Curated OER
Land Use and Lawmaking in California
Students design a plan for a housing development in their city. In this house development lesson plan, students observe pictures of land use, research lawmaking, and develop a plan for an environmentally friendly housing development in...
CFR Washington
Urbanization and Wildlife
Urbanization and how it affects wildlife is the focus of a presentation that uses statistics to make a case for concern and change.
Curated OER
Ecology Explorers: Historical Air Photo Interpretation
Students identify and analyze land use changes over time with historic aerial photographs, and classify different land use into categories.
Skyscraper Museum
Designing a Skyscraper
Besides serving as awe-inspiring monuments of human achievement, skyscrapers are built to perform a wide range of functions in urban communities. The second instructional activity in this series begins by exploring the history of the...
Curated OER
Community Centered Neighborhood Development
Ninth graders explore the culture of the neighborhood. In this Social Studies instructional activity, 9th graders examine the different development sites in their community. Students research the zoning regulations.
American Institute of Architects
Architecture: It's Elementary!—Fifth Grade
Young citizens construct an understanding of urban planning in this cross-curricular unit. Covering every aspect of city development from the political, economic, and social influences to sustainable building practices, this...
Curated OER
The New Segregation
Students use census data to analyze the racial and economic diversity of their community. They discuss the role of diversity within communities and the impact that land use decisions can have on the composition of a community.
Curated OER
Development on the Edge of a City
Students explore and analyze examples of changing relationships between patterns of settlement and land use in the state of Minnesota. They view different avenues of transportation, cities, suburbs, city planners and suburbanization.
Curated OER
Urbanization
Students examine the impact of urban change. In this Indiana history lesson, students read excerpts of The World Does Move by Booth Tarkington and then research the noted Web sites about the urbanization of Indianapolis. Students then...
Curated OER
The Growth Of A City
Students define what a city is. They investigate the top 10 - 15 most populated cities. SDescribe factors influencing the location and growth of urban sites. They site examples of cities that have grown with different models of urban...
Curated OER
Gwynns Falls
Students investigate the question: What is the impact of urban development and expansion on the health of a decidious forest ecosystem and humans? They examine the issue of land development by responding to a specific scenario and...
Curated OER
Looking for the Dirty Scoop
Young scholars read "The Negative Effects of Urban Sprawl." They discuss the main forms of transportation in their city and conduct research about the development of their community in terms of land use. Students sketch a map of their...
Curated OER
Historical Air Photo Interpretation
Students identify and analyze land use changes over time with historical aerial photographs. They classify different land use into categories.
Curated OER
Development Issues in the Northern Suburbs
Students demonstrate the ability to obtain geographic information from a variety of print and electronic sources. They use a variety of maps and data to identify and locate geographical features of Minnesota and Anoka County. in...
DePaul University
Settlement
Early settlers in the American Midwest experienced constant struggle. This reading passage describes for young learners the hardships of homesteaders as they journeyed west and sought to start a new life. When finished, students identify...
School Improvement in Maryland
Smart Growth
New roads, new businesses, new developments, new mass transit systems. All growth has both positive and negative effects on communities. Government classes investigate the principles of Maryland's 1997 Smart Growth program and...
Curated OER
The Cost of Community Services
Students identify the types of services provided to citizens by local government and evaluate tax revenue versus the costs of delivering these services to developments. They evaluate the advantages of spatial relations to delivery of...
Curated OER
What Is Smart Growth?
High schoolers practice planning for the development of an area using the goals of Smart Growth as a guide. They analyze how regions can affect government policies. They role-play citizens who recommend how an area should be developed.
Curated OER
City Lesson Plan
Students examine the patterns and processes of urbanization and describe patterns of urban land use. They choose one of five cities using riddles and research why this city is desirable. The groups make quizzes for each other on the city...
DePaul University
Egypt
The country of Egypt is more than just big pyramids and ancient pharaohs. After reading a brief overview of this African nation, young learners will demonstrate their understanding of the text by identifying the main idea and supporting...
Curated OER
Selecting Trees for Urban Environments
Students consider the best place to plant a tree. In this environment lesson, students identify urban locations that are compatible with particular tree types. Students decide what trees would go where and why they would survive.
Curated OER
"I've Been Working on the Railroad" - Federal Land Grants and the Construction of the Illinois Central Railroad in Mid-nineteenth Century Illinois
Eleventh graders, in groups, design a self-sufficient community. Groups present the communities they've designed. They compare and contrast the communities presented. They research the theories of Johann Heinrich von Thunen online and...
Curated OER
Comparing Metropolitan Regions
Young scholars engage in an inquiry that compares and contrasts urban growth in Phoenix, Arizona, the Bay Area, California, and Calgary, Alberta. They compare the metropolitan regions in terms of patterns of settlement, commute times,...
Curated OER
Louisiana Purchase
Learners use maps to locate and describe the area purchased by the Louisiana Purchase. In groups, they write a letter to Thomas Jefferson in which they evaluate the topography, climate and geography of the land. They determine the land's...