Master of Urban Design

Over the last century, urban design gradually emerged as a distinct field in response to the need for architects and urban and regional planners to communicate efficiently. There was also a need for better design skills at urban scales: streets, street blocks, town centres, city districts, new suburbs, cross-city infrastructure. Since that time, urban design has expanded enormously.

Today, professionals with good urban design knowledge and skills are much sought after by private consulting firms, development organisations, and local and state governments, where they are required to prepare and evaluate urban design policies, strategies, frameworks, guidelines, concepts, master plans and programs, as well as be involved in the more detailed design and management of urban spaces. Urban design knowledge and skills also assist in designing for specific sites by providing a better appreciation of urban structure and context. They are crucial for good development evaluation, and enhance perspectives on urban conservation: and there is a small but growing demand for urban design educators and media commentators.

The Urban Design program is arranged to develop understanding and abilities for all of the above roles. At its core are studio projects that address emerging design issues, plus supporting units that cover essential morphological, ecological, cultural and other dimensions of urbanism. Graduates of the program occupy important urban design positions in all of the above-mentioned employment sectors in cities across Asia, Europe, North and South America, Australia and New Zealand.