Urban Planning and Sustainable Development is the implementation of shared visions in both natural settings and urban communities, the exploration of laws and policies that incite environmental change, and the promotion of positive change in the environment. Western’s Urban Planning and Sustainable Development major emphasizes an interdisciplinary approach to solving complex problems that face communities from the local to the global level. The program emphasizes a concern for progressive change that is needed towards the design of equitable, healthful, livable, and sustainable communities for present and future generations.
The curriculum combines urban planning, sustainable design, environmental policy, and environmental science to provide students with an understanding of the linkages between urban and natural systems and the multidimensional problems in urban development. Students exit the program with the knowledge and skills necessary to make positive changes towards sustainability in an increasingly complex world.