture. It shows that pro-environmental behavior has a multidimensional complex structure, and a conceptual framework can provide guidance to explain these kinds of behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is extensive literature on the agency of actors in urban and regional planning which draws on a wide range of theoretical lenses and concepts. One of the recurring themes is the relationship between agency and structure—the mutual interdependence between individual actions and collective institutions, rules, and norms. This article provides a narrative overview of the wide range of literature on agency and structure in relation to spatial planning clustered around six interrelated themes: institutions, discretion, pragmatism, networks, leadership, and emotions. It identifies new avenues for research, paying particular attention to empirical, scalar, and methodological issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]