Course summary

The Geography and Urban and Regional Planning BSc explores some of the big issues facing today’s and tomorrow’s societies, including key issues such as urban regeneration, climate change, sustainable development, property development, community involvement and transport infrastructure. Urban and regional planning lies at the heart of the major challenges that face existing and future generations. Decisions that are taken today can have a major impact on what happens to our towns and cities in the future, so it is important that we get those decisions right. Only by having an in-depth understanding of the way our towns and cities work can we hope to make informed decisions about the future of the built environment. This unique Geography and Urban and Regional Planning BSc builds this understanding by drawing on the research and international reputation of the Centre for Urban and Regional Studies (CURS) here at Birmingham. Based in the great planning laboratory that is Birmingham, you will be able to exploit fully the huge wealth of case study material available on your doorstep whilst interpreting these experiences in an international context. This will bring to life the issues you are studying and set them in a real world context. You will have access to a wide range of modules in one of the largest and most vibrant geography departments in the country, on top of the flexibility and choice offered in planning. There is a lot of practitioner input into the programme and there are opportunities for European field trips – this year it was to Berlin – and professional placements. Why study this course? If you are interested in urban issues - particularly why cities develop and change - a degree in Planning will be right up your street. And where better to study important issues such as housing, transport, urban planning, property development, sustainability, conservation and business than in a city with a rich industrial heritage that has undergone rapid and dramatic transformation over the past two decades - and remains a work-in-progress? This degree programme will equip you with the necessary knowledge and skills to make a difference to how we live today and in the future.