Real Estate Development

    Stemming from the desire to achieve development objectives in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, along with the importance of educational investment, and in response to the needs of a comprehensive urban boom with its urban as well as population growth in all cities, the Department of Urban Planning developed its graduate program as part of its attempt to play a key role in the national development.

    As a result of the generous support of the government to ensure elite science and education, the graduate program includes a highly qualified faculty with various specializations and emphasis in all urban fields.

 

Program Objectives:

 

·        Increase the understanding of the graduate program in the historical and theoretical base of the urban and regional development and the role of the planner and planning in it.

 

·        Provide students with scientific basics and analytical capability along with technical skills for studying the urban, regional and national planning issues which elevates the performance of the urban environment.

 

·        Qualify students to practice high-level planning in the various public and private establishments and agencies.

 

·        Train students to outline strategies and planning programs which produce urban environments suitable to desert areas while maintaining Arabic and Islamic aspects.

 

·        Provide students with various urban planning professional skills taking into account the development and prosperity in the field of planning.

 

·        Develop an understanding to the natural environment and energy resources which provide the sustainable development base.  Develop the ability to evaluate the capabilities of the environment's impact on strategies, planning, programs and projects.

 

·        Develop the ability of graduate students to perform research or a project independently in the area of urban design and urban and regional planning.

 

Specializations:

      Urban Design

      Urban and Regional Planning

 

Admission conditions:

·        The Department admits students who have earned a Bachelor's degree in urban planning or architecture with a minimum GPA of 3.75.  Students who have a marginal GPA may also be admitted conditionally.  Students with other degrees may also be admitted but must take additional courses which can be determined by the department.  These shall not exceed 24 credit hours.

 

·        Students shall enroll full time unless otherwise allowed by their employers, private or public.

·        Study system:  Course work and thesis.

·        Number of credit hours:  36

 

 MUDP 500

Theory of Urban Design and Planning

 

The course comprises a survey of fundamental theories and principles (positive and normative) of urban design and planning. Goals and objectives of planning within the framework of the philosophy of planning are addressed. Circumstances that transformed planning activities are reviewed. Questions of legitimacy and the nature of the role of planning and planners in the society are addressed. Students are encouraged to test Western-dominated and based theories against Arab-Islamic contexts. Evolution of aesthetic principles and ideas are explored.

 

MUDP 501

Urban Planning & Design Methods

 

A review of planning and design methods in relationship to the process of urban planning and design that includes research design and survey analysis, analytical forecasting , alternative and evaluation techniques, and information system. Urban forecasting techniques for demographic, land use and land development, and economic factors are examined. Evaluation criteria and feasibility studies of urban design and planning studies are addressed. Geographic (urban) information systems are incorporated and used as a tool in the conduct of urban design and planning.

 

MUDP 502

Urban Land Use & Transportation Planning

 

An analysis of transportation, infrastructure, and land use inter-relationship in urban areas. The impact of transportation investment and infrastructure provisions on travel behavior, activity location, urban form and household location decisions are examined. These interactions occur at various levels, from the regional to the site scale of analysis are addressed. Trends in urban development and the influence of transportation and transportation and infrastructure will be addressed. Integrated urban models are essential components of this course where problems sets could be used to address interaction.

 

MUDP 503

Planning Administration & Government

 

Students are introduced to government administrative system in relation to urban development. The Saudi municipal organization and its role in the planning and development processes, planning agencies and Saudi planning system concerning the planning process, control and enforcement all examined against theoretical discourse. Also of focus are models of positive and passive planning control mechanisms, legal framework of government intervention including expropriation compensation. The role of Shari’a in modern urban development.

 

 

MUDP 504

Environmental Analysis and Policy

 

Applied analysis of environmental factors, ecosystems, and ecosystem dynamics as related to decision–making for urban and regional land use planning. Emphasis on land use and techniques for environmental impact assessment including methods and techniques for preparing environmental inventory, sieve analysis, and matrices. Also discussed are environmental policies and analytics of micro – economics as part of the basic tools of policy analysis and evaluation.

 

MUDP 515

Environment & Behavior

 

The goal is provide students with an understanding of the factors underlying relationships between human behavior and the built environment. The potential contradiction of social and behavioral sciences on the ongoing process of urban development and urban design will be dealt with. Issues such environmental behavior, design of spatial behavior such as aggression, cooperation, communication, socialization, and crime are explored. Local, Saudi context is emphasized.

 

MUDP 507

Urban form

 

Analysis of city forms and patterns, emphasizing their relation to the society and culture (social, political and economic). Students are briefly introduced to the evolution of towns and built forms. Emphasis is on cultural forces and geographic location as well as technological circumstances in urban development. Urban form is taught as an analytical tool rather than simply as a static typology of spatial configurations. While relating historical and temporal circumstances at the larger scale, at the micro level, students are introduced to small scale elements of townscape. Relationships between processes of urban design and planning, people, and places in achieving good city form are addressed.

 

MUDP 508

Urban Renewal

 

This course examines urban renewal within its historic and institutional contexts with emphasis on selected physical and socioeconomic aspects of relevance to city redevelopment. The course will cover a review of concepts, historical background and institutional development of urban renewal; socio – economic and legal concerns (e.g., relocation, subsidies, property right transfer, participation); and critical evaluation of landmark cases of urban renewal.

 

MUDP 509

Site Planning & Design

 

An advanced course on the site planning process and on the ecological inventory analysis and its applicant to site design. Elements to be investigated include physical and natural factors such ecology, soils, vegetation, hydrology and climate and their linkages with visual aspects and synthesis for planning. Also included is a critical analysis and design review of various site development projects.

 

MUDP 505

Research Seminar / Independents Study on Current Issues

 

This course, conducted mainly through seminars and class presentations, requires intensive readings and discussion to advance a student’s knowledge in an area of special interest to the student and the faculty; topics encouraged that prepare a student for his thesis.

 

MUDP 506

Integrated Workshop I

 

This workshop will address selected generic or site specific urban planning and urban design issues in an integrated framework involving both urban planning and urban design students, aimed at attaining functional and aesthetics as well as livable urban quality. Analyses of case studies will be undertaken along with planning and design exercises which may cover such diverse issues as city center development and redevelopment; mixed use and joint development concepts, development controls- guidelines, etc. Students will be encouraged to contribute to workshop exercise individually and as a teams and are expected to further develop and utilize analytical skills and presentation techniques, preferably using computers.

 

MUDP 519

Housing & Community Development

 

The course examines government housing policy and programs at national and local levels, and discusses issues, trends and problems associated with the provision and location of housing. Topics covered include housing demand and supply, finance, mortgage system, public subsidy, space standards and spatial arrangements. Community planning and development issues focus on development process including neighborhood – community analysis, organization, redevelopment, and public participation.

 

MUDP 528

Planning and Development in Arid – Zones

 

Emphasis on the linkages between policy and the desert, rural and urban impacts. Focus is on social, economic, physical and psychological, and ecological criteria in planning and design of settlements. At the micro level, the course emphasizes the physiological and psychological dimensions of human behavior in arid – zones.

 

MUDP 529

Real Estate Development & Management

 

Reviews of real estate market research in relation to land use regulations and plan processing. The selection of development and the treatment of urban landscape through the use of land development models (demand and supply models) are also included. Topics include rent theory, feasibility studies, value concepts of real estate development, building life cycle, real estate prices, cost (rent) controls, and real estate entitlements.

 

MUDP 530

Urbanization, Urban and Regional Policy

 

Introduction to the basic concept of urbanization process and its relationship to the development process. Review of forces that lead to urbanization , urbanization theories , policies and the recent shift form ‘containment’ of urbanization to devise strategies which can increase urban productivity . Also addressed are the upgrading of human resource skills for the management of urban areas. Long term projection of urbanization processes and consequences in developing countries, problems of rapidly – growing cities such environmental degradation, including inadequate services, housing shortages, and declining infrastructure. Topics include migration, population, agriculture, industrialization, and centralization.

 

MUDP 514 / 531

Workshop II

 

This workshop will be designed to provide the opportunity for the application of the methods, and techniques studied in workshop I, and other courses within a comprehensive framework. An urban area of adequate complexity will provide the context within which topics of planning interests can be selected to satisfy special interest of individual students of group of students (e.g. microlevel development, structure plans, transportation movement systems, facilities, center redevelopment – conservation, housing). Students will be encouraged to utilize computers and associated techniques in their work.

 

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GRADUATE PROGRAM STRUCTURE