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 Built Environments, 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

Urban Design and Planning offers the following programs of study:

• 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. 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 toward 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 toward an Area of Knowledge or major requirement.
3. Areas of Knowledge (60 credits): 20 credits Visual, Literary, & Performing Arts (VLPA); 20 credits Individuals & 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 toward 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 toward an Area of Knowledge or major requirement.

Major Requirements

60 credits as follows:

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 Built Environments sectio
• Honors Options Available: None offered.
• Research, Internships, and Service Learning: See College of Built Environments section.
• Department Scholarships: None offered.
• Student Organizations/Associations: See College of Built Environments section.

Minor

Minor Requirements: 30 credits to include URBDP 300 (5 credits); 3 credits chosen from URBDP 460, URBDP 461, or URBDP 471; minimum 10 additional credits in URBDP-prefix courses; and 12 additional credits in planning-related courses with Urban Design and Planning adviser approval. A 2.0 minimum grade is required for each course counted toward the minor. See departmental adviser for recommended courses.

Graduate Program

Graduate Program Coordinator
410 Gould, Box 355740
206-543-4190
udp@u.washington.edu

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
• real estate including public/private development processes
• historic preservation
• land-use planning, including its environmental, socioeconomic, legal, information systems, and administrative aspects
• environmental planning.

The department also offers the Master in Strategic Planning for Critical Infrastructures degree, a fully online graduate program for those in charge of critical infrastructure protection in both the public and the private sectors.

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.

Admission Requirements

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: micro-economics, mathematics, statistics, American government, environmental systems, and cultural diversity. Students without sufficient background must take these prerequisite courses concurrently with their graduate studies.

Degree Requirements

Minimum 72 credits

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 33 credits covering the history and theory of planning and urban design, urban form, communication methods, quantitative methods, processes and methods of land use planning, comprehensive planning, planning law, research methods, and a planning studio. Also required are 14 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, 16 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. Five major specialized areas offered in the department include land-use planning and infrastructure planning, real estate, urban design, historic preservation, and environmental 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.

Master in Strategic Planning for Critical Infrastructures

The Master in Strategic Planning for Critical Infrastructures (M.S.P.C.I.) is a fully accredited master's program for leaders in charge of protecting critical infrastructures and emergency services. Developed in partnership with the Washington State National Guard, the M.S.P.C.I. program was specifically created for officials in public and private infrastructure systems, emergency management, and homeland security.

This fully online graduate program is designed to train managers in the strategic decision-making required to prevent and counter threats to critical infrastructures and public health.

The M.S.P.C.I. program is offered each year beginning in autumn. The program is delivered entirely online, and classes begin for each cohort in late September. The M.S.P.C.I. program is guided by an advisory board of UW faculty and professionals in the field.

A blend of strategic planning and systems theory, the program follows a distinctive analytic approach that enhances the conventional emergency management approach to hazards. Critical systems can be attacked through various means at different points within the system. The program's analytic approach seeks to make the critical infrastructures more resilient to breakdown, whether caused by terrorist acts, natural hazards, or normal accidents.

The M.S.P.C.I. program offers courses that provide an understanding of vital infrastructure systems and instruction in systems thinking/systems analysis. The curriculum focuses on strategic thinking, leadership skills and the application of content and methods to cases and problems. It includes an emphasis on legal, constitutional and ethical issues, which are examined in relation to homeland security.

Admission Requirements

Minimum requirements include a baccalaureate degree (B.A. or B.S.), GRE scores, transcripts, a resume, three recommendations, a statement of purpose, and a departmental application form, as well as completion of M.S.P.C.I. prerequisite courses. Applicants must also be admitted to the UW Graduate School. International applicants must also submit T.O.E.F.L. scores. For more details, see the M.S.P.C.I Web site.

Degree Requirements

Minimum 52 credits

To earn the master's degree, students complete 16 courses (52 credits); two additional prerequisite courses (7 credits) are required for individuals needing to build specific background knowledge or skills, but may be waived depending on experience or other courses taken. Aside from the prerequisites, students take two courses per quarter and can expect to complete the program in eight quarters over two years.

Individuals not seeking the degree may enroll in single courses on a space-available basis with instructor permission. To learn more about single-course enrollment, see the single-course enrollment page.

Minimum requirements for admission include a baccalaureate degree (B.A. or B.S.), GRE scores, transcripts, a resume, three recommendations, a statement of purpose, and a departmental application form, as well as completion of the MSPCI prerequisite courses. Applicants must also be admitted to the UW Graduate School. International applicants must also submit their T.O.E.F.L. scores.

For more details, see the MSPCI website: www.mspci.washington.edu/mspci/

Doctor of Philosophy

Some 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.

Certificate Programs

Graduate students may elect to participate in the College-wide certificate programs in urban design and historic preservation. (See program descriptions in the College of Architecture and Urban Planning section).