Land Use Lesson 7 : Solving Land Use Conflicts
Enhancements
1. Land Use Debate. Conduct a debate on a local land use issue. Using information from local news media or local government officials, select an issue for students to consider. If possible, choose an issue that will be of high interest to students, such as construction of a mall or recreational facility. Prepare a brief “fact sheet” on the issue; the fact sheet should describe the issue and provide arguments on both sides. Assign half the students to argue for the project and half against. If time and student abilities permit, you may allow class time for students to conduct additional research on the topic. Providing an adult coach for each team, either a public official knowledgeable about the issue or an advocate for the position represented by the students, could also be useful in preparing for the debate.
You may want to have the students conduct their debates in fours, with two students taking each side. If you wish to have a full-class discussion, you may find it useful to structure the discussion so that many students can participate and students listen carefully to each other. One way to do this is to organize chairs into two rows facing each other. Students on opposing sides of the issue sit across from each other. A student on one side of the issue begins by explaining why he/she is taking the pro or con position. A student on the other side then briefly summarizes the previous speaker’s point before beginning his/her comments. The discussion continues with students on the two sides taking turns speaking, always summarizing the previous speaker’s point before providing their own comments. After a student speaks, he/she must wait until two students on his/her side have spoken before speaking again (this number could be raised if necessary to keep students from dominating).
The teacher can call time-out to clarify, reflect on the process or content, or refocus students. At the end of the discussion, one student from each team summarizes the viewpoints presented by that team during the discussion. Students should then be allowed to move to reflect their real (rather than the assigned) position on the issue.
2. Interview a Public Official. Find out if any of your students have parents who serve on a local planning board or zoning board of appeals. If so, ask the parent to visit your class. If not, contact the county, township, or city government to see if they can make such an official available. Explain to the official that your class is studying land use and how land use conflicts are settled in a democratic society. Ask the official to explain how such conflicts are resolved in your community. What are some of the most important land use ordinances? What happens if someone wants a variance or a change in zoning? How can the public express its opinions? How do these procedures support core democratic values? The Michigan Curriculum Framework core democratic values are referenced on a web site in the Additional Resources section.
3. Land Use Scavenger Hunt. Obtain a copy of the county, or township, or city land use planning map. Use it on the basis for a scavenger hunt to determine if land is actually being used as it is zoned. If not, the class could write a letter to the appropriate agency asking why the land use is at variance.
Extensions
1. Visit a Local Planning Board. Arrange a field trip for students to visit a local planning board or township office to find out what issues regarding land use the community faces. Students might also attend a planning or zoning board meeting to find out what issues are being considered.
2. Landopoly. In this lesson from the curriculum This Land Is Your Land: Lesson Plans for Land Use (United Growth for Kent County and the Michigan State University Extension), students play a board game to develop their land use decision-making skills. Through the various choices posed in the game, students are asked to consider both economic and environmental well being in making land use decisions. This lesson can be found at http://www.msue.msu.edu/portal/default.cfm?pageset_id=27672&page_id=158096&msue_portal_id=25643 and is on the MEECS Land Use CD provided with this unit.
3. Hear Ye! Hear Ye! In this lesson from the curriculum This Land Is Your Land: Lesson Plans for Land Use (United Growth for Kent County and the Michigan State University Extension), students conduct a mock public hearing concerning a proposed building project on nearby farmland and natural areas. The students then play the roles of the project developer, government agency representatives, and citizens. They analyze the issues involved in the project and make a group decision regarding whether or not to permit this building project. This lesson can be found at http://www.msue.msu.edu/portal/default.cfm?pageset_id=27672&page_id=158096&msue_portal_id=25643.