Intro to Urban & Town Planning

Cities don’t just happen — they are shaped, structured, and strategically imagined. Behind every thriving town square, efficient transit system, or resilient neighborhood lies the mind of a planner — someone who understood that spaces shape people just as much as people shape spaces.

Intro to Urban & Town Planning is more than just a course. It’s an invitation to see the world differently — not as it is, but as it could be. By drawing from psychological and sociological theories, this learning experience empowers you to think critically about how environments influence human behavior, how systems reinforce social patterns, and how design becomes destiny.

The Built Environment and Human Behavior

Environmental psychology tells us that the physical spaces we inhabit affect how we think, feel, and interact. Well-designed urban areas promote well-being, reduce stress, and encourage community engagement. Poorly planned ones lead to isolation, frustration, and disconnection.

This course introduces a transformative way of seeing space — not just as land or infrastructure, but as a living system that impacts daily life. You’ll begin to notice how everything from sidewalk widths to park placements subtly influences human experience.

The Sociological Lens: Cities as Social Organisms

Sociologists like Georg Simmel and Louis Wirth have long studied cities as complex social systems. Urban spaces aren't just physical; they’re cultural, economic, and emotional ecosystems that reflect our values, power structures, and inequalities.

As you engage with this course, you’ll start to understand how zoning laws, transport routes, and architectural choices reinforce (or challenge) patterns of privilege, segregation, and access. More importantly, you’ll begin to see how thoughtful planning can serve as a tool for equity, inclusion, and cohesion.

Systems Thinking and Civic Imagination

Urban and town planning is, at its core, a discipline of systems thinking — understanding how different components interact within a whole. Psychologist Kurt Lewin’s theory of field dynamics suggests that behavior is the result of the individual interacting with their environment. Town planning, therefore, becomes a proactive way to influence collective behavior for the better.

But systems thinking isn’t just analytical — it’s imaginative. It’s about seeing what’s not yet there and believing in the possibility of something better. That spark of vision, combined with structural understanding, is what transforms planning into progress.

Agency, Purpose, and the Power of Place

We all live in towns and cities — but few of us feel empowered to shape them. This course aims to change that. Drawing from self-determination theory, it fosters a sense of autonomy and purpose. It shows you that you can influence how communities grow, thrive, and connect.

You don’t need to be an expert. You just need the curiosity to question how cities are made — and the courage to imagine how they could be better.

Intro to Urban & Town Planning isn’t about memorizing maps or policies. It’s about awakening your civic imagination, connecting with human systems, and stepping into a role that blends creativity, structure, and impact.

Because the future of our towns doesn’t start with concrete — it starts with a vision.And that vision can begin with you.

Key Features

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1 Year Access to Course Materials

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