Curriculum: Online Master of City Planning

This course provides an overview of historic and contemporary planning theory, practice, policy and processes. Topics covered include: purpose and meaning of planning and its ethical, visionary, and normative imperatives; history of urban planning practice and the development of urban planning profession in the United States and abroad; planning-related constitutional rights and principles, state and local government law, and administrative rules and regulations; and the institutions that both shape and respond to plans and planning related activities. As part of its overview, this course will closely examine the need for and benefits from the use of planning theories to guide and understand planning processes. A range of theoretical approaches will be studied, from the widely used but largely discredited rational theories, to more contemporary theories of communicative action, pragmatic planning and critical planning.

In-depth examination of the factors shaping the physical organization and structure of urban areas and non-urban regions, and the theories available to interpret urban and regional growth. The course analyzes cities as multi-dimensional systems in which social, political, economic, environmental and physical factors interact to shape neighborhoods and communities, produce successful outcomes or result in the emergence of urban problems. Students will learn to employ urban and regional theoretical frameworks to analyze past and present conditions of cities, communities and neighborhoods, understand the factors that contributed to the emergence of these conditions, and identify approaches by which the social, economic and other forces could be used to reverse undesirable urban phenomena and promote positive change.

Introduction of the theories and applications of Geographic Information Sciences (GIS). The basic topics include definition of GIS, the history of GIS, topological data structure, data preprocessing, data manipulation and analysis, geographic modeling with GIS, and the future of GIS. The focus of this course is spatial analysis.

This course provides an introduction to the fundamentals of economics at the graduate level for students without previous economics coursework. Students will be exposed to the essentials of both microeconomics and macroeconomics. Microeconomics topics to be discussed include the supply and demand mechanism,how markets are affected by regulation and taxation, costs of production, and how market structure affects outcomes. Macroeconomic topics to be discussed include the fundamental measures of the aggregate economy, the sources of economic growth, explaining short-run fluctuations in economic activity, and how government policies can affect these fluctuations. A particular focus will be to understand how fundamental economic principles at both the micro and macro level can affect companies, investments, industries, and national economies. This course may not be used as an elective course for Lindner College of Business Master's programs.

Quantitative and qualitative methods and techniques play an important role in the daily life of planning professionals. For conducting productive research, supporting decision-makers, and/or making recommendations and strengthening arguments for a preferred course of action, the selection and correct application of the appropriate quantitative technique and the in-depth interpretation of findings and results is crucial to the successful outcome of the planning process. The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the most essential planning-analytical methods, including demographic and economic analytical methods and financial and transportation analysis. Students will learn the nuts and bolts of these selected methods and techniques, their theoretical foundations, their applicability to real world issues, and their strengths and limitations. Throughout the course, students will learn to apply these selected methods to examples, interpret their results, and make recommendations to policy makers.

This course provides the visual and verbal tools to communicate analyses, plans and designs for urban environments. Students will work with graphic software packages providing them with the skills to communicate ideas in two and three dimensions, including basic concepts of graphic design, color theory, layout and proportions, and typography for successful visual communication. Students will also explore multimedia applications that equip them to use words, numbers, and pictures for effective storytelling. This includes creating interactive presentations, portfolios, and websites for visions, scenarios, and implementation strategies. The aims of this interactive class are to equip the students with: Visual skills to learn the ‘eye’ of communicating urban planning and design information in a clear, legible and interactive manner; Communication skills to use words, numbers, and pictures for sharing information in a public setting; Technical skills to use graphic software packages and create professional grade 2D and 3D graphics; Intellectual skills to think critically and communicate ideas to shape the urban environment; and Professional skills to perform in a professional setting and produce quality work.

This course will introduce urban transportation planning and provide an overview of transportation system evaluation. Topics covered include current federal legislation, multi-modal transportation, history of public transportation funding, the legislative process, transportation improvement programs, and long-range and short-range transit planning and programming.

The capstone is one of the options for students completing the MCP degree, the other being a thesis. Students enrolled in this Capstone are required to use most of the knowledge acquired in the previous semesters in core courses and specific specialization track’s courses. The Capstone’s instructor will suggest a topic within the realm of the selected specializations and undertake a project related to them. The instructor will be responsible for the organization of the Capstone format: individual, team, or hybrid, and of the expectations for the final products structures.