Purpose
The Environmental Design Practicum is a collaborative studio offered annually in the Spring semester to students from the Urban and Regional Planning and Landscape Architecture Departments in the University of Florida's College of Design, Construction and Planning. Professors are Peggy Carr of Landscape Architecture and Paul Zwick of Urban and Regional Planning.

The objectives of the studio are:

  • To expose students to real-life environmental planning problems, placing emphasis on problem solving approaches and processes.
  • To employ Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in problem solving to expose students to its use within the design process.
Who we are
Following is a list of students in the Environmental Design Practicum from their respective departments:

Landscape Architecture Department
Todd Busch
Jill O. Debuono
Cheryl Milligan
Dan Manley
Sheeba West

Urban and Regional Planning Department
Alice Bojanowski
Susan Bridges
Dhiren S. Khona
Jason Teisinger

2000 Studio Project
This year's project challenged us to create a land use plan for the Florida counties of Sarasota and Manatee (see map).

The project began with a target date for the future land use plan of 2020. However, during the course of the work it became evident that the resulting plan had the potential to serve as a destination plan for both counties. This was due to the following:

  • The resulting plan's capacity to accommodate population growth well in excess of that projected for 2020, and
  • The discovered need to protect existing agricultural lands as a non-renewable resource.
Project Goals
  1. Develop a Future Land Use Plan for Sarasota and Manatee Counties that:
    • conserves farmland in East County
      • ensures that agriculture is a viable land use
      • preserves the scenic agricultural areas
    • protects natural and cultural resources
      • protects water resources
      • promotes biodiversity
      • maintains ecological processes
      • preserves the Old Florida character
    • accommodates projected 2020 population growth
      • promotes mixed-use developments within USB
      • promotes Urban Villages outside the USB
  2. Develop Site Specific design solutions to reinforce and provide examples of elements within the Future Land Use Plan
  3. Create a Web Site and CD for information and data distribution
Methods and Results
General info about methodology, link to more information. 

The source of all GIS data used in this project is the Florida Geographic Data Library. 
Policy Recommendations
Key Recommendations
  • Hold the Line as modified within the studio's Future Land Use Plan
    • Plan accommodates and exceeds projected 2020 population growth needs
    • Plan protects agriculture as a non-renewable resource
  • Increase densities within the USB and decrease densities outside the USB
  • Maintain ecological connectivity at the regional scale
Recommended Agricultural and Historical Policies
  • Rural Heritage Strategies
    • Easements to protect visual quality with supporting management
    • Identification and management of scenic roads
    • Development of Rural Heritage Network with supporting maps and interpretive programs
    • Promote Ecotourism with a cultural emphasis
  • Agricultural Conservation Strategies
    • Encourage use of agricultural lands as buffer between urban lands and conservation lands
    • Develop additional tax incentives to maintain lands in agricultural use
    • Seek purchase or donation of easements to maintain working agricultural lands
Recommended Conservation Policies
  • Enforcement of the USB
    • Implement policy that encourages development within the USB and deters development outside
  • Transfer of Development Rights
    • Implement policy that makes the current TDR legislation a feasible alternative for development
    • Up-zoning and Land Use changes outside of the USB should be discouraged
    • Rational Placement of sending and receiving zones
  • Clustering
    • Implement Overlay Districts or PUDs giving flexibility to density and setback requirements
    • Increased openspace without loss of density
  • Less Than Fee
    • Less costly than Fee Simple acquisition
    • Property stays on tax rolls
  • Mitigation Banking
    • Offsite mitigation for the destruction of isolated wetlands
  • Conservation Land Acquisition
    • Sarasota's $53 million Environmentally Sensitive Lands Program
    • Florida Forever (FCT, SOR, CARL)
Recommended Urban Policies
  • Enforce the USB
    • Hold the Line
  • Encourage Compact Growth
    • Build up and not out, to discourage Sprawl
    • Employ mixed use development within the USB
  • Promote Infill and Redevelopment
    • Create incentives for building within the USB
    • Encourage revitalization of urban sites
  • Maximize existing infrastructure
    • Build where infrastructure is already in place
  • Provide urban open spaces
    • Design and maintain parks and civic areas
Links of Interest  (Following these links will open a new browser window.)