Course description
Site Planning Online
Cities are built site by site.
Site planning has been taught in urban planning, landscape architecture and architecture programs for over a century and continues to be a foundation course for those who aspire to plan the built environment. It is a required subject on licensing and certification programs for each of these disciplines.
Mastering the art of site planning requires substantive knowledge, well-honed design skills, and familiarity with examples and prototypes of site organization.
This course provides the perspectives of leading academics and practitioners on the important issues in preparing site plans. It offers a foundation of knowledge, and the opportunity to apply what is learned in preparing a site plan.
Upcoming start dates
Suitability - Who should attend?
Prerequisites
No prerequisities, but basic understanding of land and building form would be helpful.
Outcome / Qualification etc.
What you'll learn
- How to analyze a site and imagine the possibilities for its use.
- How to create a program and a plan for a site.
- How to make choices about site infrastructure.
- Examples of well planned sites.
Training Course Content
- Introduction: site values; exemplary greenfield and urban sites.
- Site analysis: natural site analysis; man made context of sites; infrastructure capacity; development regulations and policies; sites as property; integrating site knowledge.
- Site planning methods: planning processes; users, stakeholders and the public; economic value of sites; design methods; digital media for design; creating a site proposal.
- Site infrastructure: stormwater management; complete streets; pedestrian realms; water supply and disposal; energy for sites; intelligent infrastructure.
- Site concepts and performance: placemaking; subdivision and site assembly; scoring site performance; impact assessment.
- Residential sites: history of residential sites; typology of housing forms; housing and community design; dense residential sites.
- Places for commerce and work: prototypes for shopping; future workplaces; innovation zones; planning for e-commerce.
- Places for recreation and culture: Landscape structure; urban public spaces; human development and play; cultural districts.
- College and university planning: types of universities; campus form and communication; new campuses; networked campuses; planning for adaptability.
- Planning communities: mixed use development; new communities; the future of communities; concluding remarks.
Students will be examined in 4 quizzes about their comprehension of the materials covered.
Course delivery details
This course is offered through Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a partner institute of EdX.
4-6 hours per week
Expenses
- Verified Track -$125
- Audit Track - Free