MSc/PgDip/PgCert Urban Design at University of Strathclyde

Study with us

• study theories and approaches to the design and management of the city in relation to current and predicted urban challenges
• designed for both students and practitioners, the course treats the city as a complex, dynamic system
• work in a multidisciplinary, international and design-centred learning environment where ideas and theories will be tested through design, via live commissions with clients 

Why this course?

Recent data and predictions on the forthcoming rate of urbanisation make cities the most common living environment now and in the future. What kind of life will it be for the seven billion people who will live in existing or developing cities? Cities hold tremendous potential, but at the same time are sources of stress, inequalities and pollution.

In 2015, the United Nations recognised this through the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which included 17 new Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Goal 11 is dedicated to urban settlements, with the aim to 'Make Cities Inclusive, Safe, Resilient and Sustainable'.

This means that getting the design of cities right has never been so important. The questions are: what kind of design should we adopt, and who should be in charge? Our course explicitly addresses these questions, and teaches how to design responsive, resilient, sustainable cities for all their inhabitants, thus preparing socially responsible urban design professionals of the future.

This innovative course is based on the Urban Design Studies Unit's cutting-edge research in design, urban analytics, morphology and theory.

What you'll study

The course is closely linked to the Urban Design Studies Unit (USDU) research agenda. Everything taught in classes and the studio is based on our excellent research record.

The course is delivered through studio work, lectures, seminars and a research project.

Taught classes take place over Semesters 1 and 2, and include compulsory and optional choices. Compulsory classes will teach you the basic principles of what makes a sustainable and resilient city. Optional classes offer you the chance to specialise in an area of interest.

By the end of the programme, you'll have the skills to design the 'resilient city'; in particular you'll be able to appreciate and design in detail portions of such city, paying attention to the experience of its users and residents

Course content

Taught classes take place over Semesters 1 and 2, and include compulsory and optional choices. Compulsory classes will teach you the basic principles of what makes a sustainable and resilient city. Urban Design History and Urban Theory provide a historic overview of all major changes in the form of cities, with a focus on their social, political and economic contexts. The principles and theories of Sustainability are explored as well as the role of Development Processes and the practice and policy of Urban Design (theory) on the shape and density of cities

Optional classes offer you the chance to specialise in an area of interest. These include Urban Landscape Design, Urban Design Representation and other classes which you might find useful from the wider Faculty of Engineering offering.

Careers

Graduates leave us with a detailed knowledge and innovative skills in an area now in great demand. Our graduates are now working in:

• large practices (eg Rogers and Associates, Llewelyn & Davies)
• government
• academia, as teachers and researchers
• local non-governmental organisations
• local authorities
• their own practices