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University of Southern California

Undergraduate Minors

Minor in Urban Sustainable Planning

The 20-unit minor in urban sustainable planning focuses on the application of public policy, urban planning and public management to the analysis and solution of urban problems. It draws upon the interdisciplinary faculty and programs of the Price School of Public Policy and includes foundational courses that introduce students to the nature of urban phenomena and the analysis and solution of urban problems. The minor also introduces students to the professional and academic fields of either urban planning and development or public policy and public management. In addition, based on their specific interests, students have the opportunity to explore in greater depth three areas and approaches of urban problem-solving. This minor is appropriate for students interested in expanding their understanding of the fields of urban planning and public policy and management as potential professional careers as well as increasing their comprehension of the analysis and solution of urban problems.

***To ensure completion of minor on time, make sure to complete the required courses before taking the elective courses, and take note of which semester the PPD courses are offered because not all PPD courses are offered every semester***

Required Courses

PPD 245 The Urban Context for Policy and Planning, 4 units (Fall, Spring)
The urban context for planning and policy decisions. Socioeconomic, physical, and spatial structure of cities; and the underlying demographic, economic, and social processes that drive their ongoing transformation.

PPD 427L Geographic Information Systems and Planning Applications, 4 units (Spring)
Basic GIS concepts, ArcView and other GIS software, planning applications and databases, basic cartography; students select, research and prepare a planning GIS analysis project.

RED 425 Designing Livable Communities, 4 units (Fall, Spring)
Theories and concepts of livable communities and good city form; case studies of historical and current best practices; field visits; collaborative design project.

Elective Courses

Students select two courses from this list. They are encouraged through advisement to consider course clusters that reflect special interests.

  • PPD 227 Urban Planning and Development, 4 units (Fall)
  • PPD 358 Urban and Regional Economics, 4 units (Fall)
  • PPD 360 Urban Transportation Planning and Policy, 4 units (Fall)
  • PPD 361 Sustainable Communities, Policy and Planning, 4 units (Fall, Spring)
  • PPD 414 Community Health Policy and Planning, 4 units (Spring)
  • PPD 438 Local Economic Development, 4 units (sporadic)
  • PPD 439 Housing and Community Development, 4 units (Fall)
  • RED 417 History of Planning and Development, 4 units (Fall, Spring)

For detailed course information, please see the Course Catalogue. For a course schedule, please see the Schedule of Classes.

To declare this minor program, please click here.

To learn more about this minor program, please contact:
Office of Admissions – [email protected]

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