Urban Design and Planning

410 Gould

Urban design and planning deals with critical issues of human settlement and urban development. It provides communities with an informed basis for coordinated public- and private-sector action. Urban design and planning constitutes a professional field of growing complexity, responding to the urban complexities of this century. The Department of Urban Design and Planning fosters an integrative approach to education and research in planning the physical environment. The academic program includes the social, behavioral, and cultural relationships between people and the form and quality of their built and natural environment; the financial, administrative, political, and participatory dimensions of planning, design, and development; and the informational base for making deliberate decisions to shape urban areas and regions, bringing analysis together with vision.

Departmental faculty are active participants in interdisciplinary research units of the College of Architecture and Urban Planning, including the Center for Community Development and Real Estate and the Institute for Hazard Mitigation Planning and Research. Faculty also participate in the Puget Sound Regional Synthesis Model (PRISM) University Initiative Fund program. The department also administers the Remote Sensing Applications Laboratory, concerned with applications in urban planning of remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) technology and the Urban Ecology Research Laboratory. In addition, the College has a wide array of facilities for computer-based instruction related to design, including CAD, GIS, and visualization technology, and runs a joint program in advanced computer technology and virtual reality with the Human Interface Technology Laboratory of the Washington Technology Center.

Undergraduate Program

• The Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in community, environment, and planning
• A minor in urban design and planning

Community, Environment, and Planning

208Q Gould

Community. Environment, and Planning (CEP) is an interdisciplinary Bachelor of Arts degree program offered through the College as one of the University's interdisciplinary undergraduate programs.  CEP has gained distinction as a model for a highly personalized, active, and relevant educational experience within a large research institution.  Housed in the Department of Urban Design and Planning, CEP students draw liberally upon the entire range of courses, faculty, and programs at the UW.

Bachelor of Arts

Suggested First- and Second-Year College Courses: CEP 200.

Department Admission Requirements

• Minimum 90 credits completed by beginning of autumn quarter of admission.

• While cumulative GPA is an important factor, the admissions committee places emphasis on written essays, academic work, and a final interview.

• Admission is once a year, for autumn quarter.  Application deadline:  February 15 for early consideration.  Applications submitted later are considered, depending on when admission quotas have been met. 

Graduation Requirements

• General Education Requirements
1. Written Communication (15 credits):  5 credits English composition; 10 credits additional composition or W courses.  W courses, if applicable, may also be counted towards Areas of Knowledge or major requirements.
2. Quantitative or Symbolic Reasoning (4-5 credits):  One course from the University list (MATH 112 or MATH 124 recommended).  The QSR course, if applicable, may also be counted towards an Area of Knowledge or major requirement. 
3. Areas of Knowledge (60 credits):  20 credits Visual, Literary, and Performing Arts(VLPA); 20 credits Individuals and Societies (I & S); 20 credits Natural World (NW).  Required CEP courses and other non-CEP courses used to satisfy major requirements may also be counted towards Areas of Knowledge requirements, if applicable.
4. Diversity Course (5 credits):  One course from an approved list.  See program advisers.  The diversity course, if applicable, may be counted towards an Area of Knowledge or major requirement.
• Major Requirements
1. Core Seminars (30 credits):  CEP 301, CEP 302, CEP 303, CEP 460, CEP 461, CEP 462.
2. Methods Courses (25 credits):  Chosen with guidance of program adviser.
3. Internship (5 credits):  CEP 446
• Electives to complete minimum 180 credits for degree  Varies depending on how many general education courses apply to more than one requirement.

Student Outcomes and Opportunities

• Learning Objectives and Expected Outcomes: A CEP education is founded on the following: start where you are; articulate and embrace a vision of how you intend to make a difference in the world; construct a plan (with guidance from faculty and peers) of CEP seminars, cross-disciplinary courses, and field experiences; move deliberately with this plan in the final two years of undergraduate education; through first-hand experience and in the context of the CEP community of learners, become acquainted with effective ways for working constructively together to anticipate and address critical issues facing the complex communities and world we inhabit.

A CEP education is fully lived, not passively taken. CEP students actively make their education in community with others. Students learn in groups of seventeen. Each group comprises a community of mutual learning that requires commitment, personal investment, and strong teamwork strategies for two years. Through six interconnected, quarterly seminars students engage the core content of the major: community, environment, and planning. These contemporary academic fields and areas of research include the study of community as subject and practice, exploration of the ecological context of all societal life, and an investigation of the potentials of planning for developing strategies for positive change.

CEP students have gone on to careers in a variety of interdisciplinary fields such as community planning and organization, urban development, communications, work in for-profit and nonprofit sectors, public administration, education, community and environmental activism, ecology, and government/community relations.

• Instructional and Research Facilities: See College of Architecture and Urban Planning section, above.
• Honors Options Available: None offered.
• Research, Internships, and Service Learning: See College of Architecture and Urban Planning section, above.
• Department Scholarships: None offered.
• Student Organizations/Associations: See College of Architecture and Urban Planning section, above. 

Minor

Graduate Program

Graduate Program Coordinator
410 Gould, Box 355740
206-543-4190

The department offers the Master of Urban Planning (M.U.P.) degree and its faculty participate in the interdisciplinary Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Urban Design and Planning. The M.U.P. is the professional degree, while the Ph.D. is primarily for students planning to enter research and teaching positions in urban planning and design.

The graduate program focuses on planning the physical environment and its socioeconomic and political determinants. Advanced students are encouraged to conduct research and studies in one of the following specializations:

• urban design dealing with physical form, character, and quality issues
• community development and real estate including public/private development processes
• preservation planning and design
• land-use planning, including its environmental, socioeconomic, legal, information systems, and administrative aspects.

Graduate students may elect to participate in the College-wide Certificate Programs in Urban Design, and Preservation Planning and Design. See program descriptions in the preceding College section.

Master of Urban Planning

The Master of Urban Planning degree is the usual educational qualification for professional practice of city and regional planning, including generalist planning, research, urban design, and administrative positions in a wide variety of public agencies and private consulting firms. It is a two-year, or six-quarter, program requiring a minimum of 72 credits.

Requirements for graduate-level study include a satisfactory academic record and undergraduate training in one of a variety of disciplines, including urban planning and environmental design or in other appropriate fields, such as geography, economics, or other social sciences; English and other humanities; civil engineering and environmental studies; or architecture and landscape architecture. Students planning to enter the program should have completed at least one college-level course in each of the following areas: economics, mathematics, statistics, American government, environmental systems, and cultural diversity. Students without sufficient background must take these prerequisite courses concurrently with their graduate studies.

The primary objective is to educate professional planners with a broad range of competence in planning and design; a second objective is to provide opportunities for individual studies in selected professional areas. Core course requirements include 32 credits covering the history and theory of planning and urban design, urban form, communication methods, quantitative methods, processes and methods of land use planning, planning law, research methods, and a planning studio. Also required are 17 credits of restricted electives, including a course in advanced methods and a second studio; both may be in an area of specialization. In addition, a course in land-use planning, in urban development economics, and in history/theory of planning is required. A 9-credit thesis or professional project is required upon completion of all other degree course work. Of the 72 minimum credits required for the degree, 14 credits may be in open electives.

The core provides a foundation in urban design and planning for all students. An internship is encouraged for those without previous professional experience. A specialization in one area of planning is required. Six major specialized areas offered in the department include land-use planning and growth management, community development and real estate, urban design, preservation planning, environmental planning, and transportation planning.

Students are admitted to the M.U.P. program primarily in autumn quarter and all application material should be received by the department no later than the preceding February 1 (November 1 for international applicants). Graduate Record Examination general test scores, three letters of recommendation, transcripts of previous degree programs and any additional academic study, and a statement of purpose are required. TOEFL is required for international applicants.

Doctor of Philosophy

Some of the departmental faculty are part of an interdisciplinary faculty group which offers doctoral study in urban design and planning. The program is located administratively within the Graduate School. For a description of the program, see the Interdisciplinary Graduate Degree Programs section of the catalog.

Urban Design Certificate Program

This interdisciplinary program leads to the Certificate of Achievement in Urban Design for interested students in the B.L.A., M.L.A., M.Arch, or M.U.P. professional degree programs and to students in the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Urban Design and Planning and the Ph.D. in Built Environment programs.  Designed to give students a broad understanding of urban design to incorporate into their later professional and scholarly careers.

Admission Requirements

Any student accepted into the degree programs mentioned in the paragraph above is eligible and may begin participation by returning a statement of interest (obtained from the program office or the program Web site).  Students in two-year programs should apply at the beginning of their programs and those in longer programs at the beginning of their second year.

Students must possess necessary design abilities prior to enrollment in advanced studios.  Such enrollment is determined by the studio in question (e.g., advanced studios may require a prerequisite studio preparatory class and/or previous studies and/or the equivalent as evaluated by the instructor). 

Total Credits

12-15 credits, which may not overlap with required courses but which may fall into elective requirements and be part of the total credits required for a degree. 

Certificate Requirements

Courses vary with a student's degree requirements.  Students meet with the program coordinator and Urban Design program faculty to choose courses that best complement their degree program and academic interests. 

1. Core curriculum:  a.  Introductory Course - ARCH 590 for M.Arch. and M.L.A. students; L ARCH 362 for B.L.A. students; URBDP 470 for students from any program; URBDP 500 for M.U.P. students.  b.  URBDP 479.  c.  URBDP 580.  d.  Thesis preparation as appropriate for student's degree program.
2. Urban design studios:  Three from ARCH 500, ARCH 501, ARCH 502, ARCH 503, ARCH 504, ARCH 505, L ARCH 402, L ARCH 403, L ARCH 503, L ARCH 504, L ARCH 505, URBDP 507, URBDP 508 as designated by the program each quarter;  Students must take at least one studio either outside their home department or with a clear interdisciplinary focus.
3. Mandatory course areas:  a.  Urban Form and History (1 course):  Appropriate courses include  L ARCH 450, L ARCH 451, L ARCH 498 (History of Urban Design), URBDP 564, URBDP 565.  b.  Urban Design Methods (2 courses):  Appropriate courses include L ARCH 341,  L ARCH 571, URBDP 474, URBDP 576, URBDP 598 (Urban Design Composition), URBDP 598 (Urban Design Studio Methods).   c.  Urban Studies (1 course):  Large-scale issues, city planning issues, GIS.  Appropriate courses include PUB AF 527, URBDP 422, URBDP 466, URBDP 500, URBDP 510, URBDP 520, URBDP 530, URBDP 560, URBDP 562, URBDP 598 (Urban Democracy).  d.  Urban Development (1 course):  Appropriate courses include ARCH 571, PUB AF 561/URBDP 561, URBDP 552, URBDP 553, URBDP 554, URBDP 555, URBDP 556, URBDP 558.  Students must take course(s) from all four areas shown above.  
4. Thesis:  Theses, professional projects, or dissertations must have an urban design component.  A member of the Urban Design program faculty must serve as committee chair.