Urban Planning Principles: Land Use, Zoning and Design

This course contains the use of artificial intelligence.

Cities are not accidents. Every street grid, zoning boundary, transit line, and park is the result of decisions made by planners, politicians, developers, and communities over decades. This course gives you a rigorous introduction to urban planning — what it is, how it works, who makes the decisions, and what principles guide good city-building in the 21st century.

You will begin with the historical and theoretical foundations of the field: from Ebenezer Howard and the garden city movement through modernist planning and into contemporary practice. From there the course moves into the core technical areas planners work with every day — Euclidean and form-based zoning, land use regulation, general plans and comprehensive plans, and the legal framework that governs how cities can shape development. You will learn how transit-oriented development, mixed-use design, and walkability principles create more livable, equitable neighborhoods.

The second half of the course turns to the human and political dimensions of planning: community engagement, environmental justice, housing affordability, displacement, and the tensions between growth and equity. A final section explores smart city technology, climate resilience, and the emerging challenges that will define planning practice for the next generation of urban professionals. Whether you are studying planning, working in local government, or simply want to understand the city you live in, this course gives you the conceptual and practical foundation you need.