Urban Design Certificate

The Certificate in Urban Design is open to students already enrolled at Weitzman School in Architecture, City and Regional Planning, Historic Preservation, or Landscape Architecture who have successfully completed a designated prerequisite studio within each department.

The pedagogy of Urban Design education at Weitzman School is interdisciplinary and based on an appreciation of the city as an irreducibly complex socio-political and ecological system. This manifests in the diversity of faculty teaching in the certificate and the course content.  The curriculum for the Certificate in Urban Design includes courses in the fundamental principles of urban design, how urban design is produced and implemented, the history and theory of urban design and an interdisciplinary studio emphasizing design as research. The Studio investigates important current urban issues either in the U.S. or in an international setting and approaches urbanism through a range of contemporary theoretical and methodological lenses. The studio is considered a capstone educational experience for students coming from different disciplines in Weitzman School and students are expected to work collaboratively in the exploratory pursuit of innovation.

Acceptance into the Urban Design certificate is based on academic standing, portfolio and an interview with the program Director. Students receive a Certificate in Urban Design by completing the required 5 course units. Currently enrolled students should apply for the Certificate in Urban Design as early as possible, so that they can complete the Certificate at the same time as their degree requirements.

Program Director: Catherine Seavitt

Curriculum

Required core courses include:

•      LARP 6020 or approved elective (1 cu)

•      CPLN 6650 Case Studies & Urban Design Exploration (1 cu)

•      LARP 7100 Implementation of Urban Design (1 cu)

•      LARP 7040 Urban Design Research Studio (2 cus)