Urban and Regional Planning (URP) Courses
URP 1103. Future Cities. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
What would future cities look like? What is the future of our cities? This course examines the process of urbanization from a U.S. and global perspective by exploring the social, political, cultural, and economic forces that shape urban life. Focuses on historic, recent, and future technological and societal changes and how these have shaped and will continue to shape our cities. Students will have the opportunity to learn to analyze urban development in a range of cities, including those in the Middle East, South Asia, Latin America, and Africa. Course Fee: LRC1 $12; SAP1 $25; STSE $30; DL01 $75.
URP 2103. Cities, Regions, and the Economy. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Provides foundational economics and sociological concepts and theories to understand market and societal forces driving urban problems and change. Topics include economic rationality, opportunity costs, possible production frontier, trade, demand-supply and equilibrium, economic welfare, tax and subsidies, externalities, public goods, among others. The course is designed for undergraduates from any major seeking to understand how market forces shape urban change. No prior knowledge of economics is required. Course Fee: SAP1 $25; STSE $30.
URP 2123. Introduction to Urban Data Science. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Prerequisite: Enrollment in ARC and have passed gateway. Students who successfully complete this course will have basic computer programming skills for urban analysis. Topics include object-oriented programming, indexing and syntaxis, data manipulation, visualization, loops and script sequencing, mapping, among others. This course builds a common foundation for quantitative analysis among undergraduates for a wide range of applications in their capstone/projects. No prior knowledge of computer programming is required. Course Fee: SAP1 $25; STSE $30.
URP 2133. Urban Informatics 1. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Prerequisite: URP 2123. Introduction to foundational analytical techniques used in practice to understand how cities work. Topics include the foundational statistical concepts of data exploration and inference. Students formulate a research question about an urban studies or planning issue, collect data, use statistical software to analyze data, and communicate the findings. Course Fee: SAP1 $25; STSE $30.
URP 3103. The American Housing Story: Policy Foundations. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Prerequisite: ARC 2166 or consent of instructor. The role of housing in American social policy planning: the history of public and private intervention in housing, regulation of supply and demand within housing markets and market imperfections; analysis of public policies for housing as they affect special populations, including the poor, the elderly, the disabled, the homeless, and minorities. This course has Differential Tuition. Course Fee: SAP1 $25; STSE $30.
URP 3123. Introduction to Community and Regional Planning and Urban Design. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Introduction to basic practices in community planning and urban design issues, including theoretical/historical bases; developing neighborhood plans/projects; indicators and evaluation of neighborhood sustainability; community patterns; institutional framework, site planning analysis; zoning ordinances; subdivision ordinances; community services; circulation; mixed-use; and community development programming. This course has Differential Tuition. Course Fee: SAP1 $25; STSE $30.
URP 3133. Urban Informatics 2. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Prerequisite: URP 2133. Introduces formal methods for collecting and analyzing data required in various planning processes. Methods include survey research, regional demographic and segregation analysis, forecasting techniques, benefit-cost analysis, GIS visualization and mapping, and decision analysis. This course has Differential Tuition. Course Fee: SAP1 $25; STSE $30.
URP 3143. Introduction to Transportation Planning: Systems, Behavior, and Sustainability. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Prerequisite: Enrollment in ARC and passed gateway or consent of the instructor. Introduction to foundational concepts in transportation planning, covering historical evolution, financing, and relationships between infrastructure, travel behavior, and environmental impacts. Topics include basic principles of travel demand modeling, public transit systems, multi-modal street design, land-use interactions, technology-driven mobility shifts, and the social dimensions of transportation systems, including social well-being and equity considerations. This course has Differential Tuition. Course Fee: SAP1 $25; STSE $30.
URP 3153. Comparative Urban and Regional Development. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
A survey of the origin of the contemporary city and region, current conditions, and future trends. This course has Differential Tuition. Course Fee: SAP1 $25; STSE $30.
URP 3163. Visual Communications for Community and Regional Planning. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Expressing planning data and geographic information in visual terms for land use planning projects. Application of related computer software including GIS. This course has Differential Tuition. Course Fee: SAP1 $25; STSE $30.
URP 4123. Sustainable Community Development. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Introduction to land use planning topics including new urbanism, growth management, sustainable infrastructure planning, and LEED Neighborhood Development. This course has Differential Tuition. Course Fees: SAP1 $25; STSE $30; DL01 $75.
URP 4213. Urban Planning and Public Health. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Survey of the interdependence of urban planning and public health to include the impact of physical environments on the health and quality of life of people in housing and neighborhoods. This course has Differential Tuition. Course Fee: SAP1 $25; STSE $30.
URP 4233. Planning Workshop. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Prerequisite: URP 3123 and URP 3163. Provides students with an opportunity to further develop planning skills and knowledge to prepare for an advanced-level urban planning workshop. Students will work in small groups to define and solve planning problems as they improve skills in data collection and analysis, mapping and spatial analysis, design, oral and written communication and presentation, public engagement, teamwork, and consensus building. Specific projects associated with the workshop will vary from year to year. This course has Differential Tuition. Course Fee: SAP1 $25; STSE $30; DL01 $75.
URP 4913. Independent Study. (0-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Prerequisite: Permission in writing (form available) from the instructor, the student’s advisor, the School Director, and the Dean of the College in which the course is offered.
Scholarly research under the direction of a faculty member. May be repeated for credit, but not more than 6 semester credit hours of independent study, regardless of discipline, may apply to a bachelor’s degree. This course has Differential Tuition. Course Fee: SAP1 $25; STSE $30.
URP 4953. Special Studies in Urban and Regional Planning. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. An organized course offering the opportunity for specialized study not normally or not often available as part of the regular course offerings. Special Studies may be repeated for up to 6 credits when topics vary. This course has Differential Tuition. Course Fee: DL01 $75; SAP1 $25; STSE $30.
