MSc Regional and Urban Planning Studies

About the MSc programme

The MSc Regional and Urban Planning Studies is a strongly focused and internationally based planning programme that has a long tradition in training both people seeking careers in urban and regional planning policy and mid-career professionals. Founded in 1966 by the Departments of Economics, Geography and Government, the programme (now housed solely in the Department of Geography and Environment) continues a strong interdisciplinary focus challenging students to understand cities and regions from an economic, social and environmental perspective. The MSc aims to provide a common understanding of the various influences affecting the planning process, and to teach a set of research skills that will help planners in practice. These skills include urban and regional economic analysis, the evaluation of environmental and regional policies and the study of institutional and political factors that impact city and regional development. These perspectives will be applied to London and to a wide range of countries and cities through lectures and seminar debate.

Students join the programme from many countries and from many different backgrounds in the social sciences and the design, planning and property professions. Most graduates go on to work in city, regional or environmental planning, particularly on the research and consultancy side of practice. 

A strong sense of identity is generated in the student body, and the alumni keep in regular contact with each other through an annual newsletter. A number of walks are conducted early in the first term to help students orient London and a fieldtrip is held during the Easter vacation, the destination is chosen by the students. This is held in various British regions or cities or on continental Europe. Recent student cohorts have chosen Istanbul, Berlin, Moscow, Dublin and Amsterdam the cost of this visit (about £300) is not covered by tuition fees. The students also run a Planning Society, which organises speakers, shorter trips and social events.

In general minimum teaching contact  for a full-unit course is usually 40 hours, and 20 hours for a half-unit. This programme benefits from a partnership agreement with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors| conferring professional recognition and is also available as part of a double degree programme with LSE-Sciences Po. For more information please see www.sciencespo.fr/en|

Compulsory courses

(* half unit)

• The Economics of Regional and Urban Planning*
• Social and Political Aspects of Regional and Urban Planning*
• Urban Policy and Planning*
• Planning Practice and Research (not assessed)
• Dissertation

Options

Three from:  

• Local Capacity and Economic Development Policy*
• Regional Development and Policy*
• Cities, People and Poverty in the South*
• Urban Ethnography*
• Economic Appraisal and Valuation*
• Concepts in Environmental Regulation*
• Urban Environment*
• Planning for Sustainable Cities*
• Concepts in Environmental Regulation*
• Globalisation and Regional Development*
• Economics of Local and Regional Development*
• Contemporary Urbanism* 
• Techniques of Spatial Economic Analysis*
• Gender, Globalisation and Development: An Introduction*
• Race and Space*
• Cities and Social Change in East Asia*
• City-making: the Politics of Urban Form Project* 
• Housing, Neighbourhoods and Communities*
• Cities, Politics and Citizenship*
• Gender and Development: Geographical Perspectives*
• The Urban Revolution*

A half unit course from another programme at the discretion of the programme director.