Urban Studies

Overview

The world is more urban now than in any other era in human history, and with this rapid urbanization has come the crucial role of cities as sites of economic development, crucibles of civic citizenship, and spaces of cultural imagination.

Learning outcomes

The Urban Studies major is housed in the Department of City and Regional Planning (DCRP)  at University of California, Berkeley of the College of Environmental Design. The major seeks to introduce students to the following bodies of knowledge:

• Historical and contemporary analysis of American and global urbanization, urbanism, urban societies, and urban political economies

• Conceptual tools, analytical methods, and theoretical frameworks to understand urban environments such as economic analysis, social science theory, and visualization technologies

• Forms, functions, and practices of urban planning and design, metropolitan governance, social movements, and social justice, including issues such as transportation planning, community development, and housing

• Ways of providing more humane, equitable, environmentally sensitive, and efficient settlements as well as ways to lead change for better urban futures