Land Use Change

Day 15

Analyzing Proposed Development Sites

Students will recommend a plan for locating a new Wal-Mart Supercenter in the greater metropolitan Lehigh Valley area to have minimal impact on the environment. Students will use Google Earth to analyze and evaluate features of different land areas for proposed development sites. They will apply "smart growth" principles to their planning decisions.
 
 
  1. Begin class by asking students the following questions:
     
    What is the mission of the LVPC?
    What is Smart Growth?
    How do new businesses get water and electricity?
    How can we develop land for new businesses in responsible ways?
     
  2. Distribute the Proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter Analysis Form to each student. Display the Wal-Mart sites.kml file in Google Earth and remind students how move from one site location to the next by extending the Wal-Mart sites drop-down list and clicking on a specific location name.


     
  3. Instruct students to examine the 4 proposed locations for developing a new Wal-Mart Supercenter in the Google Earth with the Wal-Mart sites.kml file.
     
  4. Instruct students to complete the Proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter Analysis Form by responding to each item for all 4 proposed locations.
    Tell students to be very specific for each response they place in the chart.
    Highlight the Helpful Hints in the handout.
    Show students that they can turn on the roads layer in Google Earth to view the existing transportation infrastructure.
    Show students how to use the Ruler Tool in Google Earth to measure the distances of residential areas to the proposed Wal-Mart locations.
     
  5. After students have completed the Proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter Analysis Form, have them analyze their findings and make a recommendation for the best location to develop a new Wal-Mart Supercenter. Prompt students to write their recommendation for the best site that will have the minimal impact on the environment on the Proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter Analysis Form.
 

Materials Needed:


Handouts

Where Should We Build The New Wal-Mart Supercenter? (PDF / MS Word)
Proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter Analysis Form (PDF / MS Word)

Google Earth file

Wal-Mart sites.kml 
 

Assessment Information

Proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter Analysis Form Assessment (PDF / MS Word)
Proposal Statement Rubric (PDF / MS Word)
Proposal Presentation Rubric (PDF / MS Word)