Spatial Planning 1400-215PLANP

Spatial planning, management and policy - basic concepts. The evolution of human settlements and cultural landscapes - a brief survey from pre-industrial period up to present. Contemporary approach to spatial planning and its historical backgrounds. Spatial planning as a tool for providing sustainable development. Current legislative and administrative framework for spatial planning in Poland at the local, regional and national levels. An outline of planning law and regulations, and their relation to the European Union directives and policies. Procedures of plan preparation, evaluation and approval; the role of public participation. The scope and format of plan documents. Natural, cultural and socio-economic factors affecting land development, and their integration in the course of planning and decision making processes. A key challenge of achieving a balance between competing land uses and delivering sustainable development. The importance of environmental studies involved in spatial planning; Polish tradition of ecophysiography. Environmental land evaluation - showing opportunities and constraints for particular land uses and identifying ecological indispensables to be strictly protected. The use of the knowledge of ecological relationships in environmental impact assessment and in designing optimal distribution of land uses. Problems of maintenance and protection of natural and cultural heritage and creating healthy environment in rural and urban landscapes. Designing ecological corridors and networks of green spaces. Resolving spatial conflicts between ecosystem sustainability and biodiversity, and land development. Methods and techniques of obtaining suitable environmental information, data handling and interpretation, making ecological maps and formulating planning guidelines.
Course organization. The course consists of lectures, seminars, lab exercises and student ow projects.