Keith Pezzoli

Planning Pedagogy and Globalization A Content Analysis of Syllabi

Global megatrends including economic restructuring, migration, and environmental degradation have profoundly transformed planning practice; this reality needs to be reflected in planning education. To this end, a content analysis of sixty-nine planning syllabi was conducted to identify how and to what extent global themes are being included. The analysis highlighted the interdisciplinary nature of globalized planning pedagogy and the greater emphasis on planning theory and history and economic development. The courses were clustered according to common themes, and these are discussed as they relate to planning practice. Noteworthy pedagogical approaches are highlighted.

Introduction to Symposium: Is Progressive Regionalism an Actionable Framework for Critical Planning Theory and Practice?:

This symposium is the most recent in a series of activities by the guest editors, aimed at advancing planning scholarship under the rubric of progressive regionalism. Progressive regionalism is concerned with equity and sustainability in the search for innovative ways to improve urban and regional development - that is, with solutions that are networked, systems-oriented, globally-minded, ecologically sound and holistic. The strengths and weaknesses of progressive regionalism merit careful analysis and debate. The authors in this symposium address aspects of the question: Does progressive regionalism cohere as an actionable framework for critical planning theory and practice?

One Bioregion/One Health: An Integrative Narrative for Transboundary Planning along the US–Mexico Border

Global megatrends—including climate change, food and water insecurity, economic crisis, large-scale disasters and widespread increases in preventable diseases—are motivating a bioregionalisation of planning in city-regions around the world. Bioregionalisation is an emergent process. It is visible where societies have begun grappling with complex socio-ecological problems by establishing place-based (territorial) approaches to securing health and well-being. This article examines a bioregional effort to merge place-based health planning and ecological restoration along the US–Mexico border. The theoretical construct underpinning this effort is called One Bioregion/One Health (OBROH). OBROH frames health as a transborder phenomenon that involves human–animal–environment interactions. The OBROH approach aims to improve transborder knowledge networking, ecosystem resilience, community participation in science–society relations, leadership development and cross-disciplinary training. It is a theoretically informed narrative to guide action. OBROH is part of a paradigm shift evident worldwide; it is redefining human–ecological relationships in the quest for healthy place making. The article concludes on a forward-looking note about the promise of environmental epidemiology, telecoupling, ecological restoration, the engaged university and bioregional justice as concepts pertinent to reinventing place-based planning.

Regionalizing integrated watershed management: a strategic vision

In addressing the conference theme, Integrating Information Technology and Social Science Research for Effective Government, this paper examines the challenges that government agencies face while trying to protect and restore water quality from a watershed management standpoint. Our geographic focus is the San Diego city-region and its neighboring jurisdictions (including Mexico). We find that there is a pressing need to develop a dynamic regional information system that can help guide and track individual development projects (micro-development) in the context of the larger (macro-development) of whole watersheds. Yet serious constraints stand in the way. Fortunately, advances taking place in certain scientific, sociotechnical and regulatory domains are promising. Three stand out: (1) the growth of sustainability science and emergence of cyberinfrastructure for multiscalar environmental monitoring, (2) the mobilization of what the National Research Council calls knowledge-action collaboratives---including university-government-community partnerships, and (3) regulatory innovation calling for watershed-based approaches to environmental policy and planning. We need a concerted strategy to integrate and take full advantage of these trends. This paper provides a strategic vision along such lines. A case study on digital systems for environmental mitigation and tracking is also presented. Digital government research themes related to this case study include: (1) long-term preservation and archiving of government records, (2) integration of data grids and geographic information systems, and (3) citizen interactions through transparency of and universal access to digital records.

Creating healthy and just bioregions.

Abstract Dramatic changes taking place locally, regionally, globally, demand that we rethink strategies to improve public health, especially in disadvantaged communities where the cumulative impacts of toxicant exposure and other environmental and social stressors are most damaging. The emergent field of Sustainability Science, including a new bioregionalism for the 21st Century, is giving rise to promising place-based (territorially rooted) approaches. Embedded in this bioregional approach is an integrated planning framework (IPF) that enables people to map and develop plans and strategies that cut across various scales (e.g. from regional to citywide to neighborhood scale) and various topical areas (e.g. urban land use planning, water resource planning, food systems planning and “green infrastructure” planning) with the specific intent of reducing the impacts of toxicants to public health and the natural environment. This paper describes a case of bioregionally inspired integrated planning in San Diego, California (USA). The paper highlights food-water-energy linkages and the importance of “rooted” community-university partnerships and knowledge-action collaboratives in creating healthy and just bioregions.

Differences in Health Symptoms among Residents Living Near Illegal Dump Sites in Los Laureles Canyon, Tijuana, Mexico: A Cross Sectional Survey

Living near landfills is a known health hazard prompting recognition of environmental injustice. The study aim was to compare self-reported symptoms of ill health among residents of four neighborhoods, living in haphazardly constructed settlements surrounded by illegal dumpsites in Tijuana, Mexico. One adult from each of 388 households located in Los Laureles Canyon were interviewed about demographics, health status, and symptoms. Distance from each residence to both the nearest dumpsite and the canyon bottom was assessed. The neighborhoods were selected from locations within the canyon, and varied with respect to proximity to dump sites. Residents of San Bernardo reported significantly higher frequencies of ill-health symptoms than the other neighborhoods, including extreme fatigue (OR 3.01 (95% CI 1.6–5.5)), skin problems/irritations (OR 2.73 (95% CI 1.3–5.9)), stomach discomfort (OR 2.47 (1.3–4.8)), eye irritation/tears (OR 2.02 (1.2–3.6)), and confusion/difficulty concentrating (OR 2.39 (1.2–4.8)). Proximity to dumpsites did not explain these results, that varied only slightly when adjusted for distance to nearest dumpsite or distance to the canyon bottom. Because San Bernardo has no paved roads, we hypothesize that dust and the toxicants it carries is a possible explanation for this difference. Studies are needed to further document this association and sources of toxicants.

Science and Technology for Sustainability: North American Challenges and Lessons

The Ottawa conference (March 25-26, 2002) was convened to articulate a North American perspective on science and technology for sustainability. The event was organized by the Initiative for Science and Technology for Sustainability (http://sustainabilityscience.org). It was successful, with 2 full days of productive presentations and networking. The overall process was guided by the Initiative for Science and Technology for Sustainability’s laudable mission to promote an evolving vision of “science and technology for sustainability” that is

Peter Marris (1927–2007): Planning in an International Context

Over half a century, Peter Marris worked as a sociologist, planning consultant, and professor in England, Kenya, Nigeria, and the United States. Marris began his social research in the East End of London and went on to study family structure, housing patterns, entrepreneurship, and redevelopment in many urban contexts across the world. Throughout his long career he extended his analysis of how the powerful push uncertainty onto the powerless. For an audience in urban planning, he demonstrated how to analyze the personal societal consequences of complex public decisions. For an audience in sociology, psychiatry, and psychology, he connected theories of loss and attachment to broader questions of urban policy. He taught students at MIT, UC Berkeley, UCLA, and Yale to think about these challenging issues. Section I, Life and Work of Peter Marris, begins with a biographical essay by Dolores Hayden of Yale University, who explores how his many books and articles advanced understanding of the complex intersection of private life and public life. This is followed by Charles Hoch’s essay, Planning Theory and Social Change. Hoch, from the University of Peter Marris

Global Planning Grid Initiative: Riding the 4th Wave in ICT

Cyberinfrastructure growth on planetary scale-including the formation of global information commons and data grids-creates new capabilities for researchers to share knowledge, models, scenarios, applications, tools and other assets integral to planning. The Global Planning Grid (GPG) initiative aims to build cyberinfrastructure for globally-minded urban and regional planning (research, education and activism).