CP6214 - Environmental Planning and Impact Assessment

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City and Regional Planning Program
College of Architecture
Georgia Institute of Technology
245 4th St., Rm. 204
Atlanta, GA 30332-0155
Phone: 404.894.2350
Fax: 404.894.1628
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CP6214 - Environmental Planning and Impact Assessment

Catalog Description

Examines the principles, processes, and methods of environmental planning.

Course Objectives

To understand the process of environmental planning and the role of impact assessment in decision-making.
To learn how to identify, predict, and evaluate the consequences of proposed plans and their alternatives.
To apply the procedures and methods of impact assessment.
To analyze the effectiveness of EIA in promoting environmental quality goals.

Course activities include lectures, readings, class presentations and exams.

Lecture Schedule

Week 1	Environmental impact assessment
	(as both a planning process and a methodological tool)
	Bases for environmental choices
	Integration of EIA with planning and decision-making.
Week 2	Implementation and practice of environmental impact assessment
	Federal, State, Local, International: perspectives and participants
	National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
	State-level EIAs
	The NEPA process
	Coordination between different levels of government
	Coordination with other agencies and laws.
Week 3	Planning's unique role in environmental protection
	Incentives (regulatory, market-based, citizen-based, etc)
	Environmental impact statements.
Week 4	Methods and techniques for impact assessment
	(strengths and limitations)
	Alternatives analysis
	Impact Identification
	Impact Prediction
	Impact Evaluation.
Week 5	Pulling it together: holistic environmental planning and management
	Post-project impact assessment and monitoring
	Public participation in the environmental planning process.
Week 6	Environmental systems, impacts, and interactions
	Environmental science fundamentals -- core principles
Week 7	Impact Assessments and Resources Planning:
Week 8	Biological, Ecological, Health impacts.
Week 9	Socio-economic, Visual, Aesthetic impact assessments.
Week 10	Air (indoor and outdoor), Noise impact assessments.
Week 11	Water, Land, Groundwater impact assessments.
Week 12	Risk assessment and risk management
	Watershed and ecosystem management
	Cumulative impact assessment; Direct, indirect, secondary impacts.
Week 13-14	Case studies
	Evaluating EIA's effectiveness
	Criteria of effectiveness
	Strengths of EIA
	Systemic problems with EIA.
Week 15	Contemporary Issues, Future directions of EIA
	Link with comprehensive planning
	Sustainable development.