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Background

The course project requires you to perform some focused research on a specific topic in growth management. The research will focus on tools communities use to address growth-related issues. The purpose of the project is to allow you to pursue a line of inquiry into a component of growth management you are interested in. While the topic-oriented approach does not allow an overall evaluation of a community's growth management program, it allows a broader analysis of approaches communities have used to address specific growth management issues.

Moreover, your analysis will provide additional information for the Growth in Oregon analysis that is being conducted by ECONorthwest. Specifically the objectives of that study are to determine:

• How communities and regions within Oregon are growing
• How and when communities pay for, and benefit from, development
• Tools communities may use to address growth-related issues.

Your analysis will supplement information on the third objective: tools communities may use to address growth-related issues.

The Project

After you have selected a topic (see list of potential topics below), please e-mail me your selection. My preference is to not have more than one person or group working on the same topic. Your research should result in a 10-20 page report with appropriate narrative, tables, charts, and graphics, that contains the following elements:

• A description of the topic and the issues surrounding the topic
• How the topic fits into the overall scheme of growth management
• Approaches that communities have used to address the issue
• Case studies of 3-5 communities that have policies that address the issue
• The effectiveness of those policies
• Steps communities might take to better address the issue
• A detailed bibliography of all the sources used (we’ll talk about what to do with Internet sources)

Most of the work can be done through secondary sources. I encourage you to use electronic techniques for your case studies. Many communities have Web sites, some have their land use policies on the Web. Many city and agency staff have e-mail. I encourage you to contact them via e-mail with a list of questions regarding your topic.

If you desire, you can work in groups of 2 or 3 to complete the project. If you work in a group, I have higher expectations about the depth and thoroughness of your report.

Possible Topics

Following is a list of potential topics for your project. You can select one of these, or you can select a different topic.

• UGB's
• Annexation
• Adequate public facilities requirements (concurrency)
• Focused public improvement plans
• Wetlands
• Stream corridors and riparian areas
• Natural hazards (this is a very broad topic, you'll probably want to focus on some specific aspect of hazard management)
• Farmland preservation
• Affordable housing
• Infill and redevelopment
• Historic preservation
• Urban design and landscaping
• Performance standards
• Development moratoriums
• Land acquisition
• Conservation planning/zoning
• Water quality/erosion control
• Exactions, impact fees
• Transportation demand/congestion management
• Transit-oriented design
• Economic development
• Coordination

The above list contains some very broad topics and is by no means comprehensive. Keep in mind that some of them have components that are not directly associated with growth management. For example, historic preservation can be used for a variety of benefits, growth management being one of them. More importantly, think about ways to focus your research on specific issues within a topic.

Schedule

Here’s the schedule for the projects:

• Topics due: April 23
• Mid-project meeting with instructor: May 4-15 (to be scheduled on an individual or team basis)
• Class discussion of findings: June 2, 4
• Projects are due by 5:00 pm Wednesday, June 10.

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This page maintained by Bob Parker, ©2000
March 25, 2000