The Urban Development Planning MSc nurtures urban practitioners with the capacity to catalyse and support collective interventions towards more equitable urban futures. Grounded in longstanding partnerships with civil society networks, academic institutions, local and regional government agencies and global organisations (such as UN Habitat), our course critically engages a southern planning lens to reclaim the transformative potential of planning.
We operate from the standpoint that reclaiming this potential is crucial for cities and city dwellers to capture the opportunities of urban transformations in ways that meet the multiple and overlapping threats posed by climate breakdown, deepening socio-economic inequalities, democratic disengagement, conflict, and violent displacements.
This degree is designed to equip a new generation of urban development practitioners with analytical and practical tools that will enable them to respond strategically to these overlapping challenges within a framework of socio-spatial-environmental justice.
The Urban Development Planning MSc is widely recognised by global organisations for its expertise in action planning and urban development. We maintain strong links with UN agencies, the World Bank, and bilateral aid programmes including the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
The course builds your capacity to work in complex urban settings through a blend of critical thinking, action-research, teamwork, creativity and project management. These skills are highly valued across a wide range of sectors. Through research-led teaching and live projects you will also connect with active professional networks and gain experience tackling real planning challenges.
MSc UDP graduates are well equipped to work in a wide variety of planning, development, and consultancy roles spanning the public, private and non-profit sectors, and academia. Examples of well-known organisations employing UDP alumni include: the Aga Khan Foundation, ARUP, UN-Habitat and other UN bodies, as well as local and national government departments and ministries around the world. We also offer a Dissertation Fellowship Scheme that gives students, selected through a competitive process, the opportunity to work on real-world topics proposed by partner organisations. These fellowships align your dissertation with current development and planning practice, offering opportunities for professional development and, in some cases, leading to research collaborations, internships or employment.