The study of cities is a vital part of a liberal arts curriculum. During this moment of global change, such forms of knowledge are of critical importance. The world is more urban now than in any other era in human history, and with this rapid urbanization has come the crucial role of cities as sites of economic development, crucibles of civic citizenship, and spaces of cultural imagination.
The Urban Studies major is housed in the Department of City and Regional Planning (DCRP) of the College of Environmental Design. The major seeks to introduce students to the following bodies of knowledge:
Historical and contemporary analysis of American and global urbanization, urbanism, urban societies, and urban political economies
Conceptual tools, analytical methods, and theoretical frameworks to understand urban environments such as economic analysis, social science theory, and visualization technologies
Forms, functions, and practices of urban planning and design, metropolitan governance, social movements, and social justice, including issues such as transportation planning, community development, and housing
Ways of providing more humane, equitable, environmentally sensitive, and efficient settlements as well as ways to lead change for better urban futures
The major trains undergraduates for a variety of future careers and fields of graduate study that are related to urban studies and planning. These include practice-oriented fields such as urban planning, law, non-profit management, and public policy as well as research-oriented fields such as geography, sociology, and anthropology. Above all, the intent of the major is to produce urban citizens and global leaders.
Admission to the Major
Students must declare one of the CED majors at the time of application to the college; however, current UC Berkeley students may apply to change colleges into CED. Transfer applicants must complete two years worth of lower division coursework to be considered for admission to CED. For information regarding admission to the major for first-year, transfer students, and current students who wish to change majors or colleges, please see the College of Environmental Design (CED) page in this Guide or the CED website.
Minors offered by the Department of City and Regional Planning
In addition to the University, campus, and college requirements, listed on the College Requirements tab, students must fulfill the below requirements specific to their major program.
The Urban Studies major requirements differ by students’ admit year to UC Berkeley. The major requirements listed below are the most recent. In the Berkeley Academic Guide Archive, refer to the year you were admitted to UC Berkeley for your major requirements.
General Guidelines
All lower division courses taken in fulfillment of major requirements must be completed with a grade of C- or better.
Courses taken to fulfill lower division major requirements may also be used to fulfill seven-course breadth.
A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 must be maintained in upper and lower division courses used to fulfill the major requirements.
A minimum overall GPA of 2.0 for all courses taken at UC Berkeley is required for graduation.
Courses used to fulfill upper division requirements may not simultaneously fulfill the breadth requirements.
Up to two upper division courses taken at another institution, including an approved study abroad program, may be applied to the major requirements below (if transferable and approved in advance).
For information regarding residence requirements and unit requirements, please see the College Requirements tab.
Summary of Major Requirements
Course List
Code
Title
Units
Lower Division Requirements: 4 Courses
Upper Division Urban Studies Core: 1 Course
Upper Division Major Electives List One: 5 City Planning Courses
Upper Division Major Electives List Two: 2 Courses Outside CED, 1 with International Content
Upper Division Capstone Experience: 1 Course1
1
Students admitted to UCB prior to FL16 must complete two capstone courses
Courses taken to fulfill the upper division capstone experience requirement may not also be used to fulfill this Urban Studies core requirement.
2
If both CY PLAN 110 and ENV DES 100 are completed, CY PLAN 110 will satisfy one of the five Major Electives from List One. Note: ENV DES 100 cannot be used to satisfy one Upper Division College of Environmental Design Courses Outside of City Planning
3
Graduate-level CY PLAN courses may be approved to satisfy the core requirement. Please see your major advisor for further information.
Upper Division Major Electives List Two: 2 Interdisciplinary Courses Outside of CED, at least 1 with International Content
One of the two courses must have international content, marked with an asterisk (*). Students can also petition to have other urban studies-related courses count for this requirement. Students admitted to UCB prior to FL16 must select three courses from this list; at least one of the three must have international content.
Courses taken to fulfill the Capstone Experience requirement cannot overlap with another college or major requirement:
Thesis: This option requires ENV DES 195B (note: ENV DES 199 or 195A is a prerequisite). Whether a thesis is written or a project is produced, this option should be pursued with a faculty advisor.
Field experience/internship with a written planning report:CY PLAN 197. Each student must find their own urban studies-related internship and tenure-track faculty advisor, who will be the faculty of record for a CY PLAN 197 field studies course. CY PLAN 197 must be taken for 3 units and requires a final written report (analyzing the fieldwork and internship experience) submitted to the faculty advisor. To merit 3 units, the internship should require approximately 9 hours per week for 15 weeks. If you are thinking about doing an internship in the summer, see the Urban Studies advisor in 250 Bauer Wurster Hall for details.
Each student’s plan will vary depending on interests. Students should see an advisor if they are interested in applying for graduate school, studying abroad, attending summer school, or pursuing a minor or second major.
For more detailed information regarding the courses listed below (e.g., elective information or GPA requirements), please see the Major Requirements tab.
CY PLAN 110 (Upper Division Urban Studies Core or elective)
4
List ONE: CYPLAN (2 of 5)
3-4
List ONE: CYPLAN (1 of 5)
3-4
List ONE: CYPLAN (3 of 5)
3-4
CED Upper Div Non-Major (1 of 3)
3-4
List TWO: Outside CED (1 of 2)^
3-4
University Elective, if needed to reach 12 units
2-3
Urban Studies Core (ENV DES 100), if needed
4
University Elective, if needed to reach 12 units
12-15
13-16
Senior
Fall
Units
Spring
Units
List ONE: CYPLAN (4 of 5)
3-4
List ONE: CYPLAN (5 of 5)
3-4
List TWO: Outside CED (2 of 2) ^
4
Capstone Experience
3-4
CED Upper Div Non-Major (2 of 3)
3-4
CED Upper Div Non-Major (3 of 3)
2-4
University Elective, if needed to reach 12 units
2-4
University Elective, if needed to reach 12 units
4
12-16
12-16
Total Units: 97-127
^One course from Elective List Two must have international content. See the major handbook for more information.
Students must complete 120 units to graduate.
Student Learning Goals
Learning Goals of the Major
The Urban Studies major seeks to introduce students to the following bodies of knowledge:
Historical and contemporary analysis of American and global urbanization, urbanism, urban societies, and urban political economies. Conceptual tools, analytical methods, and theoretical frameworks to understand urban environments such as economic analysis, social science theory, and visualization technologies.
Forms, functions, and practices of urban planning and design, metropolitan governance, social movements, and social justice including issues such as transportation planning, community development, and housing.
Ways of providing more humane, equitable, environmentally sensitive, and efficient settlements as well as ways to lead change for better urban futures.
Major Map
Major Maps help undergraduate students discover academic, co-curricular, and discovery opportunities at UC Berkeley based on intended major or field of interest. Developed by the Division of Undergraduate Education in collaboration with academic departments, these experience maps will help you:
Explore your major and gain a better understanding of your field of study
Connect with people and programs that inspire and sustain your creativity, drive, curiosity and success
Discover opportunities for independent inquiry, enterprise, and creative expression
Engage locally and globally to broaden your perspectives and change the world
Reflect on your academic career and prepare for life after Berkeley
Use the major map below as a guide to planning your undergraduate journey and designing your own unique Berkeley experience.
The CED Office of Undergraduate Advising provides a wide array of programmatic and individual advising services to prospective and current students as well as to students in other colleges who are pursuing CED minors or taking CED courses. The professional advising team assists students with a range of issues including course selection, academic decision-making, achieving personal and academic goals, and maximizing the Berkeley experience.
Advising Staff
Architecture Major Advisor: Mel Barbers 250 Bauer Wurster Hall mbarbers@berkeley.edu
Undergraduate Advising Director: Omar Ramirez 250 Bauer Wurster Hall oramirez@berkeley.edu
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies: Kyle Steinfeld 345 Bauer Wurster Hall ksteinfe@berkeley.edu
Advising Office
Fall/spring: Monday through Friday, 10 to noon (office opens at 9 a.m.) & 1 to 4 p.m. Summer: Monday through Friday, 10 to noon & 1 to 3 p.m.
Address
Office of Undergraduate Advising College of Environmental Design 250 Bauer Wurster Hall #1800 University of California Berkeley, CA 94720-1800 cedadvising@berkeley.edu
CED Career Services
The CED Career Services Center (CSC) offers personalized career counseling, a yearly CED Career Fair, and a wide variety of professional development workshops on topics such as licensure, internships, and applying for graduate school. To schedule an appointment with the Career Counselor or for more information on CED CSC, please click here.
The College of Environmental Design (CED) Office of Undergraduate Advising:
Supports students holistically as they earn their degree,
Advocates for just and equitable policies and practices,
Connects current and prospective students with resources and opportunities,
Fosters a sense of belonging and community.
Advising Values
The CED Office of Undergraduate Advising aspires to the following core values:
Student-Centered
We provide support services centered on student self-actualization. We aim to hold a welcoming space in which students are encouraged to explore their minds and their hearts, do their best work, realize their talents and passions, and achieve their goals. We put the student voice and experience first.
Justice & Equity
We actively seek to eradicate all forms of individual and institutionalized discrimination and oppression. We aim to provide students with an equitable experience in complete appreciation of their identities, economic status, and immigration status.
Health & Well-Being
We strive to build and sustain a culture in which our community can thrive in all aspects of life: intellectual, emotional, social, physical, occupational, spiritual and environmental.
Courage & Vulnerability
By learning from our own experiences, educating ourselves on developments in the field, collaborating with our communities, and taking strategic risks, we aim to improve our advising services and the student experience. We are committed to continuous self-reflection, growth, and development.
Academic Opportunities
Student Groups and Organizations
The college provides opportunities for students to be involved in student chapters of professional organizations such as the American Institute of Architects (AIAS) as well as other student groups like the Berkeley Urban Studies Student Association (BUSSA), the Chican@/Latin@ Architecture Student Association (CASA), Global Architecture Brigades, and more. For information regarding student groups, please see the Student Organizations page of the CED website.
Study Abroad
The College of Environmental Design (CED) encourages all undergraduates in the college to study abroad. Whether students are interested in fulfilling general education requirements, taking courses related to their major/career, or simply living and studying in a country that is of interest to them, CED will work with students to make it happen. For information about study abroad programs, please see the Berkeley Study Abroad website.
CED Career Services
The CED Career Services Center (CSC) offers personalized career counseling, a yearly CED Career Fair, and a wide variety of professional-development workshops on topics such as licensure, internships, and applying for graduate school. For further information, please see the CED Career Services website.
Prizes and Awards
CED offers a number of annual prizes, awards, scholarships, fellowships, and grants to its currently enrolled students. Some of these prizes and awards are college-wide, and some are geared toward students in specific majors. For general information regarding CED prizes and awards, including application instructions and a deadline calendar, please click here.
CED Events and Exhibits Calendar
CED and Wurster Hall is home to a variety of events, lectures, and exhibitions that welcome professors, professionals, and friends to the college to discuss and celebrate the community and professions. Through events and media, CED is constantly creating ways to keep the college connected and up-to-date. To view this calendar, please click here.
The Departments of Architecture, City and Regional Planning, and Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning each sponsor lecture series which offers students the opportunity to hear internationally-acclaimed speakers. These speakers often also participate in classes and seminars as part of their visit to campus. For a schedule of speakers and events in these lecture series, please see the CED website.
WursterLife
WursterLife is a closed-network platform that enables CED students and alumni from across the globe to connect with classmates, find alumni by practice area, geographic region, affinity group, or shared interest, share professional updates, news, photos, events, and jobs, enhance your career through your alumni connections, and find ways to stay engaged with the UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design.
Research Opportunities, Internships, Public Service, and Volunteer Opportunities
Terms offered: Spring 2024
The Freshman Seminar Program has been designed to provide new students with the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member in a small-seminar setting. Freshman Seminars are offered in all campus departments, and topics vary from department to department and semester to semester. Freshman Seminar: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1 hour of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: City and Regional Planning/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: The grading option will be decided by the instructor when the class is offered. Final Exam To be decided by the instructor when the class is offered.
Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022
Cities become more dependent on the data flows that connect infrastructures between themselves, and users to infrastructures. Design and operation of smart, efficient, and resilient cities nowadays require data science skills. This course provides an introduction to working with data generated within transportation systems, power grids, communication networks, as well as collected via crowd-sensing and remote sensing technologies, to build demand- and supply-side urban services based on data analytics. Data Science for Smart Cities: Read More [+]
Objectives & Outcomes
Course Objectives: Become familiar with urban big data and sensor data collection techniques.
Develop intuition in various machine learning classification algorithms, as well as regression modelling. Develop intuition in various machine learning classification algorithms, as well as regression modelling. Foster critical thinking about real-world actionability from analytics. Learn how to use data science techniques in urban decision-making and scenario generation.
Student Learning Outcomes: Develop capabilities in a range of data science techniques.
Gain the ability to solve problems in smart city research and practice.
Think critically about how to assess analytics for cities.
Use data analytics in the smart city domain.
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: This course is a Data Science connector course and is meant to be taken concurrent with or after Foundations of Data Science COMPSCI C8/INFO C8/STAT C8. Students may take more than one Data Science connector course if they wish, concurrently or after taking the C8 course
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: City and Regional Planning/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Instructor: Gonzalez
Formerly known as: Civil and Environmental Engineering 88
Terms offered: Fall 2006, Spring 2006, Spring 2005
Supervised experiences in the study of off-campus organizations relevant to specific aspects of city planning. Regular individual meetings with faculty sponsor and written report required. Field Studies in City and Regional Planning: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-3 hours of fieldwork per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: City and Regional Planning/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Summer 2024 8 Week Session, Summer 2023 8 Week Session, Summer 2022 8 Week Session
This course (1) provides a basic intro to census and economic data collection, processing, and analysis; (2) surveys forecasting and modeling techniques in planning; (3) demonstrates the uses of real-time urban data and analytics; and (4) provides a socio-economic-political context for the smart cities movement, focusing on data ethics and governance. Introduction to Urban Data Analytics: Read More [+]
Objectives & Outcomes
Student Learning Outcomes: This course will teach students systematic approaches to collecting, analyzing, modeling, and interpreting quantitative data used to inform robust research, and, ultimately, urban planning practice and policymaking. This contributes to the urban studies major's objective of introducing students to "conceptual tools, analytical methods, and theoretical frameworks to understand urban environments, such as economic analysis, social science theory, and visualization technologies," with the objective of training undergraduates for a future career or further graduate study in the field of urban studies and planning.
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Upper division standing
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1.5 hours of laboratory per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7 hours of lecture and 2 hours of laboratory per week 8 weeks - 6 hours of lecture and 1.5 hours of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: City and Regional Planning/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Summer 2024 8 Week Session, Fall 2023
Survey of city planning as it has evolved in the United States since 1800 in response to physical, social, and economic problems; major concepts and procedures used by city planners and local governments to improve the urban environment. Introduction to City Planning: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Open to majors in all fields
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8 hours of lecture and 2 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 6 hours of lecture and 1.5 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: City and Regional Planning/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2021, Summer 2021 First 6 Week Session
Introduction to economic concepts and thinking as used in planning. Micro-economic theory is reviewed and critiqued. Economic Analysis for Planning: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7 hours of lecture per week 8 weeks - 6 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: City and Regional Planning/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2020, Fall 2019, Fall 2018
Introduction to political, economic and social issues involved in theory and practice of community economic development. Focus on national economic and social policies, role of local community economic development corporations (CDCs), resolution of conflicts between private-sector profitability and public sector (community) accountability through critical use of the planning process. Community and Economic Development: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for CY PLAN 113B after completing CY PLAN 160.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: City and Regional Planning/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Summer 2024 First 6 Week Session, Spring 2024, Summer 2023 First 6 Week Session
This course is designed to introduce students to the characteristics of urban transportation systems, the methods through which they are planned and analyzed, and the dimensions of key policy issues confronting decision makers. Introduction to Urban and Regional Transportation: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7 hours of lecture per week 8 weeks - 6 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: City and Regional Planning/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
The course covers issues of development and urbanization from the era of colonialism to the era of contemporary globalization. Themes include modernization, urban informality and poverty, transnational economies, and the role of international institutions and agencies. Urbanization in Developing Countries: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Summer: 8 weeks - 6 hours of lecture and 1.5 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: City and Regional Planning/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Summer 2024 First 6 Week Session, Summer 2023 First 6 Week Session, Summer 2022 First 6 Week Session
The course covers issues of development and urbanization from the era of colonialism to the era of contemporary globalization. Themes include modernization, urban informality and poverty, transnational economies, and the role of international institutions and agencies. Urbanization in Developing Countries: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Summer: 6 weeks - 7 hours of lecture per week 8 weeks - 6 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: City and Regional Planning/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2022, Spring 2021
An intermediate course in the planning process with practicum in using planning techniques. Classes typically work on developing an area or other community plan. Some lectures, extensive field and group work, oral and written presentations of findings. Urban Planning Process--The Undergraduate Planning Studio: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Upper division standing; 110 or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 4 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 8 weeks - 7.5 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: City and Regional Planning/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2022, Spring 2021
This course will focus on the history, research methods and practices aimed at promoting community and urban health. The course will offer students frameworks for understanding and addressing inequities in community health experienced by racial and ethnic groups in the United States. The course will take a historical and comparative perspective for understanding the multiple contributors to health and disease in communities and how residents, scientists and professionals are working to improve community health. Urban & Community Health: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: City and Regional Planning/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
This course looks at the idea and practice of community in cities and suburbs and at the dynamics of neighborhood and community formation. Topics include urban social geography, ethnicity, and identity, residential choice behavior, the political economy of neighborhoods, planning for neighborhoods and civic engagement. Instructors emphasize different topics. Class size limits depend on the instructor. The Urban Community: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5 hours of lecture and 2.5 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 6 hours of lecture and 1.5 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: City and Regional Planning/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Summer 2024 8 Week Session, Fall 2023, Summer 2023 8 Week Session
This course examines how the concept of sustainable development applies to cities and urban regions and gives students insight into a variety of contemporary urban planning issues through the sustainability lens. The course combines lectures, discussions, student projects, and guest appearances by leading practitioners in Bay Area sustainability efforts. Ways to coordinate goals of environment, economy, and equity at different scales of planning are addressed, including the region, the city, the neighborhood, and the site. Planning for Sustainability: Read More [+]
Objectives & Outcomes
Student Learning Outcomes: Describe a variety of planning approaches designed to advance and evaluate the interconnected goals related to sustainability, such as environmental preservation, social equity, and economic development.
Identify how different societies around the globe grapple with the ethical, policy, and practical challenges presented by socioeconomic disparity and the goal of creating and maintaining a healthy urban (and suburban and peri-urban) environment.
Know ways in which planners and planning practice have succeeded in dismantling the policies, institutions, and decisions that oppose the needs of the disadvantaged.
Understand the principles, tools, and techniques available for planning and developing sustainable communities at multiple scales.
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Open to majors in all fields
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7 hours of lecture and 2 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 6 hours of lecture and 1.5 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: City and Regional Planning/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2021, Spring 2019, Spring 2018
This course reviews what society and local communities can do in terms of policies, programs, and local planning to address the needs of citizens with disabilities. Attention will be given to the economics of disability, to the politics of producing change, and to transportation, housing, public facilities, independent living, employment, and income policies. Options will be assessed from the varying perspectives of those with disabilities and the broader society. Community Planning and Public Policy for Disability: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: City and Regional Planning/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Not yet offered
This course focuses on sustainable mobility, with an emphasis on the long-term importance of how land development can be leveraged to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of mobility options. Sustainable Mobility: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: City and Regional Planning/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Summer 2024 First 6 Week Session, Spring 2024, Summer 2023 First 6 Week Session
Introduction to housing policy in the United States, including housing affordability, the interaction between demand and supply, housing finance, zoning and land use, gentrification and displacement, and the role that housing plays in promoting household well-being. U.S. Housing, Planning, and Policy: Read More [+]
Objectives & Outcomes
Student Learning Outcomes: By the end of the class, students will understand the origins of contemporary debates in U.S. housing policy, gain familiarity with the programs, players, and best practices in the field, and develop their ability to evaluate the trade-offs and challenges inherent in different policy approaches. They will also learn how to construct policy arguments and use evidence to make their arguments stronger.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: City and Regional Planning/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2017, Fall 2013
Over half of the world's population is now urban. As urban populations swell, metropolitan areas in both the developed and the developing world struggle to provide basic services and address the negative externalities associated with rapid growth. Sanitation, transportation, pollution, energy services, and public safety typically fall to sub-national governments. Yet local sub-national institutions face difficulties as they tackle these challenges because development tends to spill over political boundaries and resources are limited. Such difficulties are particularly acute in the developing world due to tighter resource constraints, weak institutions, and the comparative severity of the underlying problems. Moreover, democratization and decentralization suggest that urban governance and service delivery may have become more democratic, but present challenges with respect to priority setting, coordination, and corruption. Urban and Sub-national Politics in Developing Countries: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: City and Regional Planning/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
The course is concerned with the multidisciplinary field and practice of urban design. It includes a review of historical approaches to urban design and current movements in the field, as well as discussion of the elements of urban form, theories of good city form, scales of urban design, implementation approaches, and challenges and opportunities for the discipline. Learning from cities via fieldwork is an integral part of the course. Urban Design: City-Building and Place-Making: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: City and Regional Planning/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2023, Spring 2021
Community development, broadly defined as efforts to improve the quality of life in low-income communities, has existed in multiple forms for centuries. However, in the 1950s and 1960s, the United States witnessed the development of a professionalized field of community development, encompassing a wide range of institutions, policies, and programs. This course provides students with an overview of the origins of the community development field and the key theories that motivate both practice and policy. Throughout the course, case studies will provide a real-world perspective on community development and how practitioners are working to create healthy and economically vibrant communities for all. The Origins and Practice of Community Development: Read More [+]
Objectives & Outcomes
Student Learning Outcomes:
Be exposed to the key debates in community development policy.
Learn about the evolution of the community development field, including the stakeholders, financing, policies and practices that make up community development in the US.
Practice using data and argument to support a policy idea.
Reflect on the tensions between individual and structural causes of poverty, and how the construction of urban poverty has influenced policy.
Rules & Requirements
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for CY PLAN 160 after completing CY PLAN 113B.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: City and Regional Planning/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required, with common exam group.
Terms offered: Fall 2023, Fall 2022, Spring 2022
A capstone course for urban studies majors; open to other majors by instructor approval. Topical focus varies by semester. The course involves student production of a high-quality research report from inception to completion. Lectures introduce a range of research skills typical in urban studies, and cover specific domain knowledge necessary for the completion of the research project. Students identify a research topic subject to instructor approval and prepare a formal research proposal, undertaking the analysis specified in the proposal, making public presentations of their findings, and producing a professional-quality research report.
Student Learning Outcomes: Conceptualizing, executing and completing an individual research project, including public presentations of findings, revision based on critical feedback, and the production of a final research report to the highest professional standards.
Devising policy and practical solutions to address borderland planning problems.
The fundamental principles of research project design, scheduling, and execution, as well as exposure to a variety of methodological approaches using visual, cartographic, quantitative and qualitative data sources.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: City and Regional Planning/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Summer 2019, Spring 2018, Fall 2017
Supervised experiences in the study of off-campus organizations relevant to specific aspects of city planning. Regular individual meetings with faculty sponsor and a written report are required. Field Studies: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor
Credit Restrictions: Enrollment is restricted; see the Introduction to Courses and Curricula section of this catalog.
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-9 hours of fieldwork per week
Summer: 8 weeks - 6-18 hours of fieldwork per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: City and Regional Planning/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Final exam not required.
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