PLAN 2007

This course provides opportunities to learn how population data analysis can be applied to better understand the needs of communities in the context of planning. The course aims to develop students’ skills in identifying, processing, and analyzing population data such as Canadian Population Census, using Halifax and Nova Scotia as case studies. Through various assignments, students will learn to work and draw conclusions about distributions of key population characteristics—such as population and dwelling densities, age group distribution, and socioeconomic conditions—in and across communities. Weekly laboratory exercises introduce how some of the key geographic and demographic concepts and methods can be applied in planning research, using actual data, and exploring how planners use this data in decision-making. The analysis will pay attention to differences across rural, suburban and urban neighbourhoods and communities, allowing the students to critically think about the implications in planning decision making.?