Instructor: Dr. John Curry, Associate Professor in Environmental Planning
Time and Location: Monday 6:30 - 9:20 in Room 5-155.

Course Theme

Course Objectives This course presents methods and techniques used by planners involved in consulting/project planning and skills needed in everyday planning practices. Two themes will dominate the course structure. The first theme encompassed the methods used to establish and manage a planning consulting firm. Students will be introduced to the entrepreneurial process and the planning consulting environment. Techniques in business planning, defining market niches, and project planning will be examined. The second theme encompasses the skills needed to perform effectively in day-to-day planning practice. Skills in the areas of group process, negotiation, mediation, and conflict resolution will to discussed and practiced in the process of consulting business planning and project planning.

At the completion of the course, students will understand how to set up and operating a consulting firm and will understand the basic skills needed to practice as a professional planner. The course will help students prepare to play an active participatory role in community development and planning either as citizens in their home community or as professionals involved in community and regional development.

Specific course objectives:

• provide an introduction and overview professional planning practice.
• provide an understanding of the entrepreneurial process.
• provide familiarization with the methods and techniques used to plan, establish and operate a planning consulting firm.
• provide an introduction and create the opportunity to practice common professional planning skills.

Text

• Ury, William. 1991. Getting Past No: Negotiating from confrontation to cooperation. New York: Bantam Books.
• Gray, Douglas. 1996. Starting and Running a Profitable Consulting Business. North Vancouver, British Columbia: Self-Counsel Press.
• Kapron, Jill. 1998. BizPlan Express. Mountain View, California: South-Western Collage Publishing.
• Other readings on reserve in the library.

Course Evaluation

Business Plan Presentation	40%	Group Peer Evaluation	10%
Project Call Presentation	30%	Class Participation	20%

Office Hours Tuesday and Thursday 2:30 to 3:30 pm. Room Admin 3011.  

ENVS 318 -- DETAILED COURSE OUTLINE
Professional Planning Practice

WEEK ONE      January 10, 2000

Course Overview

• Review course outline.
• Skills demanded by the marketplace.
• Introduction to group dynamics and group selection.
• Lecture One Definitions of entrepreneur. Myths of entrepreneurship. Self- assessment guide exercise.

Readings for Week Two
Healey, Patsy. 1992. A Planner's Day. Journal of the American Planning Association. 58:1, 9-20.
Gray, Douglas. 1996. Chapters One - Three in Starting and Running a Profitable Consulting Business. North Vancouver, British Columbia: Self-Counsel Press.

WEEK TWO      January 17, 2000
Lecture

• Skills of the planner.

Studio

• Understanding the consulting business.
• Self-assessment. Setting up your business.

Readings for Week Three
Ury, William. 1991. Overview and Step One in Getting Past No: Negotiating from confrontation to cooperation. New York: Bantam Books.
Gray, Douglas. 1996. Chapters Four - Six.

WEEK THREE      January 24, 2000
Lecture

• Negotiation -- Controlling your behaviour.

Studio

• Legal forms of business structure.
• Selecting advisors.
• Preparing a business plan.

Readings for Week Four
Ury, William. 1991. Step Two.
Gray, Douglas. 1996. Chapters Fourteen and Fifteen.

WEEK FOUR      January 31, 2000
Lecture

• Negotiation -- Understanding your opponent.

Studio

• Determining market opportunities.
• Marketing your consulting services.

Reading for Week Five
Ury, William. 1991. Step Three.
Gray, Douglas. 1996. Chapters Seven, Eleven, and Thirteen.

WEEK FIVE      February 7, 2000
Lecture

• Subject-specific library orientation.
• Negotiation -- Addressing interests rather than positions.

Studio

• Obtaining finance.
• Professional liability.
• Professional ethics.
• Setting fees.

WEEK SIX      February 14, 2000
Business plan presentations before a panel of experts in business planning.

Readings for Week Seven
Ury, William. 1991. Step Four and Five.

** Winter Break -- February 21, 2000 -- No Class **

WEEK SEVEN      February 28, 2000
Lecture

• Negotiation -- Building consensus.
• Negotiation -- Concluding the process.

Studio

• Overview of the components of a Call for Proposals.

Readings for Week Eight
Beer, Jennifer, and Eileen Stief. 1997. Chapter One and Two in The Mediator's Handbook. Gabriola Island, British Columbia: New Society Publishers.
Gray, Douglas. 1996. Chapter Sixteen and Seventeen.

WEEK EIGHT      March 6, 2000
Lecture

• The mediation process.

Studio

• Developing client relationships.
• Consulting proposals.

Readings for Week Nine
Holloway, Stacey. 1991. Dealing with Anger in Conflict Situations. Vancouver, British Columbia: The Centre for Conflict Resolution Training, Justice Institute of British Columbia. Page 1-34.

WEEK NINE      March 13, 2000
Lecture

• Dealing with anger in conflict situations.

Studio

• Project Proposal.

Readings for Week Ten
Grossman, Stephen, and Edward Wiseman. 1993. Seven Operating Principles for Enhanced Creative Problem Solving Training. The Journal of Creative Behavior. 27:1, 1-17.

WEEK TEN      March 20, 2000
Lecture

• Creative problem solving.

Studio

• Project proposal.

WEEK ELEVEN      March 27, 2000
Lecture

• Creative problem solving (con't).

Studio

• Project proposal.  

WEEK TWELVE      April 3, 2000
Lecture

• Final presentations of project proposals before a panel of professional planning consultants and government officials.
• Course evaluations.

Email comments and corrections to curryj@unbc.ca

[ John Curry Webpage ]