Land Use & Environmental Planning
The goals of land use and environmental planners include the management of the built and natural environments and sustainable development. The specialization focuses on the conceptual and technical skills by which planners work with stakeholders to manage, conserve and restore natural systems, while ensuring sustainable urban development. Issues include water resource degradation, land use planning, development impacts, energy use, natural hazards threats, climate change, and environmental justice. Research and teaching address a range of challenging societal issues including community resilience, hazard mitigation and disaster recovery, watershed and ecosystem protection, environmental justice, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and energy and environmental policy and modeling.
Land use and Environmental Planning at Carolina has a long standing history and impact on the profession. Over the last five decades, various iterations of the standard textbook on comprehensive planning have been written by UNC faculty. The specialization takes a cohesive approach to land use change as a driver of environmental and urban change. The faculty give deep attention to the many scales at and processes through which land use change occurs, including issues like environmental justice, regional jurisdictional fragmentation, national environmental policy, and global climate change.
Have a question? Ask one of our student coordinators!
For more information on the Land Use and Environmental Planning specialization, contact Dr. Andrew Whittemore.
Career opportunities
Our students go on to fulfilling careers throughout the country and around the world, accepting positions in government planning departments, transportation and environmental agencies, private consulting firms, non-governmental organizations, and private-sector development organizations. For example, recent LUEP graduates hold positions at the Triangle J Council of Governments, Seattle’s Office of Management and Planning, Georgetown University, Calthorpe Associates, the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Earlier graduates hold more senior positions, and include the current Director of Environmental Planning for the Atlanta Regional Commission, the President of Frederick Clark Associates, (Consultants in Rye, New York), the Planning Director of the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments in Greensboro, North Carolina, a Partner in Burke, Weaver & Prell (land use attorneys in Boca Raton, Florida), and the Executive Director of The RINCON Institute (a non-profit organization based in Tucson, Arizona), to name only a few.
Requirements
The following courses are required for students in the specialization. Requirements are determined by year of matriculation.
Core Courses
PLAN 740 – Land Use & Environmental Policy
PLAN 741 – Land Use & Environmental Planning
Select TWO of the following courses:
PLAN 547 – Energy, Transportation, and Land Use
PLAN 641 – Watershed Planning
PLAN 752 – Project & Site Planning
PLAN 745 – Development Impact Assessment
PLAN 548 – Sustainable Energy Systems
PLAN 635 – Energy Modeling
PLAN 725 – Development Dispute Resolution
PLAN 655 – Planning for Natural Hazards and Climate Risk
Law Requirement
Students are required to take one law class. All students can take PLAN 724 Law for Planners to satisfy this requirement. Beyond Law for Planners, student can take any other Law class with the approval of the advisor to satisfy this requirement.
Core Courses
PLAN 740 – Land Use & Environmental Policy
PLAN 741 – Land Use & Environmental Planning
Select TWO of the following courses:
PLAN 547 – Energy, Transportation, and Land Use
PLAN 641 – Watershed Planning
PLAN 752 – Project & Site Planning
PLAN 745 – Development Impact Assessment
Law Requirement
Students are required to take one law class. All students can take PLAN 724 Law for Planners to satisfy this requirement. Beyond Law for Planners, student can take any other Law class with the approval of the advisor to satisfy this requirement.
Core Courses
PLAN 740 – Land Use & Environmental Policy
PLAN 741 – Land Use & Environmental Planning
Select TWO of the following courses:
PLAN 547 – Energy, Transportation, and Land Use
PLAN 641 – Watershed Planning
PLAN 744 – Development and Environmental Management
PLAN 752 – Project & Site Planning
PLAN 745 – Development Impact Assessment
Law Requirement
Students are required to take one law class. All students can take PLAN 724 Law for Planners to satisfy this requirement. Beyond Law for Planners, student can take any other Law class with the approval of the advisor to satisfy this requirement.
Core Courses
PLAN 740 – Land Use & Environmental Policy
PLAN 741 – Land Use & Environmental Planning
Select TWO of the following courses:
PLAN 547 – Energy, Transportation, and Land Use
PLAN 641 – Watershed Planning
PLAN 744 – Development and Environmental Management
PLAN 752 – Project & Site Planning
PLAN 745 – Development Impact Assessment
Law Requirement
Students are required to take one law class. All students can take PLAN 724 Law for Planners to satisfy this requirement. Beyond Law for Planners, student can take any other Law class with the approval of the advisor to satisfy this requirement.
Core Courses
PLAN 740 – Land Use & Environmental Policy
PLAN 741 – Land Use & Environmental Planning
Select TWO of the following courses:
PLAN 547 – Energy, Transportation, and Land Use
PLAN 641 – Watershed Planning
PLAN 744 – Development and Environmental Management
PLAN 752 – Project & Site Planning
PLAN 745 – Development Impact Assessment
Law Requirement
Students are required to take one law class. All students can take PLAN 724 Law for Planners to satisfy this requirement. Beyond Law for Planners, student can take any other Law class with the approval of the advisor to satisfy this requirement.
Core Courses
PLAN 741 – Land Use & Environmental Planning
PLAN 744 – Development & Environmental Management
PLAN 752 – Project & Site Planning
Select one of the following courses:
PLAN 745 – Development Impact Assessment
PLAN 641 – Ecology & Land Use Planning
PLAN 547 – Energy, Transportation, and Land Use
Law Requirement
Students are required to take one law class. All students can take PLAN 724 Law for Planners to satisfy this requirement. Beyond Law for Planners, student can take any other Law class with the approval of the advisor to satisfy this requirement.
Core Courses
PLAN 741 – Land Use & Environmental Planning
PLAN 744 – Development & Environmental Management
PLAN 752 – Project & Site Planning
Select one of the following courses:
PLAN 745 – Development Impact Assessment
PLAN 641 – Ecology & Land Use Planning
PLAN 547 – Energy, Transportation, and Land Use
Law Requirement
Students are required to take one law class. All students can take PLAN 724 Law for Planners to satisfy this requirement. Beyond Law for Planners, student can take any other Law class with the approval of the advisor to satisfy this requirement.
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Core Courses
PLAN 741 – Land Use & Environmental Planning
PLAN 744 – Development & Environmental Management
PLAN 752 – Project & Site Planning
Select TWO of the following courses:
PLAN 745 – Development Impact Assessment
PLAN 641 – Ecology & Land Use Planning
PLAN 547 – Energy, Transportation, and Land Use
Law Requirement
Students are required to LAW 290 Law for Planners or an alternative Law course with approval from their advisor.
Sample Curriculum
Semester 1
- 710 Microeconomics
- 714 Urban Spatial Structure
- 720 Planning Methods
- 740 Land Use & Environmental Policy
Semester 2
- 704 Theory of Planning I
- Law
- LUEP elective
- 741 Land Use & Environmental Planning
- Elective
Semester 3
- Workshop
- LUEP elective
- Elective
- Elective
Semester 4
- Master’s Paper
- Elective
- Elective
- Elective