Urban and Regional Planning Courses (Planning and Public Affairs) (URP)

URP Courses

This is a list of courses with the subject code URP. For more information, see Planning and Public Affairs (Graduate College) in the catalog.

URP:1001 How to Change the World 1-2 s.h.

Have you ever wondered what it would take to solve our biggest societal problems (e.g., pollution, hunger, homelessness, access to health care)? Often the answer is through public policy—the programs, rules, and laws meant to guide society; introduction to public policy through case studies and examples of people and institutions that have truly changed the world; activities designed to help students change the world around them.

URP:1030 Climate Leadership and Justice 3 s.h.

Preparation for engaged students to lead on climate change in their communities; understanding climate change causes and impacts, consideration of intergenerational justice and equity in climate adaptation and mitigation; application of best practices in climate policies and planning; supporting community and business resilience and capacity building. Same as PBAF:1030.

URP:2013 Introduction to Sustainability 3 s.h.

Introduction to sustainability knowledge, skills, and habits as a means to shape one's vision of a sustainable citizen; emphasis on basic skills of literacy, applied math, and finding information; traditional sustainability knowledge areas related to society, economy, and environment; intersecting themes (e.g., informed consumerism, eco-economics, and livable environments). GE: Sustainability. GE: Social Sciences. Same as BUS:2013, GEOG:2013, SUST:2013.

URP:2020 Environment and Society: Sustainability, Policy, and Politics 3 s.h.

How society balances its needs against those of the natural environment when addressing modern challenges like climate change, conservation, and energy crises; exploration of sustainability through the lens of U.S. environmental policy and politics; application of fundamental theories of public policy to answer questions—when do environmental problems become policy problems; what economic, social, and political forces shape environmental policy decisions; and what are the consequences of environmental policies for individuals and organizations? GE: Sustainability. GE: Social Sciences. Same as PBAF:2020.

URP:2056 The Splendor of Cities 3 s.h.

Exploration and journey through space and time of global cities—London in the 1600s, Paris in the 1800s, and New Delhi in the 20th century—by use of videos and documentaries; how cities form and grow in response to social, political, cultural, and economic forces. Same as PBAF:2056.

URP:3001 Planning Livable Cities 3 s.h.

Development of livable cities in the United States; economic, physical, environmental, and political forces that shape their growth; impact of planning, how it shapes the future of cities. Same as GEOG:3920.

URP:3134 Regional and Urban Economics 3 s.h.

Theory of location and regional development; central place theory; why cities exist and trade with one another; models of land use patterns, rents; empirical tests of models; policy applications. Prerequisites: ECON:1100. Same as ECON:3640.

URP:3135 Environmental and Natural Resource Economics 3 s.h.

Environmental and resource use problems; efficient mechanisms and other policies for environmental protection, management of common property resources. Prerequisites: ECON:1100 and ECON:1200. Same as ECON:3625.

URP:3217 Negotiation and Conflict Resolution 3 s.h.

Strategies of successful negotiation across a wide range of conflict situations; keys to success in peacefully resolving conflicts; personal, professional, legal, and political negotiations; apologizing; mediation as alternative to litigation; analysis of conflict characteristics to determine optimal negotiation strategies; development of negotiation interpersonal skills; practice negotiating under real world scenarios. Prerequisites: RHET:1030 or RHET:1040 or RHET:1060. Same as PBAF:3217, RHET:3009.

URP:3350 Transportation Economics 3 s.h.

Overview of transportation markets—intercity, rural, urban; transportation modes—rail, highway, air, water, pipeline, transit; issues in finance, policy, planning, management, physical distribution, and environmental, economic, and safety regulation. Recommendations: ECON:1100 and ECON:1200. Same as ECON:3750, GEOG:3940.

URP:4170 Megacities Seminar 1-3 s.h.

Global historical, political, economic, urban, and cultural aspects of megacity development; planning methods to address contemporary and emerging issues; critical analysis of peer-reviewed literature and computational simulations; topics include urban sprawl, poverty and inequality, economies, food scarcity, population growth, governance models, environmental and health concerns, sustainability.

URP:4225 Applied GIS for Planning and Policy Making 3 s.h.

Analysis of Census of Population and Housing data using GIS software; data and analytical needs of urban planners; coverage of GIS topics to plan functions of GIS and spatial analysis, varied GIS software in a planning organization; structure of the census.

URP:4243 The Land Development Process 3 s.h.

How land is developed; analysis of site suitability, preparation of subdivision plan, site plan review, development approval process, infrastructure and site preparation, negotiating local development politics; field trips.

URP:4245 Growth Management 3 s.h.

Causes and consequences of urban sprawl, shortfalls in conventional land use planning; local and state growth management policies, techniques of policy implementation, positive and negative impacts of such policies; Smart Growth; emerging challenges.

URP:4253 Designing Sustainable and Healthy Cities 1-3 s.h.

Principles and practical elements of urban design for sustainable and healthy cities; general urban design background for policy makers and planners; impacts of urban design for environmental sustainability, community health, and well-being; physical, mental, social, and environmental health as affected by urban form, air and water quality, green spaces, and climate change impacts.

URP:4256 Environmental Policy 3 s.h.

Environmental policy formation and politics; comparative international perspective on the United States' experience.

URP:4260 Transportation Policy and Planning 3 s.h.

Institutional setting for transportation planning, evolution of domestic transportation policy, international influences, transportation modes and markets, current sources of transportation planning information, emerging policy issues.

URP:4262 Transportation Research Methods and Analysis 3 s.h.

Methods for measuring current and future transportation demand based on changes in population, preferences, built environment, and changing policy objectives; survey design and analysis; basics of travel demand modeling. Same as CEE:4176.

URP:4265 Planning Sustainable Transportation 3 s.h.

Theories and methods of exerting public control over passenger and freight transportation; social and environmental regulation; effects of changing finance, regulation, and pricing policies including privatization, tolls, and impact fees.

URP:4266 Transportation, Urban Form, and Sustainability 3 s.h.

Policies and interactions between transportation and land use; location theories and practices; transportation infrastructure, land use, and travel behavior modeling; current policies that influence travel behavior and urban form.

URP:4271 Housing Policy 3 s.h.

Recent housing policy initiatives at federal, state, and local levels.

URP:4273 Community Development Through Creative Placemaking 3 s.h.

Examination of practices, ideas, and techniques for community development in small to large communities; particular focus on creative placemaking, in which planners and the public strategically shape the physical and social character of a neighborhood, town, city, or region around arts and cultural activities; application of this approach to a specific community project; for students in the arts, humanities, social sciences, and planning and public affairs.

URP:4280 Planning for Disaster Mitigation and Recovery 2-3 s.h.

Types of disasters that communities face; what role planners play, what role should they play; importance of hazard mitigation and planning for post-disaster recovery; where planners' unique skills play the most significant roles in aiding a community to redesign a safer future.

URP:4295 Economic Development Policy 3 s.h.

Analysis of policies and programs at national, regional, state, and local levels that address problems of economic growth, development, decline.

URP:4297 Financing Economic Development for Poverty Alleviation 3 s.h.

How public policies in general, and planning practices in particular, have an impact on an individual's likelihood of becoming poor, remaining poor, and getting out of poverty; how land use, housing, transportation, and economic development policies affect distribution and accessibility of jobs, education, housing, and public services.

URP:4750 Environmental Impact Analysis 3 s.h.

In-depth exposure to the history and evolution of the U.S. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process; discussion of major court cases; ecological, economic, and political aspects of current environmental controversies; exposure to real-world scenarios that are crucial to understanding the EIA process in action; field trips to six or seven environmental control facilities in Iowa City and neighboring areas. Prerequisites: GEOG:1070. Same as GEOG:4750.

URP:4752 Eight Generation Planning: Envisioning Regenerative Cities 3 s.h.

Star Trek tells us that Captain Kirk will be born in Iowa in 2228, what should cities look like in that year? Students envision and design great regenerative cities in the age of Anthropocene—the period we are in which features substantial human influence on climate and the environment; exploration of contemporary philosophies and urban strategies for sustainability, resilience, post-scarcity abundance, human well-being, social inclusiveness, and justice in an era of rapid changes in society, technology, climate, and environment.

URP:5310 Informatics for Sustainable Systems 3 s.h.

Introduction to fundamental and advanced environmental informatics concepts and procedures including automated data collection, data management, data transformations, and processing to support modeling and analysis; scientific visualization of environmental data to support management of food, energy, and water (FEW) resources; sustainability in FEW systems. Same as CEE:5310, IGPI:5311.

URP:5678 Application Simulation to Transportation 3 s.h.

Transportation system management and traffic engineering; application of real-time simulation and visualization. Prerequisites: CEE:3763 or CEE:4763. Same as CEE:5678.

URP:5679 Landscape Planning and Design 1,3 s.h.

Introduction to landscape architecture; natural processes and human/nature relations; history of landscape architecture including major forms and designs in eastern and western civilizations; urban gardens (e.g., industrialization, garden cities, parks, streetscapes, roof gardens, etc.); components of landscapes (e.g., land, soils, water, plants, climate); landscape planning (e.g., regional level, urban, zonal scales); landscape design process.

URP:5800 Environmental Economics and Policy 3 s.h.

Reasons why markets fail in environmental realm (e.g., externalities, common pool resources, club goods, public goods); ecosystem services and techniques used for their valuation; revealed and stated preferences; cost-benefit analysis and role in policy-making process; tools to address environmental market failures, particularly command and control, taxes and subsidies, and mitigation markets; focus on air pollution, climate change, and water-related policies. Same as GEOG:5800, PBAF:5800.

URP:6200 Analytic Methods I 1-3 s.h.

Data science, statistics, quantitative reasoning, study design and analysis for planning and policy; applied quantitative and qualitative research, surveys, public participation; data sharing and data management for reproducibility and accessibility. Same as PBAF:6200.

URP:6201 Analytic Methods II 3 s.h.

Integration of methods with the planning process; application of multiple regression, population estimation and projection, survey methods, time series analysis, industrial growth and change; presentation of results to decision makers and the public. Prerequisites: URP:6200. Same as PBAF:6201.

URP:6202 Land Use Planning: Law and Practice 3 s.h.

Legal, social foundations of land use planning; comprehensive planning, zoning and subdivision review; legal aspects of land use, environmental planning; ordinance drafting; staff report writing; citizen participation.

URP:6203 The Making of Cities: Histories and Theories of Planning 1,3 s.h.

Histories and dynamics of urban change in Western cities as a reflection of social, cultural, economic, and environmental forces; alternative city planning philosophies, perspectives, and ethics relevant to planners and policy makers; special attention to how urban planning intersects with racism and social justice, as well as climate change and sustainability.

URP:6205 Economics for Policy Analysis 1,3 s.h.

Principles of economics, concepts and techniques of microeconomic analysis, market failures, role of government in the economy, tax policy, income inequality, and program evaluation. Same as PBAF:6205.

URP:6208 Program Seminar 1 s.h.

Planning, administrative, and policy processes; roles of planners, public policy analysts, and administrators; professional ethics and standards. Same as PBAF:6208.

URP:6209 Sustainable Communities Lab I 3 s.h.

Experience working on a two-semester project involving a current planning issue, usually for a client. Requirements: urban and regional planning graduate standing. Same as SDG:6000.

URP:6210 Sustainable Communities Lab II 3 s.h.

Continuation of URP:6209. Prerequisites: URP:6209. Requirements: urban and regional planning graduate standing. Same as SDG:6210.

URP:6211 Community Outreach Practicum 1-3 s.h.

Application of planning skills to community work by nonprofit organizations in local area; urban planners contributing to their communities; community outreach.

URP:6225 Applied GIS for Planning and Policy Making 1-3 s.h.

Analysis of U.S. Census data using GIS software; data and analytical needs for urban planning and public policy making; coverage of GIS topics including spatial analysis of social science and environmental problems, site selection; graphical display of results, including online maps; development of models in GIS. Same as PBAF:6225.

URP:6229 Practicum 1-5 s.h.

Full-time internship of at least five months with a planning-related organization. Requirements: urban and regional planning graduate standing.

URP:6233 Public Finance and Budgeting 3 s.h.

Local budgeting process and revenue instruments available for local governments to finance their infrastructure; local budgeting process, mechanics of property tax and other revenue sources, connection between taxation and land use, economic development, growth management, and transportation; issues regarding financing K-12 public schools. Same as PBAF:6233.

URP:6240 Public Management 3 s.h.

Public management in a democratic society; balancing of administrative and democratic values and interests; examination of institutional, political, organizational, and ethical context of public management and policy making; students acquire important management, leadership, and decision-making skills, as well as reflect on their values and behaviors with regard to administration and public service, particularly in a diverse and changing society; service in public sector contrasted with service in private and nonprofit sectors. Same as PBAF:6240.

URP:6242 Planning and City Administration 1 s.h.

Relationship of planners and other local government personnel; how planning fits into city management; city management view of local political process, provision of city services, finance and budgeting, human resources, intergovernmental relations, how meetings are run, dealing with the public.

URP:6243 The Land Development Process 1,3 s.h.

How land is developed; analysis of site suitability, preparation of subdivision plan, site plan review, development approval process, infrastructure and site preparation, negotiating local development politics; field trips. Prerequisites: URP:6202.

URP:6245 Growth Management 3 s.h.

Causes and consequences of urban sprawl, shortfalls in conventional land use planning; local and state growth management policies, techniques of policy implementation, positive and negative impacts of such policies; Smart Growth; emerging challenges. Same as PBAF:6245.

URP:6249 Sustainability Seminar 1 s.h.

Focus of increasing interest for planning students and practicing planners; involves environmental effects, economy, social justice; discussion and investigation of sustainability practice applied to local and regional efforts of public and private entities; greater awareness and understanding of the effectiveness and resource requirements of local activities addressing sustainability; presentations by the instructor, local tours, guest lectures.

URP:6253 Designing Sustainable and Healthy Cities 1-3 s.h.

Principles and practical elements of urban design for sustainable and healthy cities; general urban design background for policy makers and planners; impacts of urban design for environmental sustainability and for community health and well-being; physical, mental, social, and environmental health as they are affected by urban form, air and water quality, green spaces and climate change impacts. Same as PBAF:6253.

URP:6256 Environmental Policy 3 s.h.

Environmental policy formation and politics; comparative international perspective on the United States' experience. Same as PBAF:6256.

URP:6257 Environmental Management 3 s.h.

Environmental best management practices for sustainable management of natural resources; open space and habitat protection, prairie and wetland restoration, water supplies management, natural hazard mitigation, farmland protection. Same as PBAF:6257.

URP:6258 Systems and Scenario Thinking 3 s.h.

Quantitative and qualitative methods for complex dynamic systems; participatory modeling; systems thinking, integrated assessment, and scenario planning; decision-making, policy development, and evaluation; nonlinear dynamics of cities, materials, energy, and human-environment relationships; numerical modeling; historical and contemporary roles of human activities in the Earth system. Same as PBAF:6258.

URP:6260 Transportation Policy and Planning 3 s.h.

Institutional setting for transportation planning, evolution of domestic transportation policy, international influences, transportation modes and markets, current sources of transportation planning information, emerging policy issues. Same as PBAF:6260.

URP:6263 Special Topics in Transportation Planning 3 s.h.

Introduction to a topic in transportation planning not covered in depth in other course offerings. The topics will rotate based on instructor and student interests, but may include areas such as public transportation, freight, and airport planning. Regardless of the topic area, students will learn about current topics in the field and analytical techniques, with a focus on increasing the sustainability and equity of transportation systems.

URP:6265 Planning Sustainable Transportation 3 s.h.

Theories and methods of exerting public control over passenger and freight transportation; social and environmental regulation; effects of changing finance, regulation, and pricing policies, including privatization, tolls, impact fees. Same as GEOG:6264, PBAF:6265.

URP:6266 Transportation, Urban Form, and Sustainability 3 s.h.

Policies and interactions between transportation and land use; location theories and practices; transportation infrastructure, land use, travel behavior modeling; current policies that influence travel behavior and urban form. Same as PBAF:6266.

URP:6268 Freight Transportation Planning 3-4 s.h.

Freight transportation planning in the United States; surface modes, primarily trucking and rail, as well as trade-offs in bulk movements by inland waterways and pipelines; comparison with recent developments in policy, planning, and practice for surface transportation in other developed economies (e.g., Europe).

URP:6270 Transportation Planning Studio 3 s.h.

Community-engaged transportation planning project administered through the Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities; application of transportation planning knowledge to produce a plan or study, and presentation of results to a client. Prerequisites: URP:6266.

URP:6271 Housing Policy 3 s.h.

Recent housing policy initiatives at federal, state, and local levels. Same as PBAF:6271.

URP:6273 Community Development Through Creative Placemaking 3 s.h.

Examination of practices, ideas, and techniques for community development in small to large communities; particular focus on creative placemaking, in which planners and the public strategically shape the physical and social character of a neighborhood, town, city, or region around arts and cultural activities; students and faculty apply this approach to a specific community project; for students in the arts, humanities, social sciences, and planning and public affairs. Same as PBAF:6273.

URP:6277 Affordable Housing Finance 3 s.h.

Financing development or rehabilitation of affordable housing; low-income housing tax credits, the housing finance system and current regulatory issues, mortgage discrimination, improving financing for rental housing.

URP:6278 Nonprofit Organizational Effectiveness I 3 s.h.

Operational and financing aspects of nonprofit management; mission and governance of organization; strategic planning for effective management, including finance, budget, income generation, fund-raising. Same as HMP:6360, MGMT:9150, PBAF:6278, RELS:6070, SPST:6010, SSW:6247.

URP:6279 Nonprofit Organizational Effectiveness II 3 s.h.

Qualities for leadership of nonprofit organizations, including relationships with staff and volunteers; relationship of nonprofit and outside world; marketing, public relations, advocacy strategies for nonprofits. Requirements: for HMP:6365HMP:6360 or MGMT:9150. Same as HMP:6365, MGMT:9160, PBAF:6279, RELS:6075, SPST:6020, SSW:6248.

URP:6280 Planning for Disaster Mitigation and Recovery 2-3 s.h.

Types of disasters that communities face; what role planners play, what role should they play; importance of hazard mitigation and planning for post-disaster recovery; where planners' unique skills play the most significant roles in aiding a community to redesign a safer future. Same as PBAF:6280.

URP:6282 Grant Writing 1-2 s.h.

Same as PBAF:6282, SSW:6282.

URP:6290 Economic Impact Assessment 3 s.h.

Economic impact and growth analysis, including economic base, income expenditure, input-output analysis; use of economic impact analysis in a cost-benefit context; industrial location and mobility theory with statistics applications. Prerequisites: URP:6205.

URP:6295 Economic Development Policy 3 s.h.

Business and industrial locations, theories of regional growth and development, tools for regional economic analysis, economic impacts of COVID-19, development strategies in increasingly knowledge-driven and globalizing regional economies, economic development finance and policy, and economic development planning process. Same as PBAF:6295.

URP:6297 Financing Economic Development for Poverty Alleviation 3 s.h.

How public policies in general, and planning practices in particular, have an impact on an individual's likelihood of becoming poor, remaining poor, and getting out of poverty; how land use, housing, transportation, and economic development policies affect distribution and accessibility of jobs, education, housing, and public services. Same as PBAF:6297.

URP:6305 Readings arr.

URP:6315 Independent Study in Planning 1-6 s.h.

Research and analysis of a special planning problem; opportunity to apply knowledge in area of specialization.

URP:6320 Introduction to Graphic Communications 2 s.h.

Visual communication techniques through use of print and digital media; how to graphically convey concepts and information to a variety of audiences; basic design principles to build a foundation in graphic communication; relationships between various software packages; advantages and shortcomings of various digital tools; development of professional graphic media that is beautiful and effective.

URP:6325 Thesis: Urban and Regional Planning arr.

URP:6330 Developing Graphic Content 1 s.h.

Skills necessary to develop graphic content utilized by professionals in the field of urban and regional planning; students learn to use programs such as SketchUp, LayOut, Google Earth, and Lumion; produce maps, diagrams, experiential perspectives, renderings, and other visuals; and convey a variety of ideas pertaining to the urban environment.

URP:6335 Internship 2 s.h.

Work in a planning or related agency or nonprofit organization.

URP:6340 Public Policy Analysis 3 s.h.

Rationales and goals of public policy; major steps, key methods, and tools in policy analysis; professional delivery of policy recommendations. Same as PBAF:6340.

URP:6400 Sustainable Development: The Kerala Experience 3 s.h.

Exploration of student interests in social entrepreneurship, global health, microfinance, cultural production, environmental sustainability, or other development issues in India; varied disciplinary perspectives (i.e., public health, business, social work, geography, art); student work with Indian NGOs employing a diverse variety of techniques to address social problems such as child labor, health care for the poor, illiteracy, and disability services. Winter session. Same as PBAF:6400.