Urban Studies

Cities exist at the epicenter of some of today’s most pressing issues, including climate change, social inequality, lack of access to housing and education, and the overall challenges of economic development in an ever-globalizing world. Addressing climate change mitigation will require reshaping urban spaces to encourage walking, biking, and mass transit and will also require changes to the built environment to reduce emissions from construction and energy use. Tackling climate change adaptation and environmental injustice will require urban planning approaches that seek to work with communities to equitably mitigate harm from future floods, storms, and heat waves. Mitigating poverty and deepening social inequality will require addressing the housing, infrastructure, and service needs of low-income urban residents and economic development initiatives that target opportunity for people who have thus far been excluded. Therefore, it is essential for students in policy, design, and planning fields to understand the historical and contemporary origins of urban issues and debates about the policy and planning approaches to addressing them.

A Graduate Certificate in Urban Studies provides a foundation in the fundamentals of urban planning and policy theory. It allows you to pursue specialized coursework in housing and community development, urban environmental sustainability, economic development, international comparative urban policy, and transportation. The core curriculum provides students with an understanding of the history of urbanization and urban interventions in the U.S. and globally, and also examines the role of planning and policy in addressing major issues today. After completing your capstone project, you’ll have cultivated a basis in urban and regional policy theory and research methods.

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