BA in Urban Planning and Sustainable Development in Bellingham United States | Western Washington University

The interdisciplinary urban planning program equips students for careers focused on sustaining both human and natural environments. The Urban Planning and Sustainable Development major includes foundational courses, urban planning core subjects, specialized tracks, capstone projects, and hands-on learning experiences. Foundational and core requirements integrate the College of the Environment's multidisciplinary approach, highlighting public policy formation, legal frameworks, and planning methodologies. Specialization options enable students to pursue focused planning subfields, complete a minor in another discipline, or choose from curated course clusters.

The UPSD program at the College of the Environment champions creative solutions for community challenges at all scales. It promotes transformative change toward fair, healthy, vibrant, and sustainable communities, prioritizing social equity, environmental justice, diversity, and support for marginalized populations. By blending urban planning principles, sustainable design practices, land-use regulations, environmental policies, and natural sciences, the curriculum reveals connections between urban and ecological systems while addressing complex urban development issues.