Learning outcome

Upon completion of the course, the students should have obtained this knowledge, abilities and general competence:

• Knowledge about the management of our most important natural resources, including land area, is our most important resource
• Knowledge about important environmental laws, judicial concepts and sources, and how individuals may play a role in land area management cases
• Knowledge about how norwegan environmental management is organised
• Knowledge about land use planning and management authorities (federal, region. municipality) and their reponsibilities for planning and monitoring land use as per environmental laws
• Knowledge about the most important ypes of land-use pland and area categories in land-use plans
• Knowledge about the most important types of area (juducial) categories and land use plans and their corresponding laws
• Know national responsibilities according to international treaties (EU, UN, etc)
• Know other environmental laws that may conclict with physical planning laws
• Be able to participate in and be responsible for work with municipal and local land-use plans
• Be able to use GIS tools in the planning process
• Be able to use several judicial sources (e.g. law text, pre-law texts, previous verdicts, law practice, other authorities practice, law theory) in the land use planning process
• Obtain knowledge and interest for public natural resource management and participate in the planning processes

Course Description

Central themes:
Norwegian environmental and land use law in a historical perspective

Important law cocepts

Physical planning and its legal foundation

The history and theory of social and land-use planning, planning methods, concepts and associated issues

The practical and formal aspects of municipal planning and administration with particular emphasis on land-use planning in keeping with the Planning and Building Act, the Pollution Control Act and the Nature Biodiversity Act

Specific land-use planning cases with an introduction to plan types and the planning process in accordance with the Planning and Building Act, Pollution Control Act, Nature Biodiversity Act

Other important environmental laws (Wildlife Act, Freshwater Fisheries Act, Product Control Act, Outdoors Act, Motorized Vehicle Act, relevant parts of the Constitution)

Important institutions within EU and its laws, and according to international treaties

Case studies within land use planning (types of plans, plan regulations/bylaws, planning process)

Case studies within law relevant for environmental management principles

A concrete physical planning/environmental law project, class will be divided into groups

Laboratory exercises in the use of the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with examples of how this can be used in land-use planning

Teaching and Learning Methods

40 hrs lectures

20 hrs lab, seminars, group work

Mandatory: Project with exciursions and lab work

Assessment Methods

Two graded assessments will be given: a group project assignment counts for 40% and an individual written 4-hour final written exam will count for 60% of the final grade. Both parts must receive passing grades. In order to sit for the final exam, participation in the mandatory parts of the course must be approved.

Minor adjustments may occur during the academic year, subject to the decision of the Dean