Concentration

Community Development and Housing

This concentration features several tracks: (1) Community Based Planning; (2) Community, Housing, Land, and Finance; (3) Community Health and Justice. The community development and housing concentration and specialty tracks expose students to the practices and theory of community development, housing, and health. Course work examines: the history and practice of community development; the processes that shape urban change; the operations of housing markets and housing finance; the ways in which affordable housing is built and maintained; participatory and community planning methods; issues of gender, race, class, and power; and social and economic policy formation, implementation, and evaluation, and environmental justice. This concentration meets the needs of students with a range of interests including community and community economic development and finance, housing development and rehabilitation, community planning and revitalization, urban poverty, and health. Students take at least three of the required courses and at least four courses total in the concentration. Recommended methods courses include Advanced Qualitative Methods (34:833:628) and Introduction to Geographic Information Systems for Planners (34:970:591). A graduate planning studio in community development is recommended as an additional course.

Community-Based Planning Track

Required Courses (choose at least three of these courses)

34:970:563 Community Development (fall)
34:970:534 Placemaking (S26 alt. years)
34:970:542 Organizing for Social Change (spring)
34:833:612 Nonprofit and Community Development Finance (spring)
34:833:570 Nonprofit Management (fall)

Community, Housing, Land, and Finance Track

Required Courses (choose at least three of these courses)

34:970:563 Community Development (fall)
34:970:529 Principles of Housing (fall)
34:970:530 International Urbanization and Housing Issues (TBD)
34:970:531 Affordable Housing LITC (S27 alt. years)
34:970:528 Housing Economics and Markets (S26 alt. years)
34:970:527 Affordable Housing (TBD)
34:970:605 Planning Real Estate Analysis (fall)
34:833:612 Nonprofit and Community Development Finance (S26)

Community Health and Justice Track

Required Courses (choose at least three of these courses)

34:970:563 Community Development (fall)
34:970:561 Social Justice in Planning and Public Policy (TBD)
34:970:532 Bridging Public Health and Urban Planning (fall)
34:970:534 Placemaking (S26 alt. years)
34:970:574 Environmental Activism, Justice & Change (S28, alt. years)
34:833:513 Health Disparities (spring)
34:833:552 Education Policy and Social Justice (fall)
34:970:555 Transportation and Equity (S27, alt. years)

Recommended Courses

(choose at least one additional course, which can include the required courses you did not choose above, for a total of four)

34:970:521 Historic Preservation (spring)
34:970:528 Housing Economics and Markets (S26 alt. years)
34:970:529 Principles of Housing (fall)
34:970:527 Affordable Housing (TBD)
34:970:530 International Urbanization and Housing Issues (TBD)
34:970:532 Bridging Public Health and Urban Planning (fall)
34:970:561 Social Justice in Planning and Public Policy (TBD)
34:970:594 Program Evaluation (prereq BQM; Discrete Methods or Multivariate Methods) (TBD)
34:970:605 Planning Real Estate Analysis (fall)
34:833:618 Environment, Economics and Policy (spring 2027)
34:970:622 Urban Redevelopment (fall)
34:970:574 Environmental Activism, Justice & Change (S25, alt. years)
34:833:522 Public Policy Advocacy (fall)
34:833:540 State and Local Public Finance (spring 2027)
34:833:552 Education Policy and Social Justice (fall)
34:833:561 The Racial Wealth Gap and Why It Persists (spring)
34:833:570 Nonprofit Management (fall)
34:833:572 Negotiation and Conflict Resolution (fall)
34:833:585 American Social Policy (fall)
34:833:586 Impacted Folks Leading Policy Change (spring)
34:833:595 Economics of Poverty (spring)
34:833:612 Nonprofit and Community Development Finance (spring)