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Degree Emphasis Options 

Emphasis Options 
The emphasis options within the program are concentrations of course work and perhaps independent study and/or thesis in a substantive area. Including courses both within and outside the planning department, they allow students to combine previous work with advanced or specialized offerings or, for students with limited experience in an option area, to become acquainted with the subject range. Students not enrolled in any one of the options are presumed to be in a general option. Each option has its own design and is described on the following two pages. More detailed information can be obtained from Emphasis Area advisors. 

Environmental Resources Planning, Advisor: Nancy Frank 
Planners frequently encounter environmental issues in their work. This option is designed to hone students' understanding of environmental problems and to explore the ways in which local plans and policies can improve (or worsen) the natural environment and conserve (or deplete) natural resources. The option includes UP 780, Seminar in Environmental Planning Issues, and UP 781, Environmental Law and Policy. Additional topic courses are offered each year within the urban planning program as well as in related fields. Recent and planned topics include: Land Use, Transportation, and the Environment; Environmental Risk Assessment in Planning; and Planning Sustainable Communities. 

Geographic Information Systems, Advisor: William Huxhold 
The Department is an international leader in instruction in the urban applications of geographic information systems (GIS). Geographic information systems are computer technologies for organizing spatially related data. The use of GIS is rapidly growing in governments, utility companies, and related private organizations. Many cities, counties, regional agencies, state governments, federal agencies, and private organizations are adopting this technology to improve their services, assist in managing resources, and provide support for better decision-making and policy-planning activities. A three-course sequence (UP 791, 792, and 793) takes students from the conceptual level, to hands-on computer experience, and finally to applications using City of Milwaukee graphic and tabular data. The Department also offers a Certificate program in GIS that includes related courses offered by Geography, Business, Civil Engineering, and Political Science.

 

Land Use, Advisor:  
Planning for the appropriate use of land is a critical area within planning as communities deal with the issue of growth and change. This option offers a number of courses including UP 651 Land Use Planning Practice and UP 750 Local Regulations of Land Use. 

Transportation Planning, Advisor:  
The transportation planning option is designed to acquaint students with both theories and methods in transportation planning, transportation engineering, and transportation and land use interactions. This option will help students to develop skills in highway planning, transit planning, traffic analysis, and transportation and land use integration. A number of courses, including Urban Transportation Planning (CE 590), are required for this option. Other electives offered in the departments of Urban Planning, Civil Engineering, Economics and Geography are recommended based on students' own interests. This option can lead to a joint Master's degree in both Urban Planning and Transportation Engineering by completing appropriate course work.

 

Urban Design and Physical Planning, Advisors: Carolyn Esswein and Larry Witzling
An important facet of urban planning is concerned with urban design and physical planning. The planner with a background in one of the design professions may become a specialist and develop detailed proposals, while other professional planners will often be responsible for analyzing, evaluating, and suggesting the future development of proposals, without being called upon to determine details of a design. This option is designed to help students develop the skills needed to fulfill the above tasks, and to provide an understanding of urban design and physical planning issues in the broader context of public policy. Two courses, Introduction to Urban Design (UP 751) and Urban Design as Public Policy (UP 857), provide the focus for this option. Recommended electives include courses in Architecture, Economics, Psychology, and Urban Planning. 

Urban Revitalization, Advisors: Welford Sanders, Sammis White 
The cities of the US have been struggling for decades against the lure of the suburbs. There have been some victories, but much remains to be done. This emphasis option explores several aspects of urban redevelopment, starting with housing, the largest user of land (UP 762 Housing Markets and Public Policy). UP 692 explores real estate, and the discussion of how the urban market has responded to a variety of innovative initiatives. This option includes a mix of electives which touch on the social and economic aspects of our cities. 

 

General Option, Advisors: All Faculty 
Planning involves a variety of subjects and processes. A basic assignment of planners is to make connections between individual elements and the larger whole. Students who take electives in a variety of substantive areas are better able to link these elements together. Students also give themselves additional flexibility in terms of both their initial and subsequent jobs. Students who select this option should take two courses in one or two areas to become more familiar with certain subjects, but the other choices are varied.