Community Development and Urban Management
The community development and urban management specialization prepares students to operate effectively in community settings where resources are often scarce and societies may be divided along race, class, gender, and ideological lines. Community planners and urban managers work to make neighborhoods, cities, and regions more equitable, accountable, efficient, and socially just places. Courses provide skills and knowledge in urban management, public finance, community development, neighborhood analysis, and issues of race, class, and gender in the city.
Curriculum
Intro Courses
- PD 535 Urban Management and Governance (also a foundation elective); and either
- PD 606 Community Development Processes or PD 595 Central City Revitalization
Methods Course
- PD 561 Qualitative Methods for Planning
Elective Courses (minimum two)
- PD 520 Housing and Social Policy
- PD 525 Financing Urban Development
- PD 526 Strategic Planning and Implementation
- PD 539 Local Government Finance and Budgeting
- PD 541 Nonprofit Management
- PD 543 Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
- PD 559 Tourism and Recreation Policy and Planning
- PD 562 Transportation, Land Use, and Urban Form
- PD 569 GIS Applications
- PD 570 GIS in Planning
- PD 595 Central City Revitalization (may be used for electric credit if not taken as an intro course)
- PD 606 Community Development Processes (may be used for elective credit if not taken as an intro course)
- GEO 528 Geography and Social Theory
Recommended Foundational Electives
- PD 508 Race, Class Gender and the City
- PD 535 Urban Management and Governance
- PD 538 Economic Concepts
Culminating Exercise
- Thesis on topic in Community Development and Urban Management or
- Professional Project on topic in Community Development and Urban Management
