University of Utah

The Department of City & Metropolitan Planning (CMP) has grown from just one faculty member in 2004 to ten today. CMP offers a full slate of programs, including a BA/BA in Urban Ecology, an accredited planning master’s degree, a PhD degree, Master of Real Estate Development (in partnership with the School of Business), Master of Juris Doctor (in partnership with the S.J. Quinney College of Law), four graduate certificates, and an undergraduate major and minor in Urban Ecology. The Metropolitan Research Center conducts cutting edge research about transportation, community health, quality of life, and the physical environment. The Center for Ecological Planning & Design is undertaking innovative research and practice at the intersection of biology, landscape, architecture, and urban planning, with a focus on designing and building in harmony with nature. Our centers have won millions in research grants used to support graduate students, produce high-quality scholarship, and influence planners and local decisionmakers.

The Master of City and Metropolitan Planning is an accredited professional degree that prepares students to achieve excellence in guiding the growth and development of towns, cities, and regions. The core courses emphasize ecological resiliency, smart growth, and social justice through effective communication, collaboration, and innovation. The program blends core knowledge and skills with specializations to prepare students for professional leadership roles in public sector agencies at the local, regional, state, and federal levels as well as private consulting firms, and nonprofit organizations. The curriculum additionally features a community-based planning workshop and a capstone professional project.

While our gaze is global, the Salt Lake City region serves as a local laboratory, and we are fortunate to have a rich heritage of planning upon which to build, from the original town platting by Mormon settlers (recipient of a Planning Landmark Award from the AICP) to the renowned ongoing work of Envision Utah. The graduate studios and workshops bring together students from a range of disciplines around the university to work with community partners, envision possibilities, and work toward realizing these visions. We are proud to be the university home of the Center for the Living City, the international organization advancing the work of Jane Jacobs. CMP also works closely with the Environmental Dispute Resolution Program, Global Change & Sustainability Center, the Consortium for Dark Sky Studies, and University Neighborhood Partners.

The University of Utah is located in Salt Lake City, consistently ranked among the nation’s most livable cities for its vital downtown, distinctive neighborhoods, world-class transit system, affordability, quality of life, and magnificent landscapes. Salt Lake City boasts a cosmopolitan population and is becoming known for its alternative lifestyles and bohemian culture – with plentiful music venues, coffee houses and bars, avid mountaineers and river runners, soccer junkies, tattoo parlors, vegan restaurants, and festivals of all stripes throughout the year. Utah has some of the best skiing, hiking, and mountain biking on the planet and an exhilarating lineup of the “Mighty Five” National Parks: Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, and Arches – all within a few hours of the U.