Urban Affairs

• MET UA 301: Introduction to Urban Affairs
  This course takes an interdisciplinary approach to urban affairs and urban problems, including an overview of prominent theories about the nature and causes of urban problems. We will examine the metropolitan area as a complex system with interdependent institutions and problems and consider present as well as future urban policy options in areas such as housing, transportation, crime, education, environment and economic development.
• MET UA 503: Housing and Community Development
  Surveys the factors affecting supply and price of urban housing. Examines federal, state, and municipal programs, as well as future policy options, from the standpoint of housing quality and community development goals. Analysis of selected international comparative experience.
• MET UA 508: Real Estate Development
  Various factors affecting location, construction, financing, and marketing of real estate in metropolitan areas. Studies the relationship of public policy to the activities of the private sector, market analysis techniques, evaluation of development projects, and problems of real estate investment.
• MET UA 509: Public Finance and Urban Infrastructure
  Economic, social, and political aspects of state and local government finances. Theory of public finance; revenues, expenditures, and survey of budgetary processes. Planning techniques in capital budgeting and other finance activities. Selected issues: debt, user fees, property taxes, and incentives.
• MET UA 510: Selected Topics in Urban Affairs
  Graduate Prerequisites: (METUA301 & METUA701) or consent of instructor. - UA510 is the designation for "Special Topics in Planning". The subject matter for UA510 courses changes from semester to semester, and more than one UA510 can be offered in a given semester.
• MET UA 511: Introduction to Urban Informatics
  Data is everyone's responsibility now. City planners and urban professionals no need to have the words "data" or "analyst" in their job title to be immersed in data. They are expected to use them regularly as the trend towards evidence-based decision making continues. Government agencies, foundations, nonprofits, and planning firms all recognize the importance of leveraging data to create effective policy decisions and urban plans. However, planners and urban professionals grapple with how to analyze large and complex datasets. In this class, students will learn about the applied dimensions of the emerging field of urban informatics which is used to understand cities and to inform urban planning practice and policymaking.
• MET UA 515: History, Theory and Planning Practice
  History, concepts, and methods of contemporary urban and regional planning practice. Governmental, nonprofit, and private settings of professional planning; plans, research, and policy development; uses and implementation of planning. Political analysis of planning issues, such as comprehensiveness, public interest, advocacy, negotiation, and future orientation. Case materials drawn from redevelopment, growth management, land use conflicts, and service delivery.
• MET UA 521: Environmental Law, Policy, and Justice
  This course is designed to present a comprehensive approach to environmental law, policy, and justice at all levels of government, including federal, state, and local governments. Principles and status of environmental law for pollution control and environmental improvement. Impact statements, resource conservation and protection, growth management. Emphasis on air, water, land, and hazardous waste issues, environmental, economic, and other policy relationships. Case materials and court decisions will be used.
• MET UA 526: Multi-modal Transportation Planning and Design
  Using a blended seminar and design studio format, this course equips students with the knowledge and skills necessary to participate in transportation planning processes and to develop conceptual designs for multimodal transportation networks. Students learn the history, theories, principles, and design standards of multimodal transportation planning, developing and practicing design skills during studio sessions. Readings include academic literature; government plans and reports; news articles; construction plans; as well as design manuals and guidelines for designing pedestrian, bicycle, micromobility, and transit infrastructure, and for integrating different types of transportation into urban environments. Class sessions are supplemented with site visits, guest presentations, and case studies drawn from the local, state, and national level.
• MET UA 591: Applied Analytical Methods
  Evidence-based and data-driven approaches to urban problems are the industry standard among municipalities, agencies, and non-governmental organizations. This course will cover a variety of statistical "tools" from three broad areas: (1) descriptive statistics, (2) inferential statistics and hypothesis testing, and (3) measures of association. Students will learn how to develop research questions, describe, and draw conclusions from quantitative data, and interpret statistical research findings, and be able to present these findings to a variety of audiences in a clear and accurate way -- to be able to "tell a story" with numbers. In addition, students will develop a proficiency working with large data sets and conducting analysis with a critical lens, using the analytical software -- Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) -- commonly used in urban planning and related fields.
• MET UA 604: Urban Political Decision-Making: Citizen Participation in the Planning Process
  Case studies of political decision-making roles in urban conflict management and resource allocation. Community power distribution, factors influencing change, leadership styles, and relationships to administrators and planners. Selected policy issues, such as redevelopment, education, crime, and service delivery.
• MET UA 613: Urban Design and Development
  The role of urban design in the community development process. Examines human behavior, aesthetic foundations of design methods, citizen/client participation, and public policy issues. Analysis of actual community spaces. Student design exercises.
• MET UA 617: Actionable Sustainability
  Sustainability generally refers to the ability of "systems" to be maintained such that they remain viable over long periods of time. As much as achieving the perfect sustainable equilibrium may be the ideal, it is important to recognize that there will be competing and conflicting interests, especially within complex hierarchical social, economic and ecological systems, particularly in light of ongoing climatic change. This field intensive course draws on the practices and theories of sustainability and climate change to understand what sustainability can mean in different contexts, and, more important, how nuanced, sustainable solutions can be achieved under varying conditions and in different systems. With an emphasis on the urban environment, the course will consist of projects in which students will identify, analyze, and develop practical proposals to real world issues. This course is intended for a wider audience from a range of disciplines.
• MET UA 619: Urban Transportation Policy and Planning
  This course will provide students with a broad introduction to important concepts and policy issues in transportation, principally at an urban and metropolitan level. In addition, the course will explore methods planning practitioners can use to analyze transportation problems and propose solutions. The course will use specific examples of planning initiatives (both operations and capital) from transportation agencies within the Boston Metropolitan region. Guest speakers from local, regional, and state transportation agencies within the Greater Boston Metropolitan area will supplement the instructor's lectures and assigned readings.
• MET UA 627: Smart Green Cities
  Smart Green Cities examines the three elements of "sustainability" and their application to guide decisions about development, investment, and the role of government, particularly at the city level. Through comparative study of a range of sustainable practices in important subfields of planning, such as transportation, land use, and energy, students will learn about the crucial role cities play in addressing equity and other social concerns, environmental challenges, and global climate change, the constraints and opportunities cities face, and how to effectively address them. Recognizing their increasing importance, the course will focus on the use of data and technology as tools to advance more sustainable land development, travel, energy, natural resources, and other decisions. Finally, particular attention will be given to the practical application of land use planning techniques. The course includes lectures, discussions, case studies, and student presentations.
• MET UA 654: GIS and Spatial Analysis
  Geographic Information Systems for Planners provides an introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) specifically with a focus on applications in urban planning. The role of spatial analysis in local, state and regional planning has steadily increased over the last decade with the infusion of windows-based GIS software such as ESRI ArcGIS. The class focus is to prepare students to feel comfortable communicating with other GIS users, research spatial data, and produce high quality digital maps in an applied learning environment.
• MET UA 664: Planning and the Development Process
  This course specifically explores the area where the private and public sectors meet so that the student can develop an awareness of the complexity of dealing with these often competing interests. The objective of the course is to give the student an understanding of the motivations of the private sector in the way they go about creating their products and projects and to leave the student with the tools and knowledge to successfully negotiate the Public Interest with the Private Needs.
• MET UA 701: Urban Problems and Policy Responses
  Major problems confronting urban areas and the process of policy formulation and implementation. Emphasis on problem interdependence and systems characteristics. Analysis of problem definitions (housing, crime, poverty, etc.), goals, public/private responsibilities, existing programs, and policy options. Analysis of selected, comparative international experience.
• MET UA 703: Urban Research Methods
  Mixed-Methods Design for Urban Research is intended to develop skills in the evaluation and utilization of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches to scholarship in social-science research. The course will explore survey, experimental, observational, interview, ethnographic, and case-study research methods in depth, and students will learn how to collect, organize, and evaluate data in various forms. Students will create a fully developed research proposal drawing upon mixed-methods techniques to investigate a topic of interest.
• MET UA 704: Urban Economics
  This course provides basic understanding of economics and approaches urban problems and planning issues from economic perspectives. It explores how microeconomic theories and models can help us understand how cities and regions function, analyze urban problems, and evaluate urban policies. This is a broad introductory survey course, focusing on how "microeconomic" actors including business firms, households, and nonprofit and government institutions - organize to provide for the sustaining and flourishing of life.