Careers & Courses

A wide variety of people call themselves urban designers. In one sense anyone who is involved in making places is active in urban design. Even if you do a university course in ‘urban design’, exactly what you learn will depend on which university you choose, as on other courses. The various urban design courses have different emphases, some focus more on practical design skills, others on policy and theory.

It is important to understand that urban design is not an accredited profession. There is no professional body that decides what should be on the curriculum of an urban design course, or what expertise and knowledge you need to be able to practise as an urban designer.

An urban designer needs a broad understanding of cities, towns and villages, and ways of making them work better. This involves understanding how the planning system operates, how developers make their sums add up, how to assess what makes a particular place special, how to make places easy to move around by foot and vehicle, how to bring life to places that have become run down, how to conserve historic buildings, how to make the most of the landscape, how to think about the future of small and large development sites, how to involve local people, how to make sure that projects actually happen, how to communicate effectively, how to negotiate, and how to write design policy and guidance.

That sounds like a lot of subjects! But they are all related, and each explains a bit more about how urban places work. The urban designer is not expected to be an expert on all of them, but it is essential to be able to see the whole picture.

Urban Design Jobs (View All)

fabrik

At fabrik we work hard to make our projects remarkable so that they endure in the memories of all who experience them. The places we create provide the settings for childhoods, holidays, romances, retirements, and many joyful life events. Whether it’s a child’s first bike ride, time spent with friends sitting outside in the public realm, or a walk with a loved one through a park or natural greenspace, our excellence in design sets the stage for life’s unforgettable moments.

Closing Date: 2/4/2024
Savills Urban Design Studio

Have you trained in urban design, architecture, landscape architecture, or related design discipline? Interested in developing your career in urban design and placemaking?

Savills Urban Design Studio is a national creative placemaking design consultancy looking to recruit highly skilled and enthusiastic designers as part of its award winning national graduate scheme.

Closing Date: 15/4/2024
University of Dundee

Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

Binks Institute for Sustainability: Practical and theoretical approach to sustainable urban, suburban, and rural densities.

University of Dundee 

Supervisors:  Dr Lorens Holm, Dr Husam AlWaer

Deadline: Tuesday, April 30, 2024

Closing Date: 30/4/2024
University of Dundee

Leverhulme Doctoral Programme for Regenerative Innovation (Regnr8-i): Refugee Settlement (Re)design: modelling improvisation for social inclusion & wellbeing

University of Dundee       

Supervisors: Dr Husam AlWaer, Prof L van Blerk 

Deadline: Monday, April 22, 2024

Closing Date: 22/4/2024
University of Dundee

Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

Leverhulme Doctoral Programme for Regenerative Innovation (Regnr8-i): Designing Just and Resilient Urban Landscapes - A Framework for futures and strategic decision-making for Blue and Green Infrastructure (BGI)

University of Dundee 

Supervisors: Prof Mel Woods, Dr Husam AlWaer, Prof S Dawson
 Deadline: Monday, April 22, 2024

Closing Date: 22/4/2024