The Urban Planning Master is one of the most common master’s programs among architects and urban planners. Many areas such as seeking answers to urbanization problems, dealing with the city in sociological, sustainability, and economic terms are mentioned. It is usually a 1 or 2-year program. Here are the top 15 of the Urban Planning Masters.
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | Masters in Urban Planning
Cambridge, United States
No one does not know about MIT, but let’s learn it anyway. As the name suggests, it is located in Massachusetts USA. Like other schools in the USA, this school is paid. It has a 2-years master’s program. He is in the Urban Studies and Planning school as a Master in City Planning program. This program aims to provide students with the skills needed to prepare for traditional and emerging planning roles.
This program offers four areas of specialization beyond basic teaching. Such as city design, environmental planning, housing, community, and economic development. Master students apply by choosing the field they want to specialize in during the application.
2. Delft University of Technology
Delft, Netherlands
One of the top-quality architecture schools, Delft University is located in Delft, the Netherlands. It is a 2-year master’s program. The language of instruction is English. Architecture, Urbanism, Building Sciences Master of Sciences. This faculty starts with an international orientation. The multicultural structure is very important.
The teaching approach is inspired by the Dutch tradition of working way. Students working in groups to create integrated solutions for the built environment. Students were provided with very good model building facilities, studio spaces, and opportunities such as frequent trips and workshops.
3. UCL | Masters in Urban Planning
London, United Kingdom
It has been designated as a Master of Urban Design and Urban Planning. It is a 2-year master of science program. In addition to being in a multinational London environment, it makes a difference with the quality of education.
The program focuses on urban design as a creative planning tool and its relationship with urban planning. It processes urban design theoretically and practically. Besides, it offers extensive research and rethinking opportunities to the complexity of its relationship with the urban planning field.
4. ETH Zurich – Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
Zürich, Switzerland
This program is designed as a Master of Advanced Studies in Urban and Regional Design. It is a two-semester full-time 1-year program taught in English. Its philosophy starts from human-centered design. It explores the social environment and the increasing awareness spirit of society. It feeds on activist movements.
It aims to revalue urban and regional design, which will be presented to people in a way, as a synthesis area between scientific disciplines, human movements, practice, social movements, and politics. It also engages in the concepts of transformation, reuse, regeneration, restoration, and transition of habitats and ecologies.
Applicants must have at least two different higher education degrees. The first is a bachelor’s degree in architecture, civil or environmental engineering, or landscape architecture, and second, a master’s degree in architecture, urbanism or planning, landscape architecture, civil and environmental engineering, or city administration.
5. Harvard University | Masters in Urban Planning
Cambridge, United States
It is a 2-year City Planning Master’s program. Urban planning students learn how to understand and analyze various phenomena such as social, economic, cultural, political, and ecological. They are a skilled lead candidate in their future professional career.
For this position, a quality educational environment where they acquire knowledge and skills is created. Graduates often work in local urban planning departments, national institutions, private consulting firms, non-profit organizations, and many other high-level business environments.
6. University of California, Berkeley (UCB)
Berkeley, United States
This program consists of specialized fields in 4 different branches.
- CONCENTRATION IN ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING AND HEALTHY CITIES
Students are knowledgeable about the depletion of natural resources, climate change, and analyzing access to basic services. This concentration continues studies on subjects such as urban sustainability and environmental risks. Its students analyze the relationships between natural and built environments in cities. The aim is to reach healthy cities.
- CONCENTRATION IN HOUSING, SOCIETY, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
This area focuses on the equitable development of neighborhoods and cities in the US and internationally. It stands out for its attention to racial, social, and economic justice issues in the built environment, often concerning communities that have historically been deprived of investment and separated.
- CONCENTRATION IN TRANSPORT POLICY AND PLANNING
This program focuses on planning for urban transport and land-use systems. The interaction of transportation and land use with the built and natural environment has been prioritized. Care is taken to continue efforts to facilitate and expand the use of sustainable means of transportation such as walking, cycling, and public transportation.
- CONCENTRATION IN URBAN DESIGN
Urban designers in this program design physical environments directly or indirectly. The scale of operation starts from small public spaces and extends to city-wide systems. The main concerns are on issues such as livability, identity, and quality of daily life.
7. Politecnico di Milano
Milan, Italy
This 2-year program is a Laurea Magistrale program. The program simultaneously carries out studies for the development of urban planning tools such as infrastructure, housing, transportation, services, and environmental policies in the field of urban planning.
On the other hand, it gains mastery of new urban and regional policies that require specific professional competence.
8.Manchester School of Architecture | Masters in Urban Planning
United Kingdom
Provides developing detailed design analysis at different scales and developing application skills. Explore real-life planning and development issues with international field trips. The overseas field visit is an essential part of the course.
It includes different and unique cities with its texture and structure such as Barcelona, Amsterdam, Dublin, Seattle, Toronto, and Vienna. The program focuses on issues of international importance and seeks an expert perspective on the relationship between design and planning.
9. University of Cambridge
Cambridge, United Kingdom
This program aims to train students as qualified researchers. There are two different pillars of teaching. These are Sustainability and environmental design and Socio-politics and culture of architecture and the city.
Students are encouraged to participate in both streams and to draw or combine them. After the second semester, it offers the option to specialize in these areas and work for specialization. Education asks students to develop their own experience by researching their area of interest.
10. EPFL | Masters in Urban Planning
Lausanne, Switzerland
The language of instruction is French. It focuses on the shelter patterns of the poor in the southern countries and especially the contexts of crises caused by natural disasters or conflict, such as emergency architectures. Presents a critical analysis of urbanization. Examines the settlements such as slums, camps, reconstructions.
The program invites students to think beyond the achievements of their education, to reflect on the global and local problems of urbanization and the role of professionals and residents in the building of their homes and environments.
