# Urban Planning and Public Policy (UPPP) courses UC Irvine · 2026-2027 Catalog · 104 courses Source: https://catalogue.uci.edu/allcourses/uppp/ "Offered" lists sections in this catalog year's class schedules: Fall 2026. ### UPPP 4 — Introduction to Urban Studies - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/uppp.md) - Restrictions: Urban Studies majors, Urban Studies, Planning, and Policy majors, and School of Social Ecology students have the first consideration for enrollment - (III) Introduces the substantive areas, concepts, and tools in the field of urban studies. Acquaints students with physical, environmental, social, economic, and political dimensions of cities. Examines the challenges facing cities, including poverty, sustainability, development, globalization, and others. ### UPPP 5 — Introduction to Urban Planning and Policy - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/uppp.md) - (III) Introduces students to the basic issues in urban planning and public policy. ### UPPP 8 — Introduction to Environmental Analysis and Design - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/uppp.md) - (III) Overview of general concepts, theoretical principles, and analytical techniques for investigating environmental systems. Integrates tools from natural and social sciences to analyze contemporary environmental challenges such as pollution, resource acquisition, facility and ecosystem design, impact assessments, formulation of environmental policy. ### UPPP 40 — Cities, Communities, and Urban Problems - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/uppp.md) - Overlaps with SOCIOL 43 Overview of theoretical, substantive, and policy issues in urban sociology. History of urbanization, the school of human ecology, and recent trends regarding urbanism. Time is devoted to understanding the causes and possible solutions to urban problems. ### UPPP 41 — Introduction to Labor Studies - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/uppp.md) - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times - (III) Introduces students to various aspects of labor and employment relations in the U.S., including the perspective of working people and their collective labor organizations. Analyzes changes in employment trends and the changing nature of work. ### UPPP 42 — The Green New Deal - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - (VIII) Introduces students to the basic motivations and history behind policies collectively known as “The Green New Deal.” Students learn about large-scale models for equitable growth and sustainability and the politics of implementing them in the U.S. and internationally. ### UPPP 50 — The Power of Music and Social Change - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Introduces students to the emerging science of music and its remarkable power in shaping our lives, from individual flourishing and social change to higher education, careers, and connections with nature. ### UPPP 100 — Special Topics in Urban Studies - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 2 sections (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/uppp.md) - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times as topics vary - Restrictions: Social Ecology majors, Urban Studies majors, and Urban Studies, Planning, and Policy majors have the first consideration for enrollment Course content varies with interest of the instructor. ### UPPP 101 — History of Cities - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Surveys the global and historical co-evolution of cities and social institutions, including religion, the economy, governance, the arts, technology, and family life. ### UPPP 102 — Urban Inequality - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/uppp.md) - Restrictions: Public Health Policy majors, Social Ecology majors, Urban Studies majors, and Urban Studies, Planning, and Policy majors have the first consideration for enrollment Examines structural inequality and the influence that urbanization has in affecting race, ethnic, and class relations. Explores how race/ethnicity, class, urban space, housing, economic development, public education, and land policy intersect in cities, both historically and today. ### UPPP 103 — Comparative Approaches to Urban Regions - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: Public Health Policy majors, Social Ecology majors, Urban Studies majors, and Urban Studies, Planning, and Policy majors only An introduction to comparative urbanization in developing countries. Introduces students to the geography, history, and theories of urbanization, and then reviews urban planning, public policy, and governance. ### UPPP 104 — Race in the City: Past, Present, and Future - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/uppp.md) - Same as SOC SCI 163A, CHC/LAT 162A Students examine the historical, social, political, and economic factors that contributed to the construction of the American urban context, one that is poverty concentrated and racially/ethnically segregated. Students also critically assess the consequence of growing up in America's urban neighborhoods. ### UPPP 107 — Urban and Regional Planning - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: Earth System Science majors, Environmental Science and Policy majors, Social Ecology majors, Urban Studies majors, and Urban Studies, Planning, and Policy majors have the first consideration for enrollment Important substantive areas, concepts, tools in the field of urban and regional planning. Topics include: forces that have historically guided and are currently guiding U.S. urbanization; land use, economic development, housing and community development, environmental planning; legal, environmental, governmental contexts. ### UPPP 108 — Cities and Transportation - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: Environmental Science and Policy majors, Social Ecology majors, Urban Studies majors, and Urban Studies, Planning, and Policy majors have the first consideration for enrollment The relationship between urban areas and transportation systems. Economic analysis of cities, transportation and urban form, highway congestion, environmental impacts of transportation, public transit, land use and transportation, and political influences on transportation planning. ### UPPP 109 — Housing and Urban Development Policy - **Units:** 4 - **Prerequisite:** Recommended: Previous course work in economics - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: Environmental Science and Policy majors, Social Ecology majors, and Urban Studies majors have the first consideration for enrollment Surveys public policy issues and develops analytic techniques in the areas of housing and urban development. Examines a range of policy topics including housing assistance to low- and moderate-income families, housing finance system, incentives for economic development, and neighborhood preservation. ### UPPP 110 — Urban Economic Development Policy - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: Environmental Science and Policy majors, Social Ecology majors, Urban Studies majors, and Urban Studies, Planning, and Policy majors have the first consideration for enrollment Theoretical and practical perspectives on local economic development policy. Integrates economic, planning, and political perspectives. Overview of economic role of cities and metropolitan areas. Specific development issues include: link between taxes, regulation, job growth; redevelopment planning; evaluation economic development policy. ### UPPP 111 — Climate Solutions - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as ENGRMAE 119, EARTHSS 179 Introduction to climate change science and impacts on the health of people and the planet with a focus on the multi-dimensional aspects of solutions to the climate crisis. ### UPPP 112 — Foundations of Community Health - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as PUBHLTH 125 - Restrictions: Environmental Science and Policy majors, Public Health Policy majors, Public Health Sciences majors, Social Ecology majors, Urban Studies majors, and Urban Studies, Planning, and Policy majors have the first consideration for enrollment A social ecological framework for understanding community health is presented. Measures of individual and community health are compared, and the influence of personal and environmental factors on individual, group, and population health is examined. Community health promotion strategies are discussed. ### UPPP 113 — Poverty and Change in Developing Countries - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: Environmental Science and Policy majors, Social Ecology majors, Urban Studies majors, and Urban Studies, Planning, and Policy majors have the first consideration for enrollment Focuses on poverty in developing countries. Analyzes the magnitude and changing nature of poverty in the global south. Critically examines poverty conceptualized in terms of economic deprivation, well-being, and social exclusion. ### UPPP 114W — Advanced Research Methods - **Units:** 4 - **Prerequisite:** SOCECOL 10 and SOCECOL 13. Satisfactory completion of the Lower-Division Writing requirement - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as SOCECOL 111W, CRM/LAW C169W, PSY 111W - (Ib) For students planning to conduct senior research projects or apply to graduate school in social research fields. Topics include reviewing literature, preparing a research proposal, protecting human subjects, citing scholarly work, building measures, estimating sample size, interview and presentation skills. ### UPPP 115 — Global Poverty and Inequality in the 21st Century - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as INTL ST 115 Explores a multidisciplinary understanding of poverty and inequality in the 21st century and assesses impact of education, health, technology, and other interventions. Course offered online only. ### UPPP 116 — Cities and Climate Change - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Students examine the intersection between climate change and social justice while developing skills necessary for local climate action, such as inventorying emissions, assessing vulnerability, and evaluating the costs, benefits, and equity implications of mitigation and adaptation strategies. ### UPPP 117 — Environmental Justice - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: Environmental Science and Policy majors, Urban Studies majors, and Urban Studies, Planning, and Policy majors have the first consideration for enrollment Engages students to critically analyze and evaluate environmental problems, environmental responses, and planning and policy debates regarding "environmental justice" - essentially the race, class, and equity implications of environmental problems and policies. ### UPPP 118 — Gentrification - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Gentrification is a complex process that changes the makeup of neighborhoods and fuels political and policy conflicts. Students are provided with tools to understand the process and conceive of policies to ensure more inclusive and equitable cities. ### UPPP 119 — Human Trafficking: Prevention, Protection, Prosecution, Policy, and Partnership - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: School of Social Ecology students have the first consideration for enrollment - (VIII) Equips students with a deeper understanding of human trafficking, and explores their role in ending the fastest-growing criminal industry worldwide: the exploitation of human beings through the use of force, fraud, or coercion. ### UPPP 120 — Introduction to GIS for Planning and Policy - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/uppp.md) - Restrictions: Urban Studies, Planning, and Policy majors, Environmental Science and Policy majors, and Urban Studies majors have the first consideration for enrollment Provides hands-on experience creating, visualizing, and interpreting spatial data, with a focus on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) applications for urban planning and public policy. ### UPPP 125 — Advanced Geographic Information Systems (GIS) - **Units:** 4 - **Prerequisite:** UPPP 120 with a minimum grade of C- - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: Environmental Science and Policy majors, Urban Studies majors, and Urban Studies, Planning, and Policy majors have the first consideration for enrollment Provides hands-on experience using geoprocessing to analyze spatial data and using maps to visualize and communicate findings, with a focus on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) applications for urban planning and public policy. ### UPPP 127 — Spatial Analysis Project - **Units:** 4 - **Prerequisite:** UPPP 120 with a minimum grade of C- and UPPP 125 with a minimum grade of C- - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: Environmental Science and Policy majors, Urban Studies majors, and Urban Studies, Planning, and Policy majors only As the capstone in the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) degree specialization, students are guided through the process of applying their GIS skills to designing and conducting an original spatial research project, focusing on research design and research methods. ### UPPP 129 — American Public Policy - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as POL SCI 121G, PUBHLTH 132, SOC SCI 152C Focuses on the development and implementation of public policy in the United States. Lectures cover theoretical models of the policy process as well as significant problems facing contemporary American decision-makers. ### UPPP 131 — Environmental Sustainability I - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: Environmental Science and Policy majors, Social Ecology majors, and Urban Studies majors have the first consideration for enrollment Provides an introduction to sustainability from different points of view; historical, scientific, political, ethical, and economic. ### UPPP 132 — Energy Justice and Just Transitions - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/uppp.md) - Restrictions: Earth System Science majors, Environmental Science and Policy majors, Social Ecology majors, Urban Studies majors, and Urban Studies, Planning, and Policy majors have the first consideration for enrollment Investigates how sustainability can be implemented in a variety of contexts including water, energy, non-renewable resources, biodiversity, and urban policy, and also how it could be measured. ### UPPP 133 — Environmental Law and Policy - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as CRM/LAW C128 - Restrictions: Criminology, Law and Society majors, Environmental Science and Policy majors, Social Ecology majors, Urban Studies majors, and Urban Studies, Planning, and Policy majors only Environmental law as a combination of traditional legal principles and newly created statutes, rules, and decisions applied to environmental protection. Investigates roles of courts, legislature, executive branch and administrative agencies, and private citizens attempting to regulate environmental quality. ### UPPP 135 — Urban Data Science - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Introduces computational tools, data literacy, spatial analysis methods, and introductory statistics for understanding cities and metropolitan regions. ### UPPP 140 — Global Metropolis - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Explores global perspectives on urban phenomena like poverty and housing, postcolonial and global-South urbanization, citizenship, race, violence, inequality, and our shared climate future. ### UPPP 142 — Environmental Hazards in an Urbanizing World - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - (III) Development patterns, including urbanization, can contribute to environmental hazard severity. Humans can plan, mitigate, and prepare to reduce costly hazard losses. Students learn about environmental hazards and human response to these threats. ### UPPP 145 — Environmental Governance - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/uppp.md) - Restrictions: Environmental Science and Policy majors, Urban Studies majors, and Urban Studies, Planning, and Policy majors have the first consideration for enrollment How should the environment be managed and who should be responsible? What is effective environmental management, and for whom? These questions are answered by exploring traditional and emerging theoretical frameworks and applying them to real world environmental challenges. ### UPPP 146 — Principles of Economics for Planning and Policy - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/uppp.md) - Restrictions: Environmental Science and Policy majors, Urban Studies majors, and Urban Studies, Planning, and Policy majors have the first consideration for enrollment Provides an introduction into economics for planning and policy students. ### UPPP 155 — Urban Design Principles - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: Environmental Science and Policy majors, Social Ecology majors, Urban Studies majors, and Urban Studies, Planning, and Policy majors have the first consideration for enrollment Introduction to principles of urban design and its applications. Study of contemporary and traditional theories of urban design formulated to improve physical characteristics of built environment to facilitate an enhanced quality of life. A variety of case studies are discussed. ### UPPP 166 — Urban Politics and Policy - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - (III) Examines why and how urban policies are enacted and carried out in contemporary U.S. cities and regions. Topics include evolution and organization of city governments and policymaking over the past century; who directs public policy and controls how cities develop. ### UPPP 167 — Public Policy and Governance - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: Environmental Science and Policy majors, Social Ecology majors, Urban Studies majors, and Urban Studies, Planning, and Policy majors have the first consideration for enrollment Exposes students to best practices that assure effective planning and implementation of policies and programs in government, business, and nonprofit sectors. Includes guest lecturers who are proven leaders in four principal institutions of community: business, education, government, and non-profit. ### UPPP 170 — Health Policy - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/uppp.md) - Same as PUBHLTH 122 - Restrictions: Environmental Science and Policy majors, Public Health Policy majors, Public Health Sciences majors, Social Ecology majors, Urban Studies majors, and Urban Studies, Planning, and Policy majors have the first consideration for enrollment Considers social and economic aspects of health and disease in the United States. What are the proper roles of the individual, community, and government in improving health and health care? International comparisons will be made wherever possible. ### UPPP 172 — Latino Metropolis - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as CHC/LAT 154 - (VII) Explores the processes of Latino urbanization in the United States and the spatialization of Latino identities, particularly in the context of Southern California with selected comparisons drawing from other cities. ### UPPP 178 — International Divided Cities - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as POL SCI 157B, SOCIOL 176 Investigates urban divisions in international cities where deep-seated nationalistic ethnic differences create pressures for intergroup conflicts, autonomy, or territorial separation, and can incite violence. Urban political polarization as it is manifest in the urban setting. ### UPPP 190 — Applied Statistics in Social and Behavioral Research - **Units:** 4 - **Prerequisite:** SOCECOL 13 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 2 sections (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/uppp.md) - Same as PSY 190, CRM/LAW C190, SOCECOL 190 - Restrictions: Psychological Science majors, Criminology, Law and Society majors, Psychology majors, Social Ecology majors, and Urban Studies majors have the first consideration for enrollment Covers statistical techniques used to describe and make generalizations about phenomena represented by data. Hands-on experience in data analysis and interpretation using statistical software (SPSS, STATA) is emphasized. Topics include data visualization, ANOVA, multiple regression, and categorical data analyses. ### UPPP 202 — History and Theory of Urban Planning - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/uppp.md) - Restrictions: Master of Urban and Regional Planning only Introduces students to the historical bases, fundamental perspectives, and current challenges of urban and regional planning. Critical historical episodes and personalities in planning and their influences on contemporary planning practice and thought are explored. ### UPPP 203 — Theoretical Foundations of Planning - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Intellectual excursion into central themes in policy and planning, including philosophy of the market, institutionalization of space, hypostatizations of policy, constructions of communities, logics of spatial analysis. Objective is engagement of the professional in thoughtful reflections on practice and institutions. ### UPPP 204 — Plan Development and Communication - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: Urban and Regional Planning majors only Graphic representation and communication of physical place characteristics, design and physical planning ideas, and concepts using a variety of graphic techniques of free hand drawing, sketching, orthographic representations, scale drawings, 3D representations, maps, photo-documentation, and various media. ### UPPP 206 — Microeconomic Analysis for Urban Planning - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/uppp.md) Provides students with a working knowledge of basic microeconomic concepts. Emphasizes applications related to urban planning and policy analysis. Topics covered include demand analysis, firm behavior, market structure, public goods, externalities, and the role of economics in land markets. ### UPPP 207 — Land-Use Law - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as CRM/LAW C207 Investigates legal and institutional frameworks for development control. Review of constitutional issues implicated in land-use regulation. Traces development control historically and analyzes contemporary approaches to land-use control which reflect environmental and economic development concerns. ### UPPP 209 — Qualitative Research Methods: Overview - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Introduction to fundamentals of “qualitative” research and non-positivistic inquiry. Formulation of research questions, selection of method, data collection techniques, and analysis (briefly). Overview of selected methods from ethnography, naturalistic field research, phenomenology, ethnoarchaeology, critical approaches, and others. ### UPPP 210 — Practice Experience - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 18 sections (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/uppp.md) - Restrictions: Urban and Regional Planning majors only Provides Master of Urban and Regional Planning students an opportunity to link classroom knowledge with real planning situations through a 10-week unpaid practice experience. ### UPPP 212 — Transportation Planning and Policy - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/uppp.md) Introduces current topics in transportation planning. Includes an analysis of the economic role of transportation in urban areas, land-use impacts of transportation projects, traffic congestion, air quality, alternatives to the automobile, and other transportation topics. ### UPPP 213 — Advanced Qualitative Methods: Analyzing Qualitative Data - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as MGMTPHD 297K, POL SCI 212 Introduction to the theory and practice of analyzing qualitative data. Students must have already learned about data collection and research design for qualitative research and must have qualitative data they can analyze. ### UPPP 214 — Quantitative Analysis for Planners - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Introduces students to the basic statistical concepts used to address issues of public concern. Prepares students to perform, interpret, and evaluate quantitative data analyses commonly used in professional studies. ### UPPP 215 — Analytical Methods for Planning - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Emphasizes the development of analytical techniques proven useful in the fields of management and administration. Topics include multiple regression, cost-benefit analysis and discounting, decision trees, and other techniques useful for the purposes of community analysis and planning. ### UPPP 216 — Statistics and Methods for Public Policy - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Introductory course with focus on gaining a sound understanding of what constitutes credible evidence in support of policy arguments and management decisions. ### UPPP 219 — Information and Public Policy - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/uppp.md) - Repeatability: May be taken for credit 2 times - Restrictions: Public Policy majors have the first consideration for enrollment Evaluates strengths and weaknesses of qualitative and quantitative methods and the data used in making public policy claims. Looks at the bases of certain widely accepted measures of poverty, growth, environmental quality, and the like. ### UPPP 220 — Qualitative Methods: Fieldwork and Data Collection - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Covers fieldwork, data collections techniques, and related issues for anti-positivistic research. Data collection techniques include observation, physical traces, participation, in-depth interview. Data checks include veracity, detail, completeness, rigor. ### UPPP 221 — Public Policy - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as CRM/LAW C255, POL SCI 221A Explores different approaches to public policy analysis, the diverse conceptions of the goals and objectives that should be served by policy, and the appropriate role of the policy analyst. Policy consequences are traced to indirect and subtle incentives and disincentives. ### UPPP 224 — Environmental Politics and Policy - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Reviews and critiques literature on discussion topics including: the nature and effectiveness of environmental movements and policies; the role of science and technology; the use of economic incentives in policy; decentralization of decision making; and creating arenas for public involvement. ### UPPP 225 — Qualitative Methods for Public Policy - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: Public Policy majors only Fieldwork, data collections techniques, and related issues for anti-positivistic research. Data collection techniques include observation, physical traces, participation, in-depth interview. Data checks include veracity, detail, completeness, rigor. ### UPPP 227 — Economics of Government - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as ECON 275 Prepares students to analyze public policy questions with tools from economics. By the end, students should be able to identify important economic issues in public policy debates and consume and critique economic research on these topics. ### UPPP 228 — Demographics for Planning and Policy - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Provides planning and policy practitioners with a condensed, nonspecialist orientation to the sources, applications, and interpretation of population statistics, and conveys the steps used in constructing local-area population forecasts and projections. ### UPPP 232 — Water Policy and Planning - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Examines major issues in global water management including privatization, emerging water quality challenges, water system planning, affordability, conservation strategies, and flood resilience. Emphasizes integrated understanding of economics, governance, environmental health, technology, and development. ### UPPP 235 — Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Problem Solving in Planning - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/uppp.md) Explores the application of geographic information systems (GIS) in urban planning. Steps through a GIS-based planning procedure that balances housing, jobs, tax base, utilities, transportation, and the natural environment. ### UPPP 237 — Introduction to Geographic Information Systems - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to the field of urban and regional planning. Emphasizes current issues that occur in actual implementation settings. Lecture/discussion followed by laboratory demonstrating the area of GIS discussed. Offers "hands-on" student usage of GIS software. ### UPPP 239 — Urban Design Theories and Applications - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Introduction to contemporary and traditional theories of urban design and their applications. Organized around one question: How might planning and design of built environment contribute to making a good city? National and international case studies are introduced. ### UPPP 240 — Microeconomics and Public Policy - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as ECON 255 - Repeatability: May be taken for credit 2 times Introduces the fundamental principles of microeconomics that are required for applied policy analysis. Provides students with an intuitive understanding of the microeconomic approach, and familiarizes them with concepts used in applied public policy analysis. ### UPPP 243 — Health Policy and Management - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as PUBHLTH 222A - Restrictions: Urban and Regional Planning majors, School of Population and Public Health students, and Master of Public Policy have the first consideration for enrollment Multidisciplinary inquiry into theory and practice concerned with delivery, quantity, costs of health care for individuals and populations. Explores managerial and policy concerns regarding structure, process, outcomes of health services including the costs, financing, organization, outcomes, and accessibility of care. ### UPPP 244 — Land-Use Policy - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Examination of the role of public policy in guiding growth and development in urban and suburban environments. Description of a wide-ranging set of growth policies, the rationales underlying their use, controversies and legal constraints, and evaluation of their effectiveness. ### UPPP 246 — Housing Policy - **Units:** 4 - **Prerequisite:** Familiarity with basic statistics is required - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/uppp.md) Examines theories and practices of housing policy and the relationship of housing to larger neighborhood, community, and regional development issues. Considers the roles of private for-profit and not-for-profit developers, lenders, and all levels of government in the provision of housing. ### UPPP 251 — Poverty and Development - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as SOCIOL 235 Examines competing conceptualizations, methods of measurement, and poverty alleviation strategies widely used in developing countries. Focuses on poverty conceptualized as economic deprivation, well-being, vulnerability, and social exclusion. ### UPPP 252 — Issues in Environmental Law and Policy - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as CRM/LAW C252 Treatment of legal and policy strategies for promoting environmental protection and deterring environmental degradation within the context of other societal objectives. Topical approach with a focus on problems of special interest to criminologists and to environmental policy specialists. ### UPPP 253 — Foundations of Public Administration - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/uppp.md) - Restrictions: Master of Public Administration only Introduction to the complex and interdisciplinary field of public administration. Topics include theories of public organizations, the role of bureaucracy in the political process, leadership and accountability, and the changing nature of public administration. ### UPPP 254 — Program Management and Evaluations - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: Master of Public Administration only Introduces students to the principles and practice of program evaluation and management. Emphasis is on both the theoretical foundations and practical applications in a variety of decision-making contexts within the public and nonprofit sectors. ### UPPP 255 — Public Budgeting and Financial Management - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: Master of Public Administration only The practice and problems of modern fiscal management in government, including budgetary procedures, major expenditure and revenue sources, and public financing methods. ### UPPP 256 — Sustainable Public Administration - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: Master of Public Administration only Overview of administrative structures that guide effective responses to complex environmental management challenges. Explores important questions regarding who makes environmental decisions, the processes behind those decisions, and the influence of political and economic power on environmental management. ### UPPP 257 — Designing and Consuming Research - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/uppp.md) - Restrictions: Master of Public Administration only In-depth examination of issues relevant to designing and evaluating research in public administration. Topics address ethical issues surrounding the responsible conduct of research, experimental, quasi-experimental, and case study designs, and reliability and validity of measurement. ### UPPP 258 — Ethics and Leadership - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: Master of Public Administration only The importance of ethical leadership and the many challenges to behaving ethically that leaders face in the public, private and non-profit sectors. Topics include diverse ethical theories and principles, theories of effective leadership, and approaches to fostering ethical behavior. ### UPPP 260 — Policy and Ethics - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: Public Policy majors only Examines the challenge of identifying ethical principles that can guide us in formulating and assessing public policy, the public policy process from an ethical perspective, and the ethics of the individual engaged in the public policy arena. ### UPPP 266 — Economic Democracy - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Explores a wide range of radical democratic and egalitarian visions (including but not limited to the Marxist tradition) for a more sane, just, and sustainable future. ### UPPP 271 — Public Finance for Urban Planning - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Introduction to public project financing, including overviews of major expenditure and revenue sources, budgeting processes, and the relationship between budgeting and planning. Practical skills covered include public financing methods, relevant mathematical analytic techniques, and grant writing. ### UPPP 272 — Site Development - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Basics of site plan review (e.g., site/plot plans, floor plans, elevations) to ensure compliance with the zoning code, comparison of ministerial vs. discretionary review processes, Intersection of California Environmental Quality Act with review processes, understanding reporting requirements. ### UPPP 273 — Global Urbanization - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Same as SOCIOL 252A Examines the spread of cities worldwide in the 20th century. What are the political and economic causes of this process? What are the social-cultural, political, and economic effects? How is contemporary urbanization linked to global restructuring of other kinds? ### UPPP 274A — MPP Capstone Research Project and Briefing - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: Master of Public Policy only. Must be taken at the end of the second year in the program Focuses on an issue by emphasizing all aspects of the policy process, including problem definition, mobilizing support, design, implementation, management, and entrepreneurship. Two quarters in length. Students work in teams and present their product to faculty, students, and policymakers. ### UPPP 274B — MPP Capstone Research Project and Briefing - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule - Restrictions: Master of Public Policy only. Must be taken at the end of the second year in the program Focuses on an issue by emphasizing all aspects of the policy process, including problem definition, mobilizing support, design, implementation, management, and entrepreneurship. Two quarters in length. Students work in teams and present their product to faculty, students, and policymakers. ### UPPP 275 — Special Topics in Urban Planning - **Units:** 2-4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 2 sections (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/uppp.md) - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times as topics vary Special topics in urban and regional planning are offered from time to time, but not on a regular basis. Course content varies with interest of the instructor. ### UPPP 276 — Planning for Sustainable Cities - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Measurement, implementation, and evaluation of urban sustainability practices. ### UPPP 277 — Site Planning and Design - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Enhance understanding of planning documents, including site plans, sections, design guidelines that are part of the everyday practice of most planners. Students gain opportunities to create a physical end product that can be added to a professional portfolio. ### UPPP 279 — Theories of Power and Empowerment - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Studies different ways of thinking about power and its uses. Explores theories of power that inform various notions of empowerment, including resistance, participatory democracy, and workplace empowerment. ### UPPP 280 — Transportation Practice - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Broad survey of transportation policy issues that are confronting transportation planners, engineers, policymakers, and citizens. ### UPPP 281 — Theoretical Approaches in Planning and Policy - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Provides students with an overview of how theory is employed in urban planning and public policy research. Distinguishes between macro, meso and micro theories, including critical approaches. Cuts across disciplinary and topical boundaries. Ph.D. level course. ### UPPP 282 — Urban Design Studio for Planners: An Introduction - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Introductory urban design for planners. Organized around a variety of assignments to encourage learning by design in a studio setting. Students work on design projects and drawing assignments to learn practical aspects of urban design. ### UPPP 283 — Collaborative Governance and Public Management - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/uppp.md) - Restrictions: Public Policy majors have the first consideration for enrollment Introduction to inclusive management. To make effective use of public resources, public managers are inventing ways of managing that alter relationships within organizations, between organizations, between sectors, and with the public. Requires rethinking fundamentals such as leadership and motivation. ### UPPP 284 — Environmental Theory and Topics - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Provides an overview of various theoretical approaches to the study of natural and built environments. Cuts across disciplinary boundaries. Canonical studies of the environment and sustainability are examined. Ph.D. level course. ### UPPP 285 — Urban Theory and Topics - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule An advanced course for Ph.D. students looking to study canonical and contemporary urban theory that is both interdisciplinary and global. ### UPPP 292 — Professional Report - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/uppp.md) Workshop designed to assist M.U.R.P. students in conducting their professional reports. Students select topics, design projects, conduct professional investigations, and write up reports. ### UPPP 293 — Planning Career Development - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/uppp.md) - Restrictions: Master of Urban and Regional Planning only Introduces students to the career options for urban planners. Provides opportunities to meet with professional planners practicing in a variety of settings (public, private, non-profit) and introduces students to professional norms, roles, and career paths. ### UPPP 294A — Urban Planning Practicum I - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/uppp.md) Engages students in practical planning projects in the community under a central theme within Planning. Students take a problem-solving approach and employ and further develop data gathering, analysis, graphic and oral communication, public engagement, and report writing skills. ### UPPP 294B — Urban Planning Practicum II - **Units:** 4 - **Prerequisite:** PP&D 294A with a minimum grade of B- - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Engages students in practical planning projects in the community under a central theme within Planning. Students take a problem-solving approach and employ and further develop data gathering, analysis, graphic and oral communication, public engagement, and report writing skills. ### UPPP 296 — Doctoral Dissertation Research and Writing - **Units:** 2-12 - **Prerequisite:** Advancement to candidacy - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 18 sections (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/uppp.md) - Grading Option: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory only - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times Dissertation research with Urban Planning and Public Policy faculty. ### UPPP 297 — Research Design - **Units:** 4 - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026 schedule Provides training in research design and methods. Students learn how to evaluate the strength of research findings based on the methods used by a researcher and learn to use lessons from the course to develop a research proposal. ### UPPP 298 — Directed Studies in Urban Planning - **Units:** 2-4 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 18 sections (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/uppp.md) - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times Directed studies in Urban Planning. ### UPPP 299 — Independent Study in Urban Planning - **Units:** 2-8 - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 18 sections (/c/uc-irvine/schedule/fall-2026/uppp.md) - Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times Independent Study in Urban Planning.