Overview

Urban Studies and Planning is an Interdisciplinary Program providing an undergraduate course of study that focuses on solutions to the major problems stemming from the complexities of contemporary urban life. The Urban Studies and Planning curriculum is designed for students who:

1. Wish to enter professional graduate schools in such fields as urban planning, urban design, environmental planning, social welfare, law and public administration, and international development;
2. Intend to begin their professional careers at the end of their baccalaureate education through employment in various governmental agencies, private firms or nonprofit organizations concerned with urban issues, regional planning, real estate development and community development; or
3. Desire a social science degree that emphasizes the study of the historical and modern city.

The Major in Urban Studies and Planning requires all students to complete a set of Lower Division introductory courses and Upper Division Core courses. This part of the curriculum is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the urban environment and training in the appropriate principles and methods of planning and urban analysis. In addition to the Lower Division and Core course requirements, students must complete a set of elective courses within one of four designated specializations.

As a complement to the coursework, students are required to complete supervised field research and an internship with a public agency, a nonprofit organization or a private-sector organization conducting planning-related work. These experiences help to provide students with professional experience to begin careers in planning and with the skills to find solutions to urban problems and situations.

Program Requirements

A. Core Course Requirements

All Urban Studies and Planning Majors are required to complete the Lower Division required courses and the Upper Division Core courses. Students must then choose from 1 of 4 specializations. The first three specializations provide students the opportunity to develop a level of expertise within a subfield of urban studies and planning. These three specializations are: (1) urban and regional planning; (2) housing, community and economic development; and, (3) environmental planning and sustainability. The fourth specialization provides students the opportunity to customize their own area of specialization in consultation with an advisor. Within each specialization, 9 units must consist of URBS courses and 6 units must be taken outside the Department.

1. Lower Division Required Courses (6 units)

URBS 206 Introduction to Graphic Communication Tools Used by Urban Studies and Planning Professionals (3)
URBS 250 Planning the Multiethnic City (3)

2. Upper Division Required Courses (22 units)

URBS 300 The Planning Idea (3)
URBS 310 Growth and Sustainable Development of Cities (3)
URBS 340A Quantitative Urban Research Methods (3)
URBS 340B Qualitative Urban Research Methods (3)
URBS 440 Community-Based Urban Design (3)
URBS 450 Urban Problems Seminar (4)
URBS 460 Legal Foundations of Planning (3)

3. Field Work and Internship (6 units)

URBS 490C Field Work (3)
URBS 494C Internship (3)

B. Specialization Requirements

1. Urban and Regional Planning (15 units)

The objective of this Specialization is to train students to effectively design and implement plans and public policies in urban, regional and international settings. Students will study the linkages between the social, economic and political factors of urban society. Urban and regional planning career opportunities exist in city, county, regional, state and national government, private consulting firms, nonprofit organizations, and research and academic institutions. This Specialization prepares graduates for positions in transportation planning, zoning administration, economic development planning and neighborhood planning.

Choose 15 units from the following:

ECON 160 Principles of Microeconomics (3)
or ECON 161 Principles of Macroeconomics (3)
GEOG 305/L Maps and Graphics and Lab (2/1)
GEOG 306/L Intermediate Geographical Information Science and Lab (2/1)
GEOG 351 Urban Geography (3)
GEOG 452 Urban Land-Use Planning (3)
POLS 360 Public Administration (3)
POLS 403 State and Local Government (3)
POLS 405 The Process of Public Policy Formation (3)
POLS 461 Environmental Policy (3)
POLS 466 The Politics of Public Spending (3)
POLS 467 Urban Administration (3)
POLS 469 City Planning and Lab (3)
SOC 400 Organizational Theory (3)
SOC 410 Urban Sociology (3)
SOC 426 Social Legislation and Social Policy (4)
URBS 345 The General Plan and Zoning (3)
URBS 350 Cities of the Third World (3)
URBS 400 Planning for the Natural and Built Environment (3)
URBS 408 Policy Making for Urban Planners (3)
URBS 430 Planning in the Public Sector (3)
URBS 441 Advanced Urban Design (3)
URBS 480 Urban Transportation Planning (3)

2. Housing, Community and Economic Development (15 units)

This Specialization focuses on how planners and policy leaders influence the social and economic factors that shape metropolitan economies and urban neighborhoods. Housing covers the general issues of providing decent, safe and affordable housing for all members of the community. Community and economic development is concerned with the creation, preservation and revitalization of neighborhoods. This Specialization prepares graduates for positions in housing, community development, neighborhood revitalization, workforce development and center city redevelopment.

Choose 15 units from the following:

AAS 340 Asian American Women (3)
AAS 345 Contemporary Issues in Asian American Studies (3)
AFRS 300 Contemporary Issues in the African-American Community (3)
ANTH 308 Women, Sex Roles and Culture (3)
ANTH 345 Diversity in the United States (3)
ANTH 346 Urban Anthropology (3)
CHS 361 Urbanization and the Chicana/o (3)
ECON 160 Principles of Microeconomics (3)
or ECON 161 Principles of Macroeconomics (3)
ECON 350 Urban Economics (3)
FCS 315 Issues in Housing (3)
FCS 424 Resource Management for the Elderly (3)
HIST 350 History of Women (3)
HSCI 314 Organization and Delivery of Health Services (3)
POLS 467 Urban Administration (3)
SOC 307 Ethnic Diversity in America (3)
SOC 390 Race Relations (3)
SOC 401 Class, Status and Power (3)
SOC 410 Urban Sociology (3)
URBS 350 Cities of the Third World (3)
URBS 416 Urban Housing (3)
URBS 420 Communities, Neighborhoods and Planning (3)
URBS 425 Social Policy, Environmental Justice and the City (3)
URBS 435 Planning for Community Development (3)
URBS 441 Advanced Urban Design (3)

3. Environmental Planning and Sustainability (15 units)

This is an interdisciplinary Specialization designed to train planners to make decisions about the interactions between nature and society in a way that balances resources used in the present with the resource needs of the future. Environmental planning rests centrally on the notion of sustainable development. This field covers a broad range of planning issues that include urban ecology, habitat conservation, environmental justice, land use planning, transportation planning, resource and waste management, environmental health, water, energy and air quality planning, green building, smart growth and ecosystem management.

Choose 15 units from the following:

BIOL 322 Evolutionary Biology (3)
BIOL 323 Plants and Animals of Southern California (2)
ECON 160 Principles of Microeconomics (3)
or ECON 161 Principles of Macroeconomics (3)
ECON 360 Environmental Economics (3)
GEOG 305/L Maps and Graphics and Lab (2/1)
GEOG 306/L Intermediate Geographical Information Science and Lab (2/1)
GEOG 311/L The Atmosphere and Lab (3/1)
GEOG 459 Environmental Impact Studies (3)
POLS 461 Environmental Policy (3)
URBS 350 Cities of the Third World (3)
URBS 380 Los Angeles: Past, Present, Future (3)
URBS 400 Planning for the Natural and Built Environment (3)
URBS 415 The California Environmental Quality Act for Urban Planners (3)
URBS 420 Communities, Neighborhoods and Planning (3)
URBS 425 Social Policy, Environmental Justice and the City (3)
URBS 480 Urban Transportation Planning (3)

4. Custom Specialization

This Specialization is intended to give students the flexibility to synthesize across the very diverse aspects of urban studies as well as urban and regional planning, community and economic development, urban design, environmental planning and sustainability. In close consultation with faculty advisors, students may customize a program that meets their specific interests and needs. It is particularly suited to individuals who have very broad interests and understand the value of a generalist approach to planning.

AAS 340 Asian American Women (3)
AAS 345 Contemporary Issues in Asian American Studies (3)
AFRS 300 Contemporary Issues in the African-American Community (3)
ANTH 308 Women, Sex Roles and Culture (3)
ANTH 345 Diversity in the United States (3)
ANTH 346 Urban Anthropology (3)
BIOL 322 Evolutionary Biology (3)
BIOL 323 Plants and Animals of Southern California (2)
CHS 361 Urbanization and the Chicana/o (3)
ECON 160 Principles of Microeconomics (3)
or ECON 161 Principles of Macroeconomics (3)
ECON 350 Urban Economics (3)
ECON 360 Environmental Economics (3)
FCS 315 Issues in Housing (3)
FCS 424 Resource Management for the Elderly (3)
GEOG 305/L Maps and Graphics and Lab (2/1)
GEOG 306/L Intermediate GIS and Lab (3)
GEOG 311/L The Atmosphere and Lab (3/1)
GEOG 351 Urban Geography (3)
GEOG 452 Urban Land-Use Planning (3)
GEOG 459 Environmental Impact Studies (3)
HIST 350 History of Women (3)
HSCI 314 Organization and Delivery of Health Services (3)
POLS 360 Public Administration (3)
POLS 403 State and Local Government (3)
POLS 405 The Process of Public Policy Formation (3)
POLS 461 Environmental Policy (3)
POLS 466 The Politics of Public Spending (3)
POLS 467 Urban Administration (3)
POLS 469/L City Planning and Lab (3)
SOC 307 Ethnic Diversity in America (3)
SOC 390 Race Relations (3)
SOC 400 Organizational Theory (3)
SOC 401 Class, Status and Power (3)
SOC 410 Urban Sociology (3)
SOC 426 Social Legislation and Social Policy (4)
URBS 345 The General Plan and Zoning (3)
URBS 350 Cities of the Third World (3)
URBS 380 Los Angeles: Past, Present, Future (3)
URBS 400 Planning for the Built and Natural Environment (3)
URBS 405 Advanced Research Methods for Planning (3)
URBS 408 Policy Making for Urban Planners (3)
URBS 412 Grant Writing (3)
URBS 415 The California Environmental Quality Act for Urban Planners (3)
URBS 416 Urban Housing (3)
URBS 420 Communities, Neighborhoods and Planning (3)
URBS 425 Social Policy, Environmental Justice and the City (3)
URBS 430 Planning in the Public Sector (3)
URBS 435 Planning for Community Development (3)
URBS 440 Community-Based Urban Design (3)
URBS 441 Advanced Urban Design (3)
URBS 480 Urban Transportation Planning (3)
URBS 495 Selected Topics in Urban Planning (3)

Exceptions and Restrictions

1. Students may double count URBS 310 as credit for a Core course requirement and a General Education requirement.
2. Students may count ECON 160 or 161 as an Upper Division elective course.

Total Units in the Major: 49

Required Courses: 34

Elective Courses: 15

General Education Units: 65

Title 5 Units: 6

Total Units Required for the B.A. Degree: 120