Three Milwaukee Rapid Transit maps are pinned up on a board with a student walking by.

The Department of Urban Planning prepares planners who are equipped to address the diverse needs of community members and build a better future. Planners work to enhance quality of life and opportunities for people of all incomes, ages and physical abilities, whether working on revitalizing an older neighborhood or developing a regional transportation plan.

Urban planning is an interdisciplinary field of study, reflected in the academic backgrounds of our faculty, who have expertise in economics, urban design, urban revitalization, transportation, housing and the intersections among these areas of study.

Contact
Undergraduate
sarup-ugrad@uwm.edu

Graduate
sarup-grad@uwm.edu

General Info & Questions
Contact Form | 414-229-4015

Department Programs

About

The Department of Urban Planning program equips students with skills they need to tackle the challenges facing cities in the decades ahead — from the Rust Belt to the Sun Belt, from central cities to suburbs to small towns. Students build their planning and problem-solving skills through course projects, often working with community clients.

Partnerships. Power. Place. Possibilities.

All four of these concepts underpin the long-term pursuit of environmental sustainability, social justice and economic opportunity in urban planning practice.

Partnerships
Build strong and lasting collaborations with a diverse array of stakeholders throughout all parts of our communities.

The Department of Urban Planning conducts hands-on projects with neighborhood groups, local agencies, nonprofit companies, consultants and other organizations
Power
Influence community policy and project decisions to eliminate racial, economic and gender inequalities and to support the public interest.

The department’s work is shared through the media and used by organizations and agencies at local, regional, state and national levels.
Place
Shape the long-term physical and social environment of communities in ways that meet the varying needs of people with different backgrounds and abilities and enhance democratic principles.

The department’s projects illustrate physical changes to transportation, land use, water and economic development systems to help create and strengthen social and economic bonds within specific geographic areas.
Possibilities
Envision a more just and sustainable community, communicate how it can be achieved and influence implementation.

The department prepares students to advance social, environmental and economic goals as leaders in their organizations and communities and helps cultivate student commitment to social and economic justice.