The urban design specialization is normally open only to students with strong preparation in architecture, landscape architecture, studio-based urban planning or a comparable field. The practice of urban design spans the fields of architecture and planning and deals with the aesthetic and perceptual character of the urban environment. Though architects usually work within the confines of individual buildings or sites, planners typically work on a larger scale, involving multiple facilities and the land that links them into a community. Urban designers, then, combine an interest in physical design with an equal concern for urban policy making. The core courses and electives within the urban design specialization introduce students to topics ranging from design review, and the history of urban form to land use controls and historic preservation.
Students in the urban design specialization are required to complete 5 courses. These courses include the 3 required courses listed below and 2 electives chosen from the recommended elective list or similar courses in the university.
Required Courses
- 23PLAN608 Seminar in Urban Design and Environmental Planning
- 23PLAN662 History of Urban Form (to be taught as an issues course through historical reference)
- 23PLAN707 Workshop in Urban Design
Recommended Methods Courses
- 23PLAN705 Methods of Physical Analysis
- 23PLAN754 Computer Graphics for Planners
- 23PLAN780 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems for Planners
Recommended Electives
Choose two for the MCP and one for the accelerated MCP
- 23PLAN621, 622, 623, 624 Special Topics (Imaging)
- 23PLAN628 Introduction to Historic Preservation
- 23PLAN604 Principles of Urban Design
- 23PLAN717 Land Use Controls
- 23PLAN609 Policy in Urban Design and Land Use
- 23PLAN658 Transportation Planning
- 23PLAN661 History of Urban Spatial Environments
- 23PLAN773 Social Factors in Environmental Design