University of Colorado Denver - Online Classes

Dear Planning Community,

On behalf of the entire faculty of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at CU Denver, we wanted to let you know that as a result of the pandemic, we have moved our classes online, which means that you now have an opportunity to take some of the country’s premiere urban planning graduate classes in spring of 2021, no matter where you are located. Many of our classes have filled, but there is still room in a number of them. If you are not currently a student in the CU system, you’ll need to apply to take classes as a non-degree seeking student. Information about doing so can be found here: https://www.ucdenver.edu/admissions/non-degree-admissions. We recommend that you submit your application by December 15, 2020 to leave plenty time for the application review and matriculation process and so you can claim a spot in one of these classes. Below is a selection of the courses that currently have enrollment availability.

Fully online courses:

URPL 6205 - Plan Making. Instructor Peter Park. This course offers a broad overview of the various types of plans and the specific processes involved in their creation, including comprehensive plans; rural and small-town plans; corridor plans; small area plans; campus and institutional plans; special plans. Link to syllabus. Hours: 3 Credits. Mo 9:30AM - 12:15PM.
URPL 6225 - Urban Policy Analytics. Instructor Manish Shirgaokar. This course will teach the statistical skills required to examine urban issues for designing policies. In half of the course, you will learn how to conduct statistical tests and run regressions for categorical (e.g., presence versus absence of pedestrian zones) and continuous (e.g., foot traffic volume) outcomes. In the other half, we will focus on learning about forecasting population and economic activity and thinking about research design. Students take this course after taking Planning Methods (URPL 5010). We will work with cross-sectional (i.e., captured at one time) data and rely on R-Studio software. No prior experience with R-Studio is required. To succeed, you are required to keep up with the labs and homework, attend all lectures, and actively work with the instructor to develop your term paper. About two-thirds of the grade is based on lab assignments, while roughly a third is for the term paper. Link to syllabus. Hours: 3 Credits. Tu 9:30AM - 12:15PM
URPL 6260 - Advanced Geospatial Methods. Instructor: Austin Troy. This is an advanced GIS techniques course for students who already have a solid grounding in ArcGIS or ArcGIS Pro. It consists of both lectures on theoretical topics in Geographic Information Science as well as a weekly computer lab covering GIS techniques. The course labs are divided into three thematic modules: 1) geoprocessing, 2) automation, and 3) visualization. The first module builds on tools that students typically learn in their introductory GIS class to teach advanced methods for doing multi-layer analyses, including vector geoprocessing, raster overlay, viewshed, network analysis, topology, and spatial statistics. The second module teaches students how to automate, simplify, and share complex and repetitive processes using model builder, iterators, and basic Python scripting. And the third module instructs students on topics including basic imagery classification, LiDAR processing and visualization, and 3D urban modeling with City Engine. Throughout the semester students will also learn about theoretical topics in geo-spatial sciences, such as spatial reference systems. In addition to the weekly labs, students have a midterm exam and a final project that is meant to simulate a real-world GIS consulting report. Link to syllabus. Hours: 3 Credits. Tu 2:00PM - 4:45PM.
URPL 6400 – Community Development. Instructor: Jennifer Steffel-Johnson. In this introduction to the field of community development, we will investigate the multiple meanings of key ideas such as “community” and “development,” and explore the ways that planners and related professionals can impact communities. The principles of equity and social justice are foundational in this course, and students will be challenged to reflect on some of their own experiences and perceptions. Class discussions will probe key theories, methods, and practices of community development and their application in historic and contemporary contexts. We will explore the physical and social factors that (dis)connect communities, planning practices that spark or impede development, the privileging of different forms of capital, and the challenges of balancing professional expertise with community empowerment. We will investigate equitable and effective techniques for engaging with diverse community members. Using some of these participation techniques, coupled with other primary and secondary research, students will apply their understanding of the physical and social components of community development to complete a project with a local community. Link to syllabus. Hours: 3 Credits. We 9:30AM - 12:15PM
URPL 6555 – Transportation, Land Use and the Environment. Instructor: Manish Shirgaokar. This course is an introduction to the planning and policy aspects of transportation. It is a survey of the transportation planning field that will give you the foundation to understand what various modes of transportation do for society—both in terms of benefits and costs. Students are trained in thinking about transportation in relation to land use and environmental considerations. Students generally take this as an introductory course in a sequence if they want to develop expertise in transportation. Half the class time is focused on the instructor’s lecture on the weekly topic. The other half is a student-led seminar and discussion on the weekly topic. There are 2-3 assignments to impart specific skills to students. The final deliverable is a term paper that is developed throughout the semester in consultation with the instructor. Link to Syllabus. Hours: 3 Credits. We 2:00PM - 4:45PM.

URPL 6650 – International Development Planning. Instructor: Chris Allan. International Development Planning: Theory and Practice introduces students to the histories, debates, actors, and approaches that shape development planning and practice in the Global South. The course will take a largely practitioner’s view of the field, focusing on how people “doing development” view their work and what tools they use. The course will review shifting approaches over the past half-century, and introduce the basic planning and evaluation tools in use today. It will also look at alternative views of development paradigms, including feminist, Indigenous, human rights, and environmental approaches to the issues. The course will use a combination of classic and contemporary readings, online resources, and guest lectures from specialists. Some class sessions will be done in a workshop format, with students taking on various roles of development practitioners. Class participation will be very important, in that the most valuable learning opportunities will involve engaging actively in the methods and concepts presented. Hours: 3 Credits. We 5:30PM - 8:15PM

You can find out more information about the Masters of Urban and Regional Planning program and its curriculum here: https://architectureandplanning.ucdenver.edu/murp. Please feel free to direct any general questions about curriculum to the department chair at austin.troy@ucdenver.edu. Questions about non-degree student applications can be sent to JODI.STOCK@UCDENVER.EDU and questions about registering for courses after you are admitted as a non-degree student can be sent to ROXY.NEW@UCDENVER.EDU.

At CU Denver, we honor and acknowledge that we are on the traditional territories and ancestral homelands of the Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Ute nations.

Paul MoberlyDecember 4, 2020