Sustainable Urban Planning Training Course

Participants can produce an evidence base that identifies urban pressures, assets, inequalities and development constraints.

• Urban systems mapping links land, housing, transport, jobs and services
• Compile demographic profiles using census, household survey and administrative data
• Land-use surveys distinguish built form, vacant land, hazards and informal areas
• Service-access mapping measures travel time to schools, clinics and markets
• Apply SWOT analysis to urban assets, constraints, opportunities and threats
• Establish a spatial baseline with indicators, maps, assumptions and data sources

Participants can formulate a measurable urban vision and strategic objectives grounded in local priorities.

• Vision statements describe desired urban form, livelihoods, services and environmental quality
• Sustainable Development Goal 11 targets translated into local planning objectives
• Theory of Change connects policy actions, outputs, outcomes and urban impacts
• Scenario planning compares business-as-usual, compact growth and dispersed development futures
• Prioritise strategic objectives using multi-criteria decision analysis
• Define measurable outcomes with baselines, targets, milestones and accountable owners

Participants can assess housing demand, land supply and affordability implications for urban growth strategies.

• Population projections use cohort-component assumptions for household and service demand
• Housing needs assessment separates backlog, replacement demand and future household formation
• Estimate residential land requirements from densities, tenure patterns and infrastructure capacity
• Affordability analysis compares household incomes, housing costs and finance availability
• Informal settlement profiling identifies tenure, services, hazards and upgrading priorities
• Land-market analysis tracks transactions, prices, speculation and development barriers

Participants can prepare a spatial development strategy that directs growth to suitable and serviceable locations.

• Suitability analysis combines slope, hazards, soils, access and protected areas
• Urban growth boundaries protect agricultural land and guide infrastructure sequencing
• Capacity assessment estimates development potential within existing urbanised areas
• Structure plans organise centres, corridors, neighbourhoods, employment areas and open space
• Apply the compact city model to reduce land consumption and trip distances
• Spatial alternatives tested against cost, emissions, equity and environmental criteria

Participants can translate spatial strategy into clear, enforceable development controls and design requirements.

• Form-based codes regulate frontage, height, setbacks, plot coverage and public realm
• Conventional zoning separates permitted, conditional and prohibited land uses
• Development control standards address density, parking, access, drainage and building safety
• Overlay zones protect heritage, floodplains, groundwater recharge and ecological corridors
• Prepare development management checklists for consistent permit assessment decisions
• Design review criteria assess street enclosure, shade, accessibility and active frontages

Participants can integrate mobility networks, land-use intensity and public-space design around accessible urban centres.

• Transit-Oriented Development concentrates mixed uses within walkable station catchments
• Network hierarchy distinguishes regional corridors, collectors, local streets and active travel routes
• Complete Streets principles allocate safe space for pedestrians, cyclists and transit
• Origin-destination analysis identifies commuter flows, trip purposes and transport gaps
• Parking management uses pricing, supply caps and shared-parking arrangements
• Accessibility indicators measure jobs, services and opportunities reachable within target times

Participants can design neighbourhood policies that improve inclusion, safety, accessibility and everyday service access.

• Complete-neighbourhood standards locate daily services within walkable travel distances
• Universal design principles address mobility, sensory and cognitive access needs
• Gender-responsive safety audits examine lighting, visibility, routes and public facilities
• Public-space typologies distinguish civic squares, parks, streets, markets and waterfronts
• Social infrastructure mapping identifies gaps in childcare, health, education and recreation
• Anti-displacement measures combine tenure security, rental protections and affordable housing requirements

Participants can embed climate adaptation, ecosystem protection and nature-based solutions within urban planning policies.

• Climate risk assessment evaluates hazard, exposure, vulnerability and adaptive capacity
• Flood-risk mapping combines catchments, drainage networks, elevation and settlement patterns
• Nature-based solutions use wetlands, urban forests and permeable surfaces
• Green-blue networks connect parks, waterways, habitat corridors and drainage systems
• Urban heat island analysis identifies priority areas for shade and cooling
• Biodiversity-sensitive planning applies mitigation hierarchy: avoid, minimise, restore, offset

Participants can identify land-use, infrastructure and building policies that reduce urban resource demand and emissions.

• City greenhouse-gas inventories apply the Global Protocol for Community-Scale GHG Emissions
• Land-use transport integration reduces vehicle kilometres travelled and transport emissions
• District energy options assess density, heat demand and network viability
• Circular economy policies address construction waste, material recovery and repair systems
• Water-sensitive urban design combines infiltration, retention, reuse and demand management
• Building performance standards address orientation, envelope efficiency and passive cooling

Participants can sequence infrastructure investments against growth areas, service standards and delivery capacity.

• Infrastructure gap analysis compares service standards, current coverage and projected demand
• Asset management plans record condition, criticality, renewal needs and lifecycle costs
• Infrastructure sequencing aligns trunk investment with phased land development
• Integrated utility corridors coordinate water, sanitation, energy, telecoms and streets
• Service-level agreements clarify performance expectations between municipalities and utilities
• Resilience screening tests infrastructure exposure to floods, heat and power disruption

Participants can connect spatial planning proposals to municipal revenue, investment appraisal and land-value capture options.

• Fiscal impact analysis estimates revenues, operating costs and capital expenditure
• Capital investment plans rank projects by urgency, benefits, readiness and affordability
• Cost-benefit analysis values travel savings, health effects and environmental externalities
• Land-value capture instruments include betterment levies, impact fees and joint development
• Property tax reform links valuation rolls, billing systems and compliance measures
• Public-private partnership screening tests affordability, risk allocation and bankability

Participants can select lawful and equitable approaches to land assembly, tenure management and development phasing.

• Land readjustment pools parcels, services land and redistributes serviced plots
• Cadastral review identifies ownership, rights, encumbrances and boundary disputes
• Development agreements specify obligations, phasing, contributions and performance conditions
• Land banking secures strategic sites before speculative price escalation
• Resettlement planning applies avoidance, compensation, livelihood restoration and grievance procedures
• Phasing plans match land release with infrastructure delivery and market absorption

Participants can plan inclusive engagement that informs decisions, manages conflict and records accountability.

• IAP2 Public Participation Spectrum clarifies inform, consult, involve and collaborate commitments
• Stakeholder engagement plans specify audiences, methods, timing, responsibilities and feedback loops
• Participatory mapping records local hazards, assets, movement patterns and service gaps
• Deliberative forums compare trade-offs between density, affordability, conservation and mobility
• Grievance mechanisms define submission channels, response standards and escalation routes
• Council briefing notes present options, evidence, risks and recommended resolutions

Participants can assess strategic environmental and social effects before finalising urban policies and projects.

• Strategic Environmental Assessment screens policies, plans and programmes for significant effects
• Scoping matrices identify receptors, alternatives, evidence gaps and consultation requirements
• Cumulative impact assessment considers combined development, infrastructure and ecosystem pressures
• Mitigation hierarchy prioritises avoidance, minimisation, restoration and residual compensation
• Environmental management plans assign actions, indicators, budgets and responsible parties
• Social impact assessment addresses livelihoods, equity, cultural heritage and vulnerable groups

Participants can convert urban planning policies into funded programmes, accountable workstreams and delivery controls.

• Implementation matrices link actions, lead agencies, partners, budgets and deadlines
• Critical path method identifies dependencies, milestones and schedule risks
• Programme governance defines sponsor roles, steering committees and escalation procedures
• Procurement strategy selects appropriate contracting routes for infrastructure and services
• Risk registers record probability, impact, mitigation actions and risk owners
• Memoranda of understanding formalise interagency commitments and information-sharing arrangements

Participants can establish a monitoring framework that supports transparent reporting, adaptive management and plan revision.

• Results frameworks connect planning inputs, outputs, outcomes and long-term impacts
• Indicator scorecards track housing, mobility, emissions, services and public-space access
• Data governance protocols define quality checks, ownership, privacy and publication rules
• GIS dashboards communicate spatial trends, project status and service disparities
• Annual performance reviews compare actual results against approved targets and budgets
• Plan review triggers respond to growth changes, disasters, legislation and market shifts

Participants can evaluate major development proposals against plan policies, infrastructure capacity and public interest criteria.

• Development proposal appraisals test policy conformity, site constraints and servicing requirements
• Negotiation preparation identifies interests, minimum conditions, concessions and non-negotiables
• Planning obligations secure infrastructure, affordable housing, public space and mitigation
• Design charrettes resolve competing requirements through structured stakeholder dialogue
• Decision matrices compare development alternatives using weighted planning criteria
• Written recommendations document evidence, conditions, risks and approval rationales

Participants can assemble coherent planning components into a decision-ready draft urban development package.

• Synthesize baseline findings into priority issues, opportunities and planning assumptions
• Align vision, spatial strategy, policies and investment priorities through consistency checks
• Prepare annotated concept maps showing growth areas, corridors and protected zones
• Draft policy statements with intent, requirements, exceptions and implementation responsibilities
• Test implementation feasibility against municipal budgets, institutional capacity and legal powers
• Peer review protocols assess clarity, evidence, equity, climate response and deliverability

Participants can build, review and present a complete sustainable urban planning package for a defined municipality or district.

• Define the planning area, governance context, evidence base and priority challenges
• Produce an urban vision, objectives and measurable sustainable development targets
• Prepare spatial strategy maps, land-use policies and development control proposals
• Integrate housing, mobility, infrastructure, climate adaptation and public-space interventions
• Cost priority actions using capital planning, value capture and financing assumptions
• Present implementation governance, risk controls, indicators and plan-review arrangements