Assignment 4: Planning Tools Application
Through the course of this semester a number of planning tools have been presented: Comprehensive planning, zoning, public involvement, GIS, NEPA, public health impact assessments, capital improvement programing, housing development, and transportation planning. See the syllabus if you have questions about what is considered a tool.
Consider the problem of affordable housing along the Wasatch Front, discuss how planning tools could be best used to help analyze the underlying problems and present potential solutions. Assuming the legislature allocated $100M to help alleviate the problem, how could these funds best be utilized? What would the anticipated impacts be? Alternatively you can choose a different topic from the Envision Utah, Your Utah Your Future, list and consider similar questions:
- Agriculture
- Air Quality
- Disaster Resilience
- Education
- Energy
- Jobs and Economy
- Public Lands
- Recreation
- Transportation and Communities
- Water
The paper can be up to 5000 words. Feel free to include graphics or other materials to help illustrate points you are making.
Further key questions to consider:
- What is the underlying problem? Market availability, supply, demand, etc.
- What research tools could be applied to better understand the problem?
- Why is the recommended tool the best?
- How long would it take to apply the recommended tools?
- How can the planning tools discussed help provide more information to decision makers?
- Are there ways to present information to the public and include them in the decision making process?
Grading rubric:
Does the paper tie to the attached article and the readings assigned throughout the semester?
Level of thought included in the paper: Effort, shows logical arguments, defines the problem using data and research, provides meaning to any data presented
Quality of writing: No spelling or grammar problems. Make sure sources and citations are used
Format: Introduction/purpose, body and conclusion
