Objectives:
? Students will work in groups to design a city.  Working with an unpopulated area, they will develop zoning laws that will serve to protect the landforms and natural environment.
? Using their zoning laws they will draw up a map of the city, fitting in the residential public, commercial, and industrial buildings, as well as “green space”.
? They will then develop  a scale of miles for their city map as well as including a compass rose and a map key.

Materials:
? Grid Paper for representational map, construction paper squares (five colors), markers, glue.

Prior Knowledge:
? Students will have had a discussion of zoning laws and their purpose.  Zoning laws from their own town can be obtained and shared.   A selectman or someone from the town planning board can be invited in.
? Students will have learned the different ways cities develop.  For example, cities often develop around a central area, such as a railroad station or mine and then grow outward.
? Students will be familiar with the different infrastructure layouts for cities, such as the grid system of New York or the radial layout of Washington D.C. for example.
? Students will also have an understanding of the terms residential, public, commercial, and industrial buildings as well as the term “green space”.

Procedures:
? Students work in groups to develop zoning laws that they feel will be necessary to preserve the environment, resources and “livability” of the city they are designing.
? Zoning laws from all groups are compiled and voted on (Democracy is action!).  This can be carried out in own meeting fashion where the proposed laws are read by the “moderator” and the students present the pro’s and con’s of the zoning law before the vote is taken.
? Once the laws are in place, students return to groups to make a representation of the city on the grid paper by gluing on the colored construction paper squares that represent the five components of the city.  They can fill in the roads with crayon or marker.  They should keep a copy of the approved zoning laws handy to refer to.
? Each group will present its proposed design for the city and be able to show that all zoning laws have been met.
? The class will then vote to choose one of the designs as the model for the city that the class will build.

Extensions:
? Build a scale model of this city in any number of ways using a variety of materials to build the buildings.
? An art connection would involve landscaping the property and designing a city seal and a city flag.
? A science connection can be made using batteries, small bulbs, and wire.  The houses and buildings can be wired for electricity.
? Math can be integrated not only by figuring out the proper scale, butt by working with square miles, area, and perimeter.
? There are numerous language arts connections to be made including writing a fictitious history of the city or writing a city creed.  Travel brochures may be created to encourage tourism in the city.
? A technology link would be to have the students play Sim City.

Special Directions for the City Map:
? Rule chart paper into a grid with the letters of the alphabet up the vertical axis and the numbers 1 – 12 on the horizontal.  This will be the grid for the map.
? Decide ahead of time or with the class what buildings are to be in your city.
? A possible list:  30 residences, 5 public buildings, 5 commercial buildings, several industries, and 3 areas of green space.
? Color code these.  For example:  residence=yellow, public=blue, commercial=red, industrial=purple, and of course, green space=green.
? Cut the colored construction paper into squares that will fit into the grid of your map.  In this case, each group would get 30 yellow, 5 blue, etc.
? The colored squares are the symbols that will represent the buildings in your city and they should be pasted on the map in such a way that zoning laws will be upheld.
? Students will need to work around the landforms already on the map grid.
? When the map is completed, the scale of miles should be added along with a compass rose and a key.

In addition to the residences, this map will include the following:
 Public buildings:  City Hall, a place fo worship, library, hospital, school.
 Commercial Buildings:  Fast Food restaurant, grocery store, a fitness club, a clothing store, a car dealership.
 Industrial Buildings:  a power plant, an airport, factories
 Green Space:  Park, Playground, Golf Course

Resources:  There are many resources available to help in planning a unit build around the theme of city planning.  Art present all of my materials on this subject are packed in boxes to be moved to a different school, which, as lick would have it, is under construction so that I cant get into retrieve anything.  Because of that , I include my e-mail address so that in the gall I can get information to anyone who so wishes,  I've included a few other possibilities as well.
? R_douillette@hotmail.com
? There are lots of good web sites which can be found simply by searching  with these key words:  “city planning”.
? Look up history of the development of Washington D.C., including Pierre I’Enfant and Benjamin Banneker.
? Adam and Dunlop, Village Town and City.
? Falstein and Sumski, Communities Around the World, Continental Press, 1991.
 

 Zoning Laws Ballot

There shall be no industrial buildings within a residential zone.
? Agree
? Disagree

There shall be no industry near wetlands such as rivers, lakes, or swamps.
? Agree
? Disagree

An airport cannot be built near a hospital.
? Agree
? Disagree

Police Stations must be built near schools.
? Agree
? Disagree

“Green Space” must be maintained in the form of parks or forests which can never be sold to be built upon.
? Agree
? Disagree

? Only commercial buildings, such as restaurants and businesses can be built near the exits of highways.
? Agree
? Disagree

No industry is allowed near a park or forest.
? Agree
? Disagree

 Cities and Towns

 In The oldest Street in Town, the author says towns are like people because “they have a birth, a youth, maturity, and old age.”  Towns also “have personalities.” For example, some “laugh” and some are “serious”.  When you care for them “they flourish; when you neglect them “They Perish”.

Write a paragraph describing Hanover’s personality.  Begin with a topic sentence and add details to support it.  End with a concluding sentence.

For fun:  Think of some other towns or cities you know and briefly state their personalities on the back.