3 US leaders of city and regional planning preparing graduates for global success

Long Beach installs more traffic circles ranging from large ones to small, Chicago distributes air-conditioning units to low-income tenants, and Cincinnati fights for affordable housing – these improvements are recent headlines in the US that involve urban and regional planning. And with rising social tensions, rapidly advancing technologies, and rising cases of extreme weather, planners have never been more important in today’s communities.  

A master’s degree in urban and regional planning can help you gain the knowledge and skills needed to address various challenges in urban areas and open up opportunities to make positive changes in communities by creating better living environments for residents. You’ll learn how to manage population growth, improve infrastructure, promote sustainability, and more. With these advanced knowledge and skills in hand, you’ll be ready to lead various government, non-profit and for-profit organisations. 

Give yourself the best start by choosing one of the universities below:

Georgia Institute of Technology

The Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of City and Regional Planning is inspiring and equipping a new generation of urban planners who are driven to help cities flourish with the knowledge and skills gained from learning and research at the school. Graduates here are set to create and reshape cities, towns, and other areas to be more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive. 

And that’s all thanks to the school’s master’s degree programmes with specialised curricula that focus on next-gen urban planning.. The degree programs include the Master of City and Regional Planning, Master of Science (MS) in Geographic Information Science (GIS) & Technology, MS in Urban Analytics, and MS in Global Development. Whichever you choose, you’ll get to work with multiple disciplines, from engineering and architecture to data science and public policy, and gain proficiency in using data analytics, GIS, and other cutting-edge tools to derive insights and inform evidence-based decision-making. 

Located in the heart of Atlanta, Georgia Tech offers many opportunities for hands-on learning thanks to its strong connections with various planning organisations around the city. Whether you sign up for applied studio courses, internships, or partnerships with planning companies, you will gain experience working on real-world projects as well as engaging with the local community. The school’s reputation that you carry will open doors to a wide range of practical opportunities, even booking you a role in public, private, or nonprofit sectors.

With international campuses in France and China, Georgia Tech embraces global perspectives to bridge diversity. It’s a school that understands that different urban contexts bring different planning issues. Collaborations and international programmes allow students here to engage with unique challenges in countries like Japan, Puerto Rico, and Rwanda, further broadening their knowledge and empowering them to tackle urban planning challenges at a grander, global scale. Apply to the School of City and Regional Planning at Georgia Institute of Technology today.

The MURP programme at the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Florida is one of the top 25 advanced planning degrees in the US. Source: University of Florida

University of Florida

Established in 1975, the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Florida strives to achieve student success, foster local and international communities, increase impactful changes, and enhance resilience. These qualities are in line with its Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) programme, a top 25 advanced planning degree in the US.

The MURP has a curriculum rooted in the foundations of urban and regional planning. From learning about the urban economy to conducting a project related to urban planning, students will gain expertise in preparing, creating, and managing functional spaces that address today’s issues, thus contributing back to the community. 

What’s more, the programme has specialised coursework to increase research opportunities and cover as much ground in the field as possible. These areas of specialisation include Environmental Planning, Land Use and Transportation, Housing and Community Development, Economic Development, Information Technologies for Planning, and Urban Design.

Located in Gainesville, Florida, the department encourages its students to take part in a variety of learning experiences available around the city. They can join seminars and lecture courses, work in studios, interns with leading local companies, and conduct individual research work involving a thesis. On or off campus, the university has plenty of resources that could make living and studying here a memorable experience.

The city of Ann Arbor offers various city activities and projects related to urban planning for students to engage in. Source: University of Michigan

University of Michigan

Promoting a just and sustainable future is something the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Michigan takes seriously. Future planners learn to bring projects to fruition that foster sustainability, improve alternatives to sprawling and auto-dependent areas, and revitalise downtowns and inner-city neighbourhoods — all while protecting the environment. These elements can be found through the college’s own MURP programme.

The MURP has a wide range of focus areas in which you can specialise. These include Applied Planning Skills, Community and Economic Development, Global and Comparative Planning, Housing and Equitable Development, Land Use and Environmental Planning, Physical Planning and Design, Social Justice and Urban Development, Sustainability, Resilience, Adaptation and Climate Change, and Transportation Planning.

Dubbed one of the best cities to live in the US and to study urban planning, Ann Arbor is famous for its food sceneand the natural outdoors. Progressive planning efforts are evident in the various city activities and projects available for students to engage in. For example, the A2Zero is Ann Arbor’s carbon neutrality plan led by the college’s own Missy Stults while the Treeline is an initiative sparked by a MURP capstone to create an urban trail from downtown to the Huron River. 

*Some of the institutions featured in this article are commercial partners of Study International