Gain the perspectives and skills you'll need to become a practicing planner. Learn how to use participatory practice to plan and implement improvements that build equity for communities, neighborhoods, cities, and metropolitan areas.
Pratt’s Urban and Community Planning program is where you can put your passion for social justice to work. You’ll develop the skills to plan, design, and implement transformational solutions for metropolitan areas, cities, neighborhoods, and communities—using creativity, innovation, and advocacy.
Experiential learning opportunities working in partnership with communities allow you to make an impact while building foundational knowledge to:
develop policies and solutions for affordable housing, equitable transit, and sustainable land use.
promote social justice through asset-based community development.
achieve climate justice goals through sustainable development and management practices.
Student Work
Take a look at examples of work by recent Urban and Community Planning, MS graduates, and imagine what you might be able to do!
Interdisciplinary, socially engaged, and justice-driven, our tight-knit community is connected by a shared mission for transformative change. With class sizes of just 8-12, you’ll collaborate closely with your team, faculty, and community partners to learn the skills needed to create strategies and systems that meet real-world challenges. Evening classes allow you to continue working or to take internships during the day. You’ll have an opportunity to customize your curriculum by taking classes in the other GCPE programs, and to develop an interdisciplinary approach needed to tackle the most pressing challenges using today’s approaches and technologies.
Community of Practice
Customized advisement helps you connect to courses, thesis topics and professional networks that build toward careers. Small class sizes mean that you are building your professional network as soon as you walk into the classroom, learning directly from practicing professionals who are helping to shape the city. While the campus is located in historic Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, the work takes place all around New York City and beyond. You’ll gain exposure to the network of grassroots and community-based organizations leading the charge for change. On-campus partnerships with the Pratt Center for Community Development, Spatial Analysis Visualization Initiative (SAVI), and Pratt’s research opportunities and facilities provide even more pathways for fellowships, internships, and professional growth. Take your research a step further, enhancing your knowledge of design and fabrication of the built environment, by taking advantage of the Pratt Maker spaces and labs.
Internships and Experiential Learning
As early as your first semester, you can apply new skills through internships, fellowships, and experiential learning in advocacy campaigns, funding proposals, constituent briefings, and policy innovation. New York City presents a wealth of opportunities to become involved in crucial planning issues inside and outside the classroom. In studio classes, you’ll work with real clients facing significant planning and equity challenges.
Recent examples of studio projects include a community-centered plan for the reuse of the Kingsbridge Armory in the Bronx based on the vision of community partners Mothers on the Move and the Northwest Bronx Community Clergy Coalition; a travel studio in Atlanta, Georgia that worked in coalition with local organizations and an affordable housing developer to create plans for a “Just Transition for Vine City;” and a Bronx-based housing strategy to help home health care workers to live in safe, affordable housing in proximity to their clients and to benefit from a robust health care infrastructure.
Internships are a great way to deepen your skills and hone your practice. The Urban and Community Planning has strong ties to dozens of local nonprofits, community-based organizations, community development corporations, civic groups, public agencies, and private consulting firms eager to hire Pratt students as interns.
Study Abroad
Immersing yourself in another culture is an invaluable experience that can extend the boundaries of creativity. Study abroad programs are an integral part of the college experience, and Pratt has deep connections with university partners around the world. Urban and Community Planning students have opportunities to study in such diverse locations as Rio de Janeiro, Puerto Rico, Havana, Cuba, the Netherlands, and Tokyo, Japan. These travel abroad experiences are made stronger by our connections to local grassroots, civic, and academic institutions and opportunities to engage in local issues.
Learning Resources
We develop disciplinary fluency in our program of study and we celebrate the interdisciplinary nature of design critical to address the plurality and complexity of the environments in which we operate. Learn about resources.
Our Faculty
All full-time and part-time faculty are practitioners and deeply engaged in building equity through their own work in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. They bring the commitment, and their experience, into the classroom and into their interactions with you. You’ll learn from top professionals working in diverse capacities–from directors of nonprofits, to city agency and governmental leaders, to planners working in private firms, to community planners and organizers, to landscape architects, to policy analysts. You’ll see firsthand the range of opportunities available to those with planning degrees.
Academic Director of Urban Placemaking Management; Visiting Associate Professor
Person
Our Alumni
Urban and Community Planning alumni have risen to the tops of their fields in affordable housing, community economic development, transportation, government, community development and advanced research.
Take a look at where recent graduates work:
Matt Ladd, 2022, is now the Real Estate Project Manager at St. Nick’s Alliance
Ethan Schwimmer, 2022, is now an Associate Consultant-Transportation Planner at WSP USA
Yuri Chang, 2022, is now a Director at Karp Strategies
Carl Shumate, 2022, is now the Assistant District Manager at Manhattan Community Board 3
Amron Lee, 2022, is now a Project Associate at Hester Street
Shweta Iyer, 2022, is now an Analyst – Policy and Stakeholder Engagement at Karp Strategies
James Tschikov, 2023, is now a Manhattan Borough Planner at the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development
Agata Naklicka, 2023, is now a Manhattan Borough Planner at the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development
Leanna Molnar, 2023, is now an Emergency Management Analyst at NYU Langone Health
Kieran Micka-Malloy, 2023, is now the Energy Advisor at the Pratt Center for Community Development
Shelby Ketchum, 2023, is now the Inflation Reduction Act Specialist at Seattle City Light
Suzanne Goldberg, 2023, is now a Planner at BFJ Planning
Lindsey Cassone, 2023, is now an Environmental Planner at VHB
Sophia Hull, 2023, is now an Environmental Planner at Hudson County Division of Planning
Michaela Brochetti, 2023, is now a Project Coordinator for the Business Preparedness and Resiliency Program at the NYC Department of Small Business Services
Join us at Pratt. Learn more about admissions requirements, plan your visit, talk to a counselor, and start your application. Take the next step.
You’ll find yourself at home at Pratt. Learn more about our residence halls, student organizations, athletics, gallery exhibitions, events, the amazing City of New York and our Brooklyn neighborhood communities. Check us out.
Upcoming Information Sessions
All times ET
Fall 2023
Tuesday, September 12, 2023 10am -12pm (virtual) Thursday, October 19, 2023 3 – 5pm (In Person + Campus Tour + Studio Visit) Tuesday, November 14, 2023 10am – 12pm (Virtual + Application Q&A)
End of the semester is right around the corner! 🙏 Join us DEC 16 for our SUPER SATURDAY department-wide student presentations. RSVP link in bio.
Studio courses are a key component of our masters programs. Students work directly with community partners to tackle contemporary urban issues through the application of innovative, equitable practices in neighborhood planning, programming, and design — see what we have come up with together.
Save the dates! GCPE thesis presentations run Nov 27 - Dec 12 virtually on zoom (link in bio).
Fall graduating students share their culminating research and spring 2024 graduating students will show work in progress for feedback.
Pratt students and faculty invited to attend - see if there is a topic that piques your interest!
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#UrbanPlanning #CommunityPlanning #CityPlanning #UrbanDesign #UrbanPlanningDegree #UrbanStudies #UrbanResearch #Urbanism101 #SustainableCities #Sustainability #GreenCities #ClimateAction #SmartCities #TransportationPlanning #Urban #Urbanism #UrbanArchitecture #Landscape #Parks #OpenSpace #Electives #GradSchool #CommunityEngagement #CitizenParticipation #LocalGovernment #NeighborhoodPlanning #UrbanAdvocacy
Join us on Friday, November 3rd, at 5:30pm for a screening of "Rabble Rousers" followed by a panel discussion with the filmmakers and community activists! RSVP in bio.
Snack Chats are back! Before class on Thursdays 2-3pm, join us in Higgins Hall 406B for some sweet & savory conversation about urbanism. Our first one is tomorrow!
GCPE faculty and visiting scholars share some of their current projects - you never know what interesting connections might surface! Open to all Pratt students, faculty, and staff - snacks provided or BYO 🥡
October 12 - #fulbright Scholar Yvette Vasourkova @prattplacemaking shares her work rooted in the Czech Republic. She is the co-founder of the Center for Central European Architecture, ngo and MOBA studio @ccea_moba and is faculty at the school of architecture Archip in Prague.
December 7 - former @prattsoa dean Dr. Harriet Harris @prattpreservation & Naomi House @middlesexuniversity discuss their recent book on modern designer Greta Magnusson Grossman, sharing methodologies that can address discrimination in design criticism, historical research, and interpretation.
See you there!
Are you interested in what courses Pratt’s Urban Planning program offers? Are you considering a Master’s in Urban Planning? Read more below, and click the link in our bio to sign up for our upcoming information sessions, where you can hear about the program and other electives offered!
Featured today is the Fundamentals Seminar & Studio taken within the first year of courses!
The basic principles and practices of planning as they relate to the political planning process are presented in a combined seminar and studio course. Topics include the ethical and legislative basis for planning, approval processes, components of a master plan, components of subdivision/site plan regulations, zoning ordinances, special legislative powers, environmental reviews, capital budget processes, public participation, and the role of key government agencies.
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#UrbanPlanning #CommunityPlanning #CityPlanning #UrbanDesign #UrbanPlanningDegree #UrbanStudies #UrbanResearch #Urbanism101 #SustainableCities #Sustainability #GreenCities #ClimateAction #SmartCities #TransportationPlanning #Urban #Urbanism #UrbanArchitecture #Landscape #Parks #OpenSpace #Electives #GradSchool #CommunityEngagement #CitizenParticipation #LocalGovernment #NeighborhoodPlanning #UrbanAdvocacy
Are you interested in what courses Pratt’s Urban Planning program offers? Are you considering a Master’s in Urban Planning? Read more below, and click the link in our bio to sign up for our upcoming information sessions, where you can hear about the program and other electives offered!
Featured today are some of our required courses, including Planning Methods, Urban Economics, and History and Theory of City Planning!
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#UrbanPlanning #CommunityPlanning #CityPlanning #UrbanDesign #UrbanPlanningDegree #UrbanStudies #UrbanResearch #Urbanism101 #SustainableCities #Sustainability #GreenCities #ClimateAction #SmartCities #TransportationPlanning #Urban #Urbanism #UrbanArchitecture #Landscape #Parks #OpenSpace #Electives #GradSchool #CommunityEngagement #CitizenParticipation #LocalGovernment #NeighborhoodPlanning #UrbanAdvocacy
Are you interested in what courses Pratt’s Urban Planning program offers? Are you considering a Master’s in Urban Planning? Read more below, and click the link in our bio to sign up for our upcoming information sessions, where you can hear about the program and other electives offered!
Featured today are some of our skills courses, where students gain hands-on experience with new tools and software!
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#UrbanPlanning #CommunityPlanning #CityPlanning #UrbanDesign #UrbanPlanningDegree #UrbanStudies #UrbanResearch #Urbanism101 #SustainableCities #Sustainability #GreenCities #ClimateAction #SmartCities #TransportationPlanning #Urban #Urbanism #UrbanArchitecture #Landscape #Parks #OpenSpace #Electives #GradSchool #CommunityEngagement #CitizenParticipation #LocalGovernment #NeighborhoodPlanning #UrbanAdvocacy
Are you interested in what courses Pratt's Urban Planning program offers? Are you considering a Master's in Urban Planning? Read more below, and click the link in our bio to sign up for our upcoming information sessions, where you can hear about the program and other electives offered!
Today's featured studio is Sustainable Communities!
The Fall 2023 Sustainable Communities studio will work with a community board in fast-growing northern Queens, using the tools of comprehensive planning to assess district-wide needs, infrastructural capacity, carrying capacity, market conditions, and siting suitability for additional housing development and preservation opportunities. The studio will emphasize innovation in site determination, building on previous research of Professor Meta Brunzema with the School of Architecture's interdisciplinary Housing Consortium. Professor Asher Freeman currently serves as Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso's Chief of Staff, and after a decade of working in planning for the city, has spearheaded efforts to create Brooklyn's first comprehensive plan. The aspiration is to provide the community with solid technical information to engage with the upcoming public review process as effectively as possible.
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#UrbanPlanning #CommunityPlanning #CityPlanning #UrbanDesign #UrbanPlanningDegree #UrbanStudies #UrbanResearch #Urbanism101 #SustainableCities #Sustainability #GreenCities #ClimateAction #SmartCities #TransportationPlanning #Urban #Urbanism #UrbanArchitecture #Landscape #Parks #OpenSpace #Electives #GradSchool #CommunityEngagement #CitizenParticipation #LocalGovernment #NeighborhoodPlanning #UrbanAdvocacy
Are you interested in what courses Pratt’s Urban Planning program offers? Are you considering a Master’s in Urban Planning? Read more below, and click the link in our bio to sign up for our upcoming information sessions, where you can hear about the program and other electives offered!
Today’s featured elective is Transportation Planning!
This course provides the urban planner with a working knowledge of the concepts, technologies, and practices involved in planning, operating, and evaluating present and future urban transportation systems. While the primary focus is on technical transportation matters, technology-policy relationships are noted, complementing the fuller treatment of transportation policy in other coursework within the curriculum.
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#UrbanPlanning #CommunityPlanning #CityPlanning #UrbanDesign #UrbanPlanningDegree #UrbanStudies #UrbanResearch #Urbanism101 #SustainableCities #Sustainability #GreenCities #ClimateAction #SmartCities #TransportationPlanning #Urban #Urbanism #UrbanArchitecture #Landscape #Parks #OpenSpace #Electives #GradSchool #CommunityEngagement #CitizenParticipation #LocalGovernment #NeighborhoodPlanning #UrbanAdvocacy
Pratt’s accredited Urban and Community Planning (UCP) program gives students perspectives and skills to plan and implement equity-building improvements for neighborhoods, cities, and metropolitan areas. We teach participatory practice as the best way to advocate for just, equitable communities, with an emphasis on making transformative change through creativity, innovation and advocacy. Pratt’s MSUCP requires 50 credits. The schedule of classes allows students to enter in fall or spring*, and complete their studies in two years. To promote specialized or interdisciplinary study, half of the credits are in elective seminars and studios. Students are encouraged to take electives and interdisciplinary advanced studios from the three sister programs of the Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment to customize a course of study that suits their academic and professional goals.
About
Pratt’s MSUCP ranks fourth nationally among master’s degree-granting institutions that do not also grant PhDs (Planetizen, 2019). The 50-credit curriculum provides students with strong foundational knowledge in history, theory, law, economics, planning and research methods, data visualization, and spatial analysis. Take thematic electives within the UCP program on transportation, urban design, community development, land use, open space resilience, affordable housing or topical special courses. Take an interdisciplinary approach and meet your own academic goals by choosing electives from the three sister programs in the GCPE, the School of Architecture, or across the Institute.
Community of Practice
All full-time and part-time faculty are practitioners and deeply engaged in building equity through their own work in the public, private and non-profit sectors and bring the commitment, and their experience, into the classroom. Small class sizes mean that you are building your professional network as soon as you walk into the classroom by learning directly from professionals who are helping to shape the city. While the campus is in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, the work takes place all around New York City and beyond.
Impact
UCP students acquire skills and actively apply them as early as their first semester through internships, fellowships, and experiential learning opportunities. Coursework in UCP studios and practicums often results directly in advocacy campaigns, funding proposals, constituent briefings, and policy innovation. In studio classes, students learn from faculty-practitioners and work with real clients facing significant planning challenges, consistent with the UCP emphasis on participatory planning and equity issues. Recent studios have taken students to work on scenario planning through gaming for culturally-responsive and equitable future managed retreat in Far Rockaway, Queens; on implementation strategies for a community-based plan for a just transition-inspired, green re-industrialization of the Sunset Park, Brooklyn waterfront; and to create innovative, asset-based, racially-just recommendations to address wealth and income gaps in rapidly-gentrifying Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Independent, applied research in the form of a thesis or a demonstration of professional competence allows students to transition from UCP into practice upon graduation.
An Investment in Your Future
UCP welcomes students from all backgrounds, honors prior related work experience and graduate-level classes with course credit, provides generous merit scholarships upon admission, and offers an array of paid fellowships, internships and assistantship opportunities to offset tuition and contribute to students’ developing professional networks. On-campus partnerships with the Pratt Center for Community Development and the Spatial Analysis Visualization Initiative (SAVI) provide further opportunity for professional growth and internships. Customized advisement helps students connect to courses, thesis topics and professional networks that build toward careers. Alumni have risen to the tops of their fields in affordable housing, community economic development, transportation, government, community development and advanced research.
Students shall demonstrate both professional competency in the planning field and the ability to independently pursue original thinking and research.
Students shall demonstrate a foundational understanding of planning theory and values, especially participatory planning, urban conditions and trends, especially in the community planning context; equity and sustainability at multiple scales; and a balance of theory and practice, especially with regard to the use of ideas and information.
Students shall demonstrate technical proficiency consistent with the highest standards of the profession, including quantitative methods, qualitative methods, and written, oral and graphic communication skills.
Students shall demonstrate knowledge and proficiency in planning practice, potentially with a concentration in community development, physical planning, urban sustainability, and historic preservation.
Students shall demonstrate collaborative skills, critical thinking, and an ability to lead in an interdisciplinary environment enabled through service learning opportunities.
Students shall exit Pratt as engaged professionals on the path to participate meaningfully in the field; help preserve the environment for generations to come; and foster inclusive planning and just cities.
Students, full-time and part-time faculty are connected, enriched, and advanced in their professions through formal collaboration on service-oriented projects, research and publication.
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