Bachelor of Arts in Urban Planning and Sustainable Development

Western Washington University - International Study Center (StudyGroup)

The interdisciplinary program in urban planning prepares students to enter professional fields concerned with the sustainability of the human and natural environment. The Urban Planning and Sustainable Development major consists of foundation, urban planning core, specialization, capstone and experiential courses. The foundation and planning core requirement incorporates the interdisciplinary foundation of the College of the Environment’s approach to the study of the human and natural environment, with an emphasis on public policy development, law, and the methods, theory, and processes of planning and decision-making. The specialization courses allow students to focus on a defined planning sub-discipline, to concentrate on a minor in an academic discipline, or to select from a number of thematically oriented clusters of courses.The College of the Environment’s Urban Planning and Sustainable Development (UPSD) major emphasizes innovative approaches to solving complex problems facing communities from the local to the global level. The program stresses progressive change leading towards equitable, healthful, livable, and sustainable communities with an emphasis on social and environmental justice, diversity, and service to under-served communities. The curriculum combines urban planning, urban and sustainable design, land-use laws, environmental policy, and natural sciences to provide students with an understanding of the linkages between urban and natural systems and the multidimensional problems in urban development.