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20260412890The program is designed to meet labor market needs fully and is subject to continuous updates and developments based on demand assessments. It focuses on equipping students with a high level of knowledge and practical skills, enabling them to design and implement planning projects at various levels. Graduates of the program have contributed to meeting the demand for job opportunities in municipalities, regional and rural municipalities, national government agencies, ministries and departments, private consulting firms, real estate development companies, and research and academic institutions. They have also contributed to developing and improving the efficiency of urban growth management, development monitoring, and improving living conditions in urban and rural communities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The program also aims to introduce students to the nature of human settlements, their social, economic, and physical aspects, and to address existing, emerging, and anticipated problems in light of planning theories, strategies, and techniques. The curriculum equips students with the necessary skills to implement spatial development plans at the local, regional, and national levels for both urban and rural communities, including how to address, rehabilitate, develop, and improve informal settlements and slum areas in cities. The Bachelor of Science in Urban and Regional Planning program was originally designed by a team of specialists from Harvard University as a six-year program requiring 182 credit hours for graduation. The program was initially divided into three years of core and three years of specialization. In 1999, the college transitioned to a new, enhanced program consisting of 165 credit hours, completed in five years, in response to labor market demands and graduate feedback. In the first semester of the 2014/2015 academic year, a new curriculum was adopted, reducing the required credit hours for graduation to 155. Under this new curriculum, students are admitted directly to their departments after successfully completing the university preparatory year, in accordance with national education policies and international standards. Starting in the current academic year (2016/2017), the program has been offered under an enhanced curriculum of 165 credit hours, and a bridging program to the Bachelor of Science degree, based on this new curriculum, was implemented in the second semester of the same year (2016/2017).
Last Modified Date: 22/07/2026 - 1:49 PM Saudi Arabia Time
The Department of Urban and Regional Planning should be a leading center for education, research, and creativity in the field of urban planning.
To be a platform for training creative graduates at a global level in urban planning sciences to serve the community and the local market and achieve environmental sustainability.
| Course Code | Course | Credits | Prerequisites |
|---|---|---|---|
| URP 135 | Urban Design | 3 | – |
| Description | The course is a theory/ seminar course that focuses on the interdisciplinary field of urban design. The course attempts to give a thorough understanding of urban design to enable students to undertake real urban design projects. It introduces a series of tools to critically observe, analyse, evaluate, and make urban design decisions at different scales. It also includes historical approaches and current movements in the field of urban design, placemaking, theories of good city form, urban design dimensions (morphological, perceptual, social, visual, visual, and temporal), scales of urban design, urban design projects methodologies and techniques, concepts, basic vocabulary of urban design, implementation approaches, challenges and opportunities, comparative analysis between cases in Saudi Arabia and other countries, and design decision making about greenfield and brownfields. | ||
| URP 203 | Studio 5 | 7 | URP 114 |
| Description | This workshop includes analysing an urban area to identify elements affecting its form. The course also deals with the planning approach in studying urban decay and deteriorated housing areas characterised by poor services, poor infrastructure, and urban distress. Emphasis will be on redevelopment and redesign of urban areas. Plans basically deal with urban renewal and upgrading and action area programs. The course focuses on the interrelationship between, physical, social, economic, structural, and environmental factors in dealing with selected action areas. Students learn data collection, analysis; rationally identify problems and opportunities leading to true instruction of solutions as an applicable project outcome. The Course aims to teach and train students certain skills on analysis and problem solving of "Urban Renewal" by examining the problems at different urban dimensions include: physical, economic, social, environmental, traffic and others in different city areas. Surveys, interviews and questionnaires; skills are applied in the project to examine the opinion of the stakeholders (householders, experts and officials). The student will be able to solve the urban renewal problems in the context of the urban renewal process. | ||
| URP 215 | Planning Process & Theory | 3 | – |
| Description | This course covers the basic ideas and theories of planning. It also identifies the necessary approach to the planning process including strategies and means to overcome obstacles to ideal planning. It also addresses the analytical methods for planners including, evaluation, budgeting, cost impact and effectiveness, cost benefit analysis, population forecast, goals achievement matrix, employment multiplier, location analysis, demand assessment for services, models, planning balance sheet, critical path methods, and project scheduling. | ||
| URP 486 | Grad. Project Research | 3 | – |
| Description | This capstone course provides students with the opportunity to conduct independent research on a selected topic relevant to urban and regional planning. Under faculty supervision, students will design, develop, and complete a research project that demonstrates their understanding of research methodologies, critical analysis, and professional reporting. The project allows students to integrate theoretical knowledge and practical skills acquired throughout the program | ||
| URP 416 | Urban Regeneration | 3 | – |
| Description | This course delves into urban regeneration, exploring strategies to revitalize declining urban areas through sustainable practices. Students will examine the multifaceted nature of urban regeneration, including economic, social, and environmental dimensions. The curriculum emphasizes collaborative approaches, integrating community input and stakeholder engagement in regeneration initiatives. Through case studies and practical projects, students will analyze successful regeneration efforts, understanding the balance between preserving cultural heritage and fostering modern development. By investigating innovative policies and design principles, students will learn to create vibrant, resilient urban spaces. The course aims to equip future urban planners with the necessary skills to address contemporary urban challenges, promoting equitable access to resources and improved quality of life in regenerated neighborhoods. | ||
| URP 102 | Studio 4 | 7 | URP 101 |
| Description | This course is a workshop that aims to introduce the basic skills concerned with collecting, exhibiting and analyzing information in and of an urban context, including land use analysis and its applications and the design process. The course primarily train and teach students the basic planning skills required in the specialization, with special focus on understanding the built environment and learning the basic planning and design vocabulary and common terms of the planning profession. Students are exposed to the surveying principles as well as the variables and how to produce their planning indicators that helps in defining areas where planning problems exist. | ||
| URP 214 | Spatial Information System | 2 | – |
| Description | This course involves the theory and application of Spatial Information Systems as a cornerstone of urban and regional planning. It aims at providing the necessary tools to using this technology in workshop projects and elsewhere. The theoretical part of the course focuses on evolution and development of spatial information systems and its related concepts and available applications. Practical part of the course is directed to acquaint students with knowledge and skills needed to use and operate spatial information systems, also introducing examples for its application in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia | ||
| URP 305 | Studio 7 | 7 | Studio 6 |
| Description | This intensive and comprehensive workshop (studio) is designed to introduce the students to the multitude of dimensions shaping the master plan of a city. The importance of the city will be studied at the national and regional contexts. A review of previous master plans should be presented, including the presentation of the most important suggestions in each plan in terms of the major aspects in the city such as target population, urban boundary, community facilities, roads and transport network, and etc. Students should prepare detailed studies for the existing condition of these major aspects in the city, including collecting and analyzing of data and concluding of results (problems and priorities). Review of similar studies and best practices at national and international levels should be highlighted to extract criteria, planning guidelines and innovative solutions to the problems. Finally, students employ all their findings to propose a development plan for the city under study. They should design several alternatives, evaluate them and develop the best one to reach the final proposal. | ||
| URP 391 | Urban Infrastructure | 2 | – |
| Description | This course introduces the planning aspects of urban infrastructure systems (water supply, sanitation, drainage, energy, solid wastes, telecommunication, and gas supply) and their components, generation, treatment, distribution or collection networks, planning standards, technologies, alternatives and their hierarchies. The course focuses on the assessment of the demand and supply, dealing with those components in urban plans, finance options, and assessment. | ||
| URP 325 | Urban Land Development | 2 | – |
| Description | This course includes the practice of developing urban land. It will introduce the different institutions and their respective goals. It will also deal with the effects of determinants and constraints of land development. | ||
| URP 101 | Studio 3 | 7 | AR 191 |
| Description | The course is a studio course that introduces the basic graphic skills required for planners. The course involves visual communication, mastering graphic techniques, design production methods and presentation, presentation focusing on the use of graphic tools and freehand techniques. Students will apply and explore various methods used to create and combine words, elements of design, materials, and graphics to create a visual representation of the built form. The course introduces the visual world around the students and the elements forming the built environment viz., buildings, roads, and landscape and provides fundamental skills of drawing those elements. The course also introduces the basic principles of art and design, form and space, drawing techniques, drawing landscape elements, principles of art and design, presentation skills, and mastering the use of the drawing tools. | ||
| URP 114 | Intro. to Urban Planning | 2 | – |
| Description | This is an introduction to global and historical town planning. It includes the development of contemporary thought in planning theory and practice. The course uses both theoretical as well as field visits to several notable urban sites to explore social, economic, and administrative factors that contributed to creating such urban environments. | ||
| URP 251 | Urban Transportation Planning | 2 | – |
| Description | Mobility of people and goods stands as the core function of the cities. Transportation affects the quality of life in many ways of their inhabitants. Efficient and sustainable Transportation systems in a city make the movement of goods and services feasible, and they also shape the form of the urban land uses reflected distinctly into their built environment features. Approaches to design and use transportation systems influence all other qualities of planning in a city and the region, from the housing to the physical environment and the community-economic development to the health and wellbeing in addition to the growth of land use. Transportation planners draw on a variety of innovative and novel ideas, methods, and tools from several academic and profession fields of knowledge disciplines, including geography, sociology, economics, public administration, public policy, civil engineering, transport engineering, urban design and planning to study, plan, manage, and design the smart transportation system. Transportation planners try to make transport systems efficient, effective, safe, sustainable, and socially inclusive. The course enables students to work in an array of settings at different geographic scales-national, regional, city level, and neighborhood level, locally and globally. The course covers all the land transportation modes in cities: private transport, public transit, pedestrian, and bicycling. Above all, this course covers key targets under Vision-2030 (in context to urban transport) that is the guiding document for all strategic planning activities in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia amalgamating urban transportation. | ||
| URP 281 | Research Methods & Techniques | 2 | – |
| Description | The course introduces the methodological foundations and tools to study planning issues, the fundamentals of quantitative and qualitative social science and applied research, identify problems to study, develop hypotheses and research questions, specify variables, and check the reliability of studies and data sets, sampling and sampling techniques, and research design in projects. Students will be exposed to a variety of research methods, experiments, surveys, questionnaire design, content analysis, focus groups, structural interviewing, literature reviewing, research ethics, and report writing. | ||
| URP 204 | Studio 6 | 7 | URP 233 |
| Description | In this workshop students practise the development or redevelopment of neighbourhoods and spatial design of urban sites applying the principles of urban planning and design and place making, following the rational planning process. Students apply appropriate planning and design strategies involving, community and site context analysis, population forecast, space program development, concepts, alternatives and evaluation, applying the right standards, focus on spatial analysis, urban form, and designing and delivering mixed use communities. The design and justification will be developed to professional standards for presentation to a client. | ||
| URP 419 | Smart Cities Planning | 3 | – |
| Description | This module explores the concept and practice of smart cities, examining the role of digital technologies in urban governance, mobility, sustainability, and citizen engagement. Students investigate smart infrastructure, data platforms, and emerging technologies such as AI and blockchain in planning. Critical reflection on digital equity, surveillance, and ethical challenges is encouraged. Case studies illustrate global smart city initiatives and the implications for urban management and policy. | ||
| URP 371 | Regional Planning | 2 | – |
| Description | This course includes the study of the nature of regions and the means to develop them. The methods of regional planning, aspects of socio-economic and design, as well as project related issues will be included. The course discusses the importance of regional planning and its role in bridging the gap between national and local planning. The course also attempts at explaining regional planning in the Kingdom. The study of preparing regional plans, evaluating alternatives and their implementation in a national spatial context, and the impact on defining a context for local urban plans. The course also deals with regional development policies and strategies and their evaluation, highlighting the roles of regional planning in facilitating national and local development, and provides illustrative examples of regional planning in the Saudi context. In General, this course provides knowledge and exhibits techniques with regards to regional planning definitions, theories and some economic and impact calculations. Furthermore, it helps students to think regionally and strategically as well, rather than viewing matters at urban levels and scales only. | ||
| URP 322 | Urban Economics | 2 | – |
| Description | The course is a theory/ seminar course that focuses on the field of economy from a planning perspective. The course is mainly designed for use at undergraduate level in the Urban and Regional Planning program. It focuses on exploring the economics of cities and urban regions. Through a series of lectures, this subject helps students to understand the concepts, theories of urban economics and explains the urban and spatial economic phenomena that take place within geographical space. Themes covered include the principles of economics, drivers of urban economy, emphasizing on primarily microeconomic theory, urban land rent and land use pattern, and policy lessons that can be drawn from the use of economics to understand urban areas. | ||
| URP 306 | Studio 8 | 7 | URP 305 |
| Description | This workshop aims at conducting comprehensive planning studies for the city or town as a whole. It includes the preparation of a master plan for a new city, including demographic studies, land uses, transportation, social services, infrastructure, and development controls. The studies are presented in a multitude of formats including maps, presentation and technical report. | ||
| URP 487 | Planning Law and Governance | 2 | – |
| Description | The course introduces planning laws and regulations, understanding the law and its evolution and relation to the planning process and the power delegation system. The course introduces the types of planning-related laws, regulation and related administrative acts and decrees, and its relationship to the Sharia Laws. It also introduces the structure and organization of Saudi public planning administration. Special focus is given to zoning procedures, land subdivision, titling, and the land tenure systems, and the planning regulatory framework (i.e. regulations, standards and procedures). The course involves court cases of planning | ||
| URP 414 | Environmental Impact Assessment | 3 | – |
| Description | This course introduces the theory, methods, and application of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in urban planning and development. It covers the regulatory frameworks, stages of the EIA process, environmental and social considerations, and decision-making based on assessment outcomes. Students will gain practical skills in preparing and reviewing EIA reports, learning how EIA supports sustainable urban development, public participation, and environmental stewardship. | ||
| URP 362 | Sustainable Urban Development | 2 | – |
| Description | This course aims to present the theories and application of sustainability and sustainable development as an approach that helps to meet the requirements of this generation without compromising the needs of future generations. Course is vital to enlighten students on sustainability that is subject matter of policy making from the UN's Sustainable Development Goals to the Vision 2030 of Saudi Arabia. The course covers environmental, economic, and social dimensions of sustainable development by concentrating on altering production, consumption and distribution, production, and distribution of resources. Additionally, case studies on domestic and international projects and initiatives are the parts and parcels of this course. | ||
| URP 407 | Studio 9 | 7 | URP 366 |
| Description | Advanced Planning Studio is designed in a way that makes learners focused on and updated with the requirements of job market; it enlivens and refreshes students on typical spatial planning skills acquired in their previous workshops and make them geared up for their final project; leading them into avenue which is opening towards becoming a professional planner. Also, this studio is, thoughtfully planned to deal with present-day planning challenges growing at various scales, from national to local levels, and from strategies to their applications simultaneously. So, this studio elegantly refines students’ prior knowledge and skills in context of client focused professional excellence, as a professional planner. | ||
| URP484 | Market Skills Requirments | 3 | – |
| Description | A qualitative course that aims to provide university students with the soft skills required for the labor market by achieving the following competencies: modern technology and electronic world, creative and innovative thinking, effective communication in work environment, leadership and entrepreneurship. This is to prepare university students for the labor market and to equip them with the ways to achieve practical success and professional development, and to contribute t o development by translating academic knowledge into practical, job-ready skills that meet the evolving demands of the labor market | ||
| URP 408 | Studio 10 | 7 | URP 477 |
| Description | The final year studio is divided into two routes: urban planning and urban design. The basic objective of the graduation project is to offer, final year BSc-Urban and Regional Planning students, with a spirit to involve in an activity that will permit them to prove their capability to use the knowledge and skills they have attained during their learning years in the higher educational system in spatial planning at undergraduate level. The graduation project is premeditated to warrant that students can design, analysis, synthesis, and evaluate a spatial plan with the apt application of advanced professional methods and tools, valued internationally. | ||
| URP 418 | Rural Planning | 3 | – |
| Description | Rural Planning addresses the spatial and socio-economic challenges facing rural areas, including agricultural land use, rural-urban linkages, infrastructure provision, and rural livelihoods. Students explore planning policies aimed at sustainable rural development, community resilience, and environmental protection. The module emphasises participatory planning approaches and landscape conservation strategies. Practical analysis of rural settlements and land management supports policy formulation and development control in non-urban contexts. | ||
