CPLN 5010 Quantitative Planning Analysis Methods

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Course Overview

This course is designed to acquaint first-year MCP students with the data analysis and forecasting skills they will need to develop neighborhood and community plans, including:

• Using Census data to profile, analyze, and compare characteristics of areas
• Developing local population and economic forecasts
• Identifying local economic multipliers and drivers of change
• Summarizing, analyzing, and presenting planning related data

The course will be organized into four parts:

1. Developing Community Profiles with Census Data: This part will focus on the uses of annual and decennial Census data for describing, profiling, mapping, and comparing neighborhoods and communities.
2. Understanding & Forecasting Population Change: This part will focus on using Census data to understand the drivers of community change, and to forecast future population and households, both in total and by population cohort. This section will also introduce regression models with a focus on prediction.
3. Local Economic & Industrial Analysis: This part will focus on analyzing the local economy. It will introduce the economic base model and explore methods of local employment forecasting.
4. Asking Questions with Data: This part will introduce basic quantitative research techniques, methods, and resources to prepare students for asking and answering simple, planning-related questions.

Assignment and Overview

The course will involve three assignments and one final project as follows:

1. Producing a portrait of a Philadelphia neighborhood using recent Census data (individual assignment; 25% of course grade)
2. Projecting population and households for Philadelphia County (2-person group assignment; 25% of course grade)
3. Analyzing and forecasting regional and neighborhood employment and economic trends (individual assignment; 20% of course grade)
4. Final project on neighborhood planning (3-4-person group project; 30% of course grade) Course grading will be based entirely on performance on class assignments and the final project. There is no final exam.