Geography, Planning, and Sustainability Department Learning Goals

Students know and understand historical and contemporary planning, including fundamental concepts, key figures, theories, and current best practices. 

Students interpret case laws relevant to the field of urban and regional planning and apply established case law to realistic hypothetical situations.  

Students understand the history of human settlements and can identify the social, cultural, economic, and political forces that shape the built and natural environments and influence resource management. 

Students identify and understand the scientific theories and processes of the physical environment and the natural world. 

Students understand the relationships of scientific theories and concepts to human behavior and development. 

Students appreciate the different scales and flows of people and materials, including comprehension of global, regional, and local systems.

Other Planning Specific Learning Outcomes

Students become familiar with the practice of planning and the role of planners in supporting the sustainable development of cities, towns, and regions.  

Students develop expertise in the spectrum of social, economic, and environmental issues that face communities.      

Students learn the many methods and techniques that planners employ in order to address community needs including zoning law, transfer of development rights, participatory methods and budgeting, site planning and design, and comprehensive planning.       

Students develop an awareness of career opportunities in planning and related fields and gain practical, hands-on experience through internships and community-based research.