City Planning & Urban Affairs Graduate Courses

Examination of selected cases in municipal and public management. Organization, financial management, personnel relations, program planning and budgeting, and issues of public and private sector relations. The administration of municipal functions, including health, police, schools, and housing.   [ 4 cr. ]

Operation of the criminal justice system in the urban setting. Special attention is paid to the problems of safeguarding individual rights. Examines relationship between social and economic structure of cities and workings of the system of justice.  [ 4 cr. ]

Various factors affecting location, construction, financing, and marketing of real estate in metropolitan areas. Studies the relationship of public policy to the activities of the private sector, market analysis techniques, evaluation of development projects, and problems of real estate investment.   [ 4 cr. ]

Economic, social, and political aspects of state and local government finances. Theory of public finance; revenues, expenditures, and survey of budgetary processes. Planning techniques in capital budgeting and other finance activities. Selected issues: debt, user fees, property taxes, and incentives.   [ 4 cr. ]

UA510 is the designation for "Special Topics in Planning". The subject matter for UA510 courses changes from semester to semester, and more than one UA510 can be offered in a given semester. For course descriptions, please contact the Department or the Graduate Student Advisor.   [ 4 cr. ]

History, concepts, and methods of contemporary urban and regional planning practice. Governmental, nonprofit, and private settings of professional planning; plans, research, and policy development; uses and implementation of planning. Political analysis of planning issues, such as comprehensiveness, public interest, advocacy, negotiation, and future orientation. Case materials drawn from redevelopment, growth management, land use conflicts, and service delivery.   [ 4 cr. ]

Principles and status of environmental law for pollution control and environmental improvement. Impact statements, resource conservation and protection, growth management. Emphasis on air, water, land, and hazardous waste issues. Environmental, economic, and other policy relationships. Case materials and court decisions.   [ 4 cr. ]

An exploration of the various methods of attaining necessary capital for economic development, including both private financing through venture capital, and public financing. Topics range from local incentives such as enterprise zones and revolving loan funds, to collaborative strategies for the financing of neighborhood business. Special situations are also reviewed including methods used to finance tourism, sports facilities, retail and industrial growth, and environmental improvement. Students gain experience in both grant writing techniques and in the preparation of proposals for either public or private financing.  [ 4 cr. ]

An introduction to the American preservation movement, including current issues and modern practice. Considers key aspects of the history, theory, and philosophy of historic preservation, and introduces students to key figures in preservation agencies and organizations in this region.  [ 4 cr. ]

Seminar in architectural and landscape recording techniques involving readings, fieldwork, and writing; projects include research on individual buildings as well as groups of resources. Emphasis on research design and evaluation of evidence.  [ 4 cr. ]

Examination of a selected country, region, or city in relation to issues of urbanization and development planning. Emphasis on comparative analysis of policy, techniques, conditions, issues, and effectiveness. Topics and international subjects vary. Consult the department for details.   [ 4 cr. ]

Case studies of political decision-making roles in urban conflict management and resource allocation. Community power distribution, factors influencing change, leadership styles, and relationships to administrators and planners. Selected policy issues, such as redevelopment, education, crime, and service delivery.   [ 4 cr. ]

Examination of community development challenges in several areas, including housing, economic development, community policing, and resident activism. Analysis of past and present strategies for strengthening communities through case studies, actual government and community programs, guest lectures, and related readings.   [ 4 cr. ]

The role of urban design in the community development process. Examines human behavior, aesthetic foundations of design methods, citizen/client participation, and public policy issues. Analysis of actual community spaces. Student design exercises.   [ 4 cr. ]

Our modern communities and their related infrastructure have created positive, short-term benefit to humans and unintended destructive impact on the living systems that support us. How can we reconcile the interrelationship between perceived human needs and earth's living processes? This course explores the theory and practical implementation of current practices of 'sustainability' and living systems thinking. The living processes of community will be explored as a catalyst for healthy change, design thinking, and on-the-ground implementation. The course is based on the experience and writings of leading living system theorists, authors, architects, planners, developers, landscape architects, and this instructor. By the end of the course, our understanding will shift from seeing the world as pieces in relationship to seeing it as inseparable 'wholes' of systems, nested within one another.   [ 4 cr. ]

This course will provide students with a broad introduction to important concepts and policy issues in transportation, principally at an urban and metropolitan level. In addition, the course will explore methods planning practitioners can use to analyze transportation problems and propose solutions. The course will use specific examples of planning initiatives (both operations and capital) from transportation agencies within the Boston Metropolitan region. Guest speakers from local, regional, and state transportation agencies within the Greater Boston Metropolitan area will supplement the instructor's lectures and assigned readings.   [ 4 cr. ]

Techniques of land use planning, including socioeconomic studies, market analysis and needs forecasting, mapping, environment and service impacts, and transportation/land use coordination. Policies for achieving land use objectives: planned unit development, zoning, development corporations, new towns, and land preservation.   [ 4 cr. ]

Analysis of regional planning as applied to land use, economic development, infrastructure systems, and other topics. Cases and class projects selected from metropolitan and substate regions, including regional approaches and organizations, economic base, comparative advantage, and growth centers.   [ 4 cr. ]

Interrelationships between physical environment and processes of urbanization. Case studies develop historical perspective on social, economic, and physical aspects of the quality of urban life. Special attention to the preparation of environmental impact statements and assessment of urban environmental quality.   [ 4 cr. ]

Discussion of techniques for aiding decision makers in setting goals, evaluating alternatives, and predicting outcomes, including cost-benefit analysis, risk taking, and other commonly applied methodologies. Development of evaluative research skills.   [ 4 cr. ]

Problems confronting managers of manpower and related human services programs. Emphasis on state and local levels, and intergovernmental relations. Techniques of program analysis, management, and control. Planning approaches to enhance and retain urban employment, and improve employability.   [ 4 cr. ]

Major problems confronting urban areas and the process of policy formulation and implementation. Emphasis on problem interdependence and systems characteristics. Analysis of problem definitions (housing, crime, poverty, etc.), goals, public/private responsibilities, existing programs, and policy options. Analysis of selected, comparative international experience.   [ 4 cr. ]

Use and analysis of quantitative data in public policy development and planning. Basic skills of organization and presentation of numerical information. Introduction to descriptive statistics, hypothesis testing, correlation, and regression; computer use. Math review.   [ 4 cr. ]

Examines research techniques useful for urban policy research. Emphasis on survey research techniques, including sampling, survey organization, questionnaire development, and interviewing. Participant observation techniques. Field data collection and analysis.   [ 4 cr. ]

Basic economic concepts and techniques of analysis necessary for urban public policy development. Analysis of the economic bases of selected current urban problems and evaluation of several policy solutions to common urban problems.  [ 4 cr. ]

Theory and practicalities involved in conservation of historic buildings. This course will cover the history and theory of building conservation architectural investigations of building, including documentary, constructional, and finish materials to materials for conservation.  [ 4 cr. ]

Seminar on the methods of adapting older buildings to new uses. Emphasis on architectural, legal, and economic factors. Field trips, case studies.   [ 4 cr. ]

Focus on planning techniques and public programs relevant to neighborhood conservation and housing rehabilitation. Preparation of neighborhood preservation plan.  [ 4 cr. ]

The role and process of planning in terms of theory and historical development. Tradition of rational/comprehensive and incremental decision theory: roles and functions, organization, participation, political relationships, and time and information use. Relationships between planning, ideology, ethics, social change, and implementation.   [ 4 cr. ]

Considers the methods employed to protect and plan for the historic landscape. Topics include the history of preservation planning and the broader planning profession, and a review of case law, legislation, and the protection strategies of current preservation practice.  [ 4 cr. ]

A comprehensive preservation planning and advocacy course in which students in the Preservation Studies Program prepare a planning document under contract with a community.  [ 4 cr. ]

This course will focus on how to determine the value and potential income of a property, produce a feasibility analysis, and secure financing for preservation projects.  [ 4 cr. ]

Topic must be approved by designated instructor or advisor. For M.C.P. students only. Application of program coursework and independent research to a selected topic individually arranged.  [ 4 cr. ]

A research seminar to explore, in depth, changing themes or current issues in historic preservation.  [ 4 cr. ]

Limited to a maximum of 8 credits toward the degree requirements. Approval by program director required prior to registration. Study of urban and public affairs and planning individually arranged between student and instructor to provide training opportunities not available elsewhere.  [ 4 cr. ]

Limited to a maximum of 8 credits toward the degree requirements. Approval by program director required prior to registration. Study of urban and public affairs and planning individually arranged between student and instructor to provide training opportunities not available elsewhere.  [ Var cr. ]

Limited to a maximum of four credits toward the degree requirements. Approval by program director required prior to registration. Students spend a minimum of 12 hours working with public agencies, community groups, or private organizations. Seminar participation.   [ 4 cr. ]

The Boston based Urban Symposium will be a thematic Spring symposium, required for students in the Urban Affairs and City Planning programs. The class meetings will weave together the interdisciplinary nature of the urban planning and city planning professions. While the symposium topics will change each spring, professionals and industry leaders will be invited to lecture on their experiences, contemporary challenges to the professions, and major problems confronting the public and private sectors. Recognizing the unique and diverse characteristics of the Boston urban environment, the symposium themes will be drawn from topical issues that involve the greater Boston metropolitan area. The course features a combination of guest speakers and academic case studies that emphasize the interdisciplinary nature of urban planning.   [ 4 cr. ]