“DURP taught me how to work in a professional capacity before I started my career.”
—Kayla Costello, Class of 2016
Faculty
Description
The Economic Development specialization offers students the intellectual and practical tools to understand and contribute to a city’s sustainable and equitable development. Through this specialization, students will become familiar with different theories and perspectives of urban growth, learn to identify the political and economic challenges of local development, and gain familiarity with the fiscal instruments that cities use to support and implement urban projects.
Students in this specialization will learn to:
- think critically about who is included in and excluded from local economic development, and develop strategies that support all community members;
- apply the fundamentals of land development to encourage socially responsible outcomes, such as affordable and workforce housing, compact mixed-use projects, and transit-connected development;
- navigate the network of actors and institutions involved in local economic initiatives, including public/private partnerships, community-driven development, and private real estate, to maximize public benefit;
- conduct planning needs analyses and fiscal impact analyses, and formulate evidence-based economic and housing development strategies tailored to different institutional settings;
- develop an integrated vision of economic development that connects environmental challenges, transportation infrastructure, housing markets, and informal economies.
This knowledge and skill set will prepare students for a wide range of rewarding career trajectories as planners, policy advisors, and economic developers who support vibrant, resilient communities in both domestic and international contexts.
Required Courses
Required Courses:
- URP 5540 Economic Development
- URP 5939 Urban Economics and Policy
Electives:
- URP 5939 Urban Planning and Real Estate Development
- URP 5610 Introduction to Development Planning
- URP 5716 Transportation and Land Use
- URP 5743 Neighborhood Planning
- URP 5742 Housing & Community Development