Undergraduate Department of Urban and Regional Planning

College of Social Sciences and Public Policy

Chair: Jeff Brown; Professors: Brown, Chapin, Coutts; Associate Professors: Butler, Duncan, Kinahan; Assistant Professors: Holmes, Fang, Kim; Teaching Faculty: Felkner; Planner in Residence: Smith; Professors Emeriti: Cowart, Deyle, Doan, Miles, RuBino, Thompson

The profession of Urban and Regional Planning encompasses all aspects of the development of human settlements, including the use of land, protection of the environment, economic productivity, and the future allocation of physical and social public resources. Planning's initial concern with the form and structure of cities continues, but it has grown to include all aspects of the formulation and implementation of public policy, at all levels of society. Today, the field is a diverse one, incorporating the many issues developed over the past decades and expanding to include new areas of concern. This has resulted in the establishment of new priorities and the emergence of new policy directions, including environmental sustainability, social-ecological resilience, human service delivery systems, affordable housing, attention to job growth, global competitiveness, and access to health services, as well as more traditional activities such as the provision and financing of roads, infrastructure, and public services.

As an institutional and professional activity, planning is now practiced in the public sector at all levels of government and in the private sector through firms that service local governments, development interests, and community groups. At each stage in the development of the profession new skills and knowledge have been called for, creating new employment opportunities and an expansion of the backgrounds held by professionals in the field. Today, planners have ties to the various social sciences, natural sciences, law, engineering, business, the design professions, and others. Consequently, majors from throughout the University have been attracted to the field and have thrived in a discipline that welcomes individuals with backgrounds in science, policy, design, and computer applications.

What unites people from these various backgrounds into the professional field of planning is a commitment to making the world a better place through collaboration, consensus building, and enlightened and informed public policy. While both the problems and the means for dealing with them may differ, all planners are concerned with systematically studying problems, their likely future levels, and formulating appropriate policies and programs to deal with them. Moreover, unlike many other problem-oriented professions, planning is distinguished by its concern with coordinated policy responses. Planners have adopted a broad view that focuses on the interrelationships between problems and the necessary interrelatedness of solutions.

Above all, planners are committed to a particular concern: improving the “quality of life” in the places they work. This extends to employment, schools, health, housing, community facilities, and the physical, social, and natural environments. While any single professional may focus on a narrower range of issues, the field as a whole focuses on the entire set of issues affecting the livability of the built and natural environment. Planners attempt to address these issues in ways that recognize the differing and legitimate concerns of many diverse and partisan interests. Accordingly, planning is a demanding and exciting field. It is beset by challenges that are created by the difficulties in finding solutions to thorny problems and in obtaining a consensus among diverse interests on policies and programs to address these problems. At the same time, it is a rewarding field. Planners know that they can and do make significant contributions to the well-being of their cities, states, and nations.

The Department of Urban and Regional Planning offers two non-major programs for undergraduates interested in planning and urban affairs. These programs are designed to complement an existing major for those students who wish to develop an appreciation of planning or who wish to lay the foundation for graduate study in planning. These programs are the undergraduate planning studies minor and Combined Bachelor's/Master's Pathway. Within each of these programs, students may satisfy their minor requirements.

Because of the variety of issues and contexts within which planners work, there is no one undergraduate background that is more important than others. Students may combine their interests in planning and urban affairs with undergraduate majors in the variety of social sciences, physical or natural sciences, business, engineering, design professions, communications, criminology and criminal justice, and others.

Planning Studies Minor Program

This program is designed for students who wish to apply their major field to problems and issues in planning and urban affairs. The program consists of a series of courses that provide an overview of planning and that introduce the student to issues, organizations, policies, and implementation strategies. Students may earn a minor in urban and regional planning by completing a four-course sequence that is composed of three required courses and one elective course. URP 3000 is a prerequisite for all the elective courses as well as URP 4022. Electives are chosen from among a set of courses representing the major policy areas taught by the department.

Students interested in the planning studies minor program are advised to see the department's Academic Programs Specialist for advice on the availability of courses.

Required Courses

URS 1006 World Cities: Quality of Life

URP 3000 Introduction to Planning and Urban Development

URP 4022 Collective Decision Making

Elective Courses (Choose One)

URP 4104 Consequences of Planning

URP 4314 Introduction to Growth Management and Comprehensive Planning

URP 4318 Growth Management and Environmental Planning

URP 4354 International Transportation Planning

URP 4402 Sustainable Development Planning in the Americas

URP 4404 River Basin Management and Planning

URP 4408 Food Systems Planning

URP 4423 Introduction to Environmental Planning and Resource Management

URP 4612 Strategies for Urban and Regional Planning in Less Developed Countries

URP 4618 Planning for Developing Regions

URP 4710 Introduction to Transportation Issues and Transportation Planning

URP 4715 Bike and Pedestrian Planning

URP 4741 Introduction to Issues in Housing and Community Development

URP 4811 Multicultural Urbanism

URP 4936r Special Topics in Urban and Regional Planning

Combined Bachelor's/Master's Pathway

This undergraduate program is designed for students who anticipate continuing to graduate school to earn the professional master's degree in planning. Students who are accepted into the Combined Bachelor's/Master's Pathway may take up to 12 credit hours of graduate courses in Urban and Regional Planning. These credits will count toward the completion of both their bachelor's degree and the Master of Science in Planning (MSP) degree upon their admission to the MSP program. The program thus allows students the opportunity to take a more challenging set of courses and begin their graduate studies early. This program is closely coordinated with the department's graduate program, offering students the possibility of preferred admission with advanced standing at the graduate level. Students make application for advanced standing after admission to the master's program.

FSU students must have completed at least 90 credit hours of coursework. Honors Program students may be considered for admission after completing 60 credit hours, while transfer students must have completed at least 24 credit hours at FSU. Students must have a grade point average of 3.20 or higher to be admitted to the Combined Bachelor's/Master's Pathway (although there can be some flexibility with this requirement). Students must complete URP 3000 Introduction to Urban Planning and Development OR URP4022 Collective Decision Making and earn a grade of B or better in those classes prior to admission into the Combined Bachelor's/Master's Pathway.

Students completing this program with an upper-division GPA of at least 3.0 may be offered admission to the master's program in planning with advanced standing for up to twelve semester hours of coursework in which the grade of “B” or higher was earned.

Students interested in the combined bachelor's/master's pathway program are advised to see the department's Academic Programs Specialist to apply.

Required Course

URP 3000 Introduction to Planning and Urban Development (3),

URP 4022 Collaborative Decision Making (3).

Elective Courses (Choose One to Four)

Students interested in the Combined Bachelor's/Master's Pathway are advised to see the department's Master's Program Director for advising on appropriate courses to take.

Definition of Prefixes

IDH—Interdisciplinary Humanities

URP—Urban and Regional Planning

URS—Urban and Regional Studies

Undergraduate Courses

CoreFSU Curriculum: Social Science

URS 1006. World Cities: Quality of Life (3). In this course, major world cities are examined in terms of their natural, social, and built environments in order to assess those factors that promote quality-of-life and sustainability. Prospects for future growth and change are considered in light of demographic, cultural, economic, and political trends.

Upper Division Courses

IDH 3131. City in Cinema: Visual Stories of/through Urban Space (3). Throughout history, cities have served as vibrant and complex backdrops to countless stories, capturing the essence of human experiences, aspirations, and challenges. This Honors seminar explores urban spaces through the lens of film and dives deep into the visual narratives crafted by filmmakers to portray the urban environment.

URP 3000. Introduction to Planning and Urban Development (3). This course introduces planning concepts and the role of planning in formulating policy, meeting critical problems, and shaping the future urban environment.

URP 3527. Green Global Health (3). In this course students explore how nature conservation is necessary for the continuation of life on earth with particular attention on the myriad ways of that the natural environment and systems support human health, livelihoods, and wellbeing.

URP 4104. Consequences of Planning (3). In this course, students develop and hone skills essential for the effective practice of planning by harnessing the full diversity of viewpoints within a community to achieve sustainable policy change. Students familiarize themselves with a broad range of research in the academic and professional literature that impacts day-to-day planning practice.

URP 4022. Collective Decision Making (3). Prerequisite: URP 3000 or instructor permission. This course provides an introduction to planning as a collective decision-making tool, and introduces the concepts of efficiency, equity, and environmental quality as competing bases for public decisions. The course examines tools for contributing to public decisions in varying circumstances, including unitary and diverse decision makers, certain and uncertain environments, and simple and complex goals.

URP 4314. Introduction to Growth Management and Comprehensive Planning (3). Prerequisite: URP 3000 or instructor permission. This course is an introduction to the problems and needs for growth management and comprehensive planning for U.S. cities, highlighting various planning approaches and strategies available for meeting development, growth, and land-use problems.

URP 4402. Sustainable Development Planning in the Americas (3). Prerequisite: URP 3000 or instructor permission. This course examines various dimensions of the “sustainable development” paradigm and its local-global policy implications, issues, and controversies with a focus upon North America and Latin America. The course is organized into three modules: 1) environmental philosophies that have influenced the movement; 2) North American approaches to planning for sustainable development; and 3) critical issues of sustainable development in Latin America.

URP 4404. River Basin Management and Planning (3). This course introduces river basin management and planning and takes a systemic approach from biological, hydrological, and geopolitical viewpoints. Special emphasis is placed on the planning and management of transboundary (interstate and international) basins. The focus is on world river basin systems as well as on the local Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint basin. Students are introduced to technical concepts and tools, including negotiation and math simulation tools.

URP 4408. Food Systems Planning (3). This course provides a contextual understanding of food systems in the formation of cities, the impacts of food policy on food systems, and planning responses to the many challenges that arise in relation to the globalized food system.

URP 4446. Climate Change and Community Resilience (3). This course introduces students to key themes, concepts, and debates about planning for climate change. Students explore the current state of climate science and projections; the social, economic, and environmental drivers and outcomes of climate related hazards; and the process of climate change mitigation and adaptation planning.

URP 4423. Introduction to Environmental Planning and Resource Management (3). Prerequisite: URP 3000 or instructor permission. This course is a general introduction to the problems of resource management and environmental planning, with an overview of problems and potential solutions and their relation to other public policy areas such as land-use control and regional development.

URP 4612. Strategies for Urban and Regional Planning in Less Developed Countries (3). This course provides an overview of the evolving development policies concerned with the spatial location of people and economic activities. The course encourages students to analyze and critique the social and economic implications of various policies, and to develop alternative strategies for attaining development objectives.

URP 4618. Planning for Developing Regions (3). Prerequisite: URP 3000 or instructor permission. This course introduces the student to the field of development planning and gives the student exposure to the interplay between theory and practice. Topics include concepts of development, measurement and indicators of patterns of development, rural development, urban development, preparation of development plans, and implementation of development plans.

URP 4710. Introduction to Transportation Issues and Transportation Planning (3). Prerequisite: URP 3000 or instructor permission. This course is an introduction to contemporary U.S. transportation problems, sources of funding, and legislation. Presents the theory and methods employed by planners in the process of resolving transportation problems.

URP 4715. Bike and Pedestrian Planning (3). In this course, students consider how increasing pedestrian and bike activity can make our communities healthier, more equitable, and is less damaging to the environment. This course explores the various ways that non-motorized travel (i.e., walking and biking) can be made more desirable and safer. This includes planning, design, and implementation of 1) bike and pedestrian facilities/networks, 2) a built environment that supports non-motorized travel, and 3) promotional and educational programs.

URP 4741. Introduction to Issues in Housing and Community Development (3). Prerequisite: URP 3000 or instructor permission. This course focuses on the operation of the housing market, the nature of the housing and community development problem, and the gradual development of a national housing and community development policy since the 1930s. The course also examines relationships between public and private sectors.

URP 4811. Multicultural Urbanism (3). This course studies past, present, and future urban geographies and the impact urban social and economic policy have on social equity. Students learn the significance of race, gender, ethnicity, and identity in urban development and urban life.

URP 4936r. Special Topics in Urban and Regional Planning (3). This course is a selected topics seminar for the discussion of unique and timely planning related issues. Content varies. May be repeated within the same term. May be repeated to a maximum of fifteen semester hours.

For listings relating to graduate coursework, consult the Graduate Bulletin.

2024-2025 UNDERGRADUATE BULLETIN