Online PIC (Planning Institute of Colorado) Courses

Understanding how economic and population changes affect real estate
This course introduces the student to the principles of economic and demographic analysis, including economic base analysis, market economies, computer modeling techniques, components of population change, demographic concepts and methods used in population projection.

Why communities manage growth and what that means to property owners
This course explains what is meant by “growth management” and the components commonly found in growth management programs - the techniques used, the difference between growth management and growth control, the policy issues affecting growth, and case studies from typical communities where growth management legislation has been introduced.

This course reviews the many purposes, benefits and tools of land conservation. Hypothetical examples drawn from real situations help highlight the issues. Links to web sites provide more detailed information, and help acquaint the student with the many organizations and government agencies involved in land conservation.

What’s a plat and where does it come from?
This course provides an introduction to the land survey, explains how parcel boundaries are established, describes the improvement survey, and traces the elements of the subdivision process from application to recordation. The concept of vested rights is explained, as well as the requirements for land dedication and development requirements.

Development review is a process conducted primarily by city and county governments that examines proposed land development activity. The intent is to conduct a professional review, with all information open to the public, resulting in the granting of rights to develop land.

Introduction to Planning for the Real Estate Appraiser: Understanding the effect of land use planning on property value
This is a Planning 101 course for professional appraisers and others interested in the effect that land use planning can have on real estate value. The course combines the basic elements of the three core courses and discusses planning and regulatory trends to develop an understanding that a local planning and regulatory perspective is integral to any analysis of the highest and best use of land.

How city planning works
This course provides a general overview of the planning process - its goals and objectives, resources, basic research techniques, and tools used to evaluate alternatives and make decisions. Implementation tools, including regulatory, annexation, and growth management techniques are included. The public planning process is described including notification requirements, the use of advisory committees, survey techniques, and the formal public hearing and decision making process.

The planner’s tool kit-- zoning, development review and subdivision
This course provides the legal basis for planning regulations, describes the components of comprehensive zoning, describes appeal processes and cites the types of relief that are available to property owners. The course also describes development review, subdivision, and zoning enforcement, including zoning’s relationship to Home Owner Association requirements.

“It’s the law!” Legal authority and property rights
This course introduces the student to the law of planning - the legal authority and basis of land use regulation. The course describes the levels of regulatory authority exercised by various levels of government; the legislative, administrative, and quasi-judicial decision making process and what that distinction means to the applicant, the decision maker, and the public. The course also addresses the various causes of action that can be raised, and the possible enforcement processes that are available to local governments or to other aggrieved parties.

Integrating transportation with land use planning
This course traces the history of transportation planning from pre-WWII to the present day, including the roles of the various levels of government involved in the transportation planning process from concept to completion. The course also explains travel-demand forecasting, trip generation and distribution, the split between different modes of travel, Level of Service and street capacity, and the transportation planner’s methods of determining road requirements. Current issues in transportation are highlighted, including how the principles of New Urbanism and “complete” street designs (where different modes of travel share the same street) affect urban form.

Written and Sponsored in part by the Planning Institute of Colorado

A look at the history of sustainability efforts through the years, and how the environment, economy, and society will need to change to make a more sustainable future.