Urban planning, also known as town planning, city planning, regional planning, or rural planning, is a technical and political process that are focused on the development and design of land use and the built environment, including air, water, and the infrastructure passing into and out of urban areas, such as transportation, communications, and distribution networks and their accessibility.
Urban planning answers questions about how people will live, work and play in a given area and thus, guides orderly development in urban, suburban and rural areas.
If this is a career you might be interested in, here are a few institutions offering qualifications in Urban Planning:
The University of Johannesburg (UJ)
UJ offers Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning qualification, within its Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment.
The purpose of this qualification is to provide students with advanced planning education covering all aspects of human settlement planning and sustainable development of the Built Environment that are needed by the professional Town Planner.
The Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT)
The Department of Urban and Regional Planning at CPUT is one of the three universities of technology in the country that offers an accredited National Diploma, B-Tech degree, however, this only university of technology that offers a research based M-Tech Degree in Urban and Regional Planning.
The course equips the student with the skills and knowledge required to fulfil the tasks of a planning technician such as land appraisal, planning surveys, the analysis and presentation of data by means of maps, graphs, diagram’s and sketches as well as all work, including legal procedures, connected with planning processes in general.
Durban University of Technology (DUT)
The Durban University of Technology (DUT) offers a Bachelor of Technology: Town and Regional Planning.
The purpose of the qualifications offered in Town and Regional Planning is to provide professional and technical education leading to a qualification and professional recognition as identified by the Planning Profession Act of 2002.
To achieve this purpose, the Department of Town and Regional Planning provides the opportunity for learners to develop their skills, knowledge and application thereof, within the context of social responsibility and sustainable development.
The University of the Witwatersrand (WITS)
Wits offers a Bachelor of Science in Urban and Regional Planning BSc(URP) programme, offered by the School of Architecture and Planning, is concerned with sustaining the environment and developing economic and social wellbeing.
The programme covers a range of fields, including geography, economics, sociology, property studies and mathematics.
Core planning subjects range from the design of urban spaces and principles of place-making in a culturally diverse context, to policies for the planning and management of entire spatial regions. The classes involve mostly small group teaching and expose you to real-life issues during practical field trips.
