PLAN 1010

I personally did not enjoy this class. If you don’t have an interest in urban planning or in the school of architecture then I wouldn’t recommend. Tim is an amazing professor, but class usually just consists of him lecturing about trees and bike accessibility. He recorded attendance during the fall; unsure if he’ll continue to do that. The exams weren’t too bad, if you know the basic concepts you’ll be fine. Lots of reading for this class. #tCFS24

If you think you will be interested in its content, this course is a good choice. It gave a great overall introduction to the different elements of urban planning. There is only one graded assignment - a paper about planning in your hometown. I recommend getting a head start on this assignment and conducting appropriate research to get a good grade. The exams consist of essay questions where it is important to demonstrate the content you have learned. Make sure to cover key points that Beatley addresses in class, and use some of his examples.

Beatley was a good professor. He gave active lectures and spoke from knowledge and his experiences. I found his lectures to be entertaining, and I learned a lot in this class.

This class is overall not too difficult - there are readings before every class (but no one really does them). There is a midterm, a final, and a final paper. The midterm wasn't too bad, you essentially have to know the meanings of many core concepts and then compare/contrast them and write some about bigger thematic issues. The final paper is the real problem and why I would not necessarily recommend this class unless you need to take it or are extremely interested in urban planning. The paper is a long research paper effectively analyzing the urban planning system, problems, and potential solutions of your hometown (if you end up taking this class DO NOT underestimate this assignment and start working on it like a month ahead). Other than that, Professor Beatley is very passionate about the topic (especially birds), and he is quite nice and willing to talk with you if needed.

If you are looking for an easy class that you dont have to attend- this is the one. Your entire grade for the class consists of a midterm, a paper, and a final exam. The midterm and final are in the same format where you are given terms to compare and contrast. A study guide is sent out before each exam with terms to know, as long as you have an idea of what each term means you will do fine on the exams. The community analysis paper is long and boring (15 pages) BUT can be done fairly quickly because all the information is pulled from online. Use chatgpt to give you a general paper outline and ideas to talk about and you will easily be able to fill all 15 pages. While he takes "attendance" on canvas, you can say you are in class from anywhere. I didnt go to a single class after the midterm and still got an A on the final. You dont need to be present in lecure to do well- most of the concepts are common sense and you should already have a pretty good understanding of.