Resources
Public data, tools, and practical references selected for rural planning work. Assigned readings remain in Canvas.
- Guide | Housing and ADUs
The ABCs of ADUs
An illustrated introduction to ADU types, community benefits, and policy choices.
- Guide | Housing and ADUs
ADU design and development
A step-by-step guide to design, budgeting, financing, and development.
- Guide | Housing and ADUs
ADU fact sheet
A concise overview of ADU forms, household uses, and community-scale benefits.
- Guide | Housing and ADUs
APA accessory dwelling units collection
Research and policy precedents. Examples from other jurisdictions do not establish local permission to build.
- Guide | Housing and zoning
ADU model state act and local ordinance
Model language for comparing ordinance approaches; check current local applicability.
- Guide | Housing and ADUs
Removing barriers to ADU development and occupancy
An AARP and APA guide to common regulatory, financing, and implementation barriers.
- Guide | Housing and ADUs
Local Housing Solutions: accessory dwelling units
A policy brief on local goals, regulatory choices, benefits, and limits of ADUs.
- Guide | Housing and zoning
Virginia ADU statute
Primary legal source for Virginia's statewide ADU framework, effective July 1, 2027. Read it with local code and legal guidance.
- Case study | Housing and ADUs
Ashland, Oregon: ADU Program and pre-approved plans
A small-city program with seven free pre-approved designs, including an ADA option. Study how reusable plans still require site-specific review.
- Case study | Housing and ADUs
Bend, Oregon: ADU Resource Hub
Compare Ashland's approach with another Oregon city that combines code guidance, fees, permitting information, and free pre-approved designs.
- Case study | Housing and ADUs
Richmond, Virginia: Accessory Dwelling Units
A Virginia example with one ADU in residential districts and a locally chosen size standard. Compare it with the statewide framework before treating it as a model.
- Case study | Housing and ADUs
Alexandria, Virginia: ADU reform and ordinance
A Virginia case of ordinance reform, public engagement, and implementation materials. Review the linked zoning text as well as the process.
- Case study | Housing and ADUs
Portland, Oregon: ADU fee incentive
A financial-incentive example: an ADU system-development-charge exemption tied to a recorded 10-year restriction on accessory short-term rentals.
- Case study | Housing and ADUs
Seattle: ADUs, standard plans, and annual reports
A large-city comparison with pre-approved detached-unit designs and annual reporting on permitting outcomes.
- Guide | Housing and accessibility
Aging in place and housing adaptation
Related housing adaptations and accessibility considerations.
- Tool | Built form and place design
Townscaper
Experiment with compact development, enclosure, and edges in the official browser demo.
- Guide | Rural and urban definitions
Course visual dictionary
Explore a 3D transect and compare Census, USDA, VDOT, HUD, and CNU definitions.
- Course support | Learning
Course lecture stories
Review the original lecture slides with readable text and scene navigation.
- Tool | Teamwork
Team meeting polls and forms
Create meeting polls and questions, share the link, and connect results to a Google Sheet.
- Data | Demographics
U.S. Census Bureau data
Official Census and ACS tables. Record geography, vintage, estimate type, and margins of error.
- Data | Boundaries
Census TIGER/Line
Official boundaries, roads, and geographic identifiers.
- Data | Transportation
Virginia Roads
VDOT open-data portal for transportation layers and applications.
- Data | Conservation
Virginia Natural Landscape Assessment
Virginia DCR ecological-core and landscape-conservation information.
- Data | Conservation
National Wetlands Inventory
Mapped wetlands from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; not a field or jurisdictional determination.
- Data | Hazards
National Flood Hazard Layer
FEMA flood-hazard mapping and effective flood information.
- Data | Geology
Virginia Energy Karst Program
Regional sinkhole and karst information. Source scale limits site-specific conclusions.
- Data | Historic resources
Virginia Cultural Resources Information System
Authorized cultural-resource information. Sensitive archaeological locations are restricted.
- Tool | Mapping
MapLibre GL JS
Open-source browser mapping documentation.
- Data | Mapping
OpenStreetMap
Open geographic data with contributor attribution and coverage limitations.
- Guide | Coding
GitHub Hello World
A safe introduction to repositories, branches, commits, and pull requests.
- Guide | Coding
Codex quickstart
Current Codex setup and first-workflow guidance.
- Course support | Coding
OpenAI student offer
Email Tyler before setting up ChatGPT Desktop or Codex. He can send enrolled students an invitation for 500 free usage credits, and the link must be used before signup is complete. Review current eligibility and terms.
Suggest a resource
Suggestions are emailed to the instructor and do not appear on the website until reviewed.