Department of City and Regional Planning
Statement of Goals — Urban Studies Program
September 2009

Program Goals

The urban studies major seeks to introduce students to the following bodies of knowledge:

• Historical and contemporary analysis of American and global urbanization, urbanism, urban societies, and urban political economies.
  
  
• Conceptual tools, analytical methods, and theoretical frameworks to understand urban environments, such as economic analysis, social science theory, and visualization technologies.
  
  
• Forms, functions, and practices of urban planning and design, metropolitan governance, and social movements and social justice, including issues such as transportation planning, community development, and housing.
  
  
• Ways to providing more humane, equitable, environmentally sensitive, and efficient settlements and to lead change for better urban futures.
   

The urban studies major trains undergraduates for a variety of future careers and fields of graduate study that are related to urban studies and planning. These include practice-oriented fields such as urban planning, law, non-profit management, and public policy as well as research-oriented fields such as geography, sociology, and anthropology. Above all, the intent of the major is to produce urban citizens and global leaders. In the words of one current student, his "goal is to learn how to make the world a better place."

The urban studies major trains undergraduates for a variety of future careers and fields of graduate study that are related to urban studies and planning. These include practice-oriented fields such as urban planning, law, non-profit management, and public policy as well as research-oriented fields such as geography, sociology, and anthropology. Above all, the intent of the major is to produce urban citizens and global leaders. In the words of one current student, the urban studies student's "goal is to learn how to make the world a better place."

Curriculum Map