Development Planning Unit UCL
The Building and Urban Design in Development MSc will immerse you in the theory and practice of imagining and building just cities and communities. Our course is designed to centre the political and social processes of urban design with a political economy view on space and power and a unique focus on cities located in the Global South.
Gain experience in spatial design practice
The Building and Urban Design in Development MSc is an urban design course with a political economy view on space and power and a unique focus on cities located in the Global South. This approach will give you an understanding of how spatial injustices manifest differently between and within contexts and give you the confidence to move into your future career as an urban designer with experience working with specific case studies whilst also seeing similarities and opportunities for knowledge exchange between people of different cities.
At The Bartlett Development Planning Unit, we emphasise the importance of putting theory into practice and as a Building and Urban Design in Development MSc student you will have the opportunity to do so through an overseas practice engagement that will immerse you in the design of real cities by working with communities in action-research projects with global partners, through studio work that will build your design skills, and through development workshops that simulate the complex processes of negotiating development strategies with students from other master’s courses.
Explore your personal interests through optional modules
In addition to core learning on the Building and Urban Design in Development MSc and practical projects, you can develop your personal interests and choose from a wide range of optional modules from across the six other master’s courses at The Bartlett Development Planning Unit, as well as from across The Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment and wider UCL.
By the end of the Building and Urban Design in Development MSc, you will:
Have the confidence to design and propose strategies and interventions that are fundamentally rooted in social, environmental and spatial justice;
Experiment with the practice of urban design beyond the classroom environment through practice engagements with international partners;
Develop as a reflexive and ethical professional in the field of sustainable development with key skills in critical thinking, teamwork, project management and impactful communication with stakeholders.
