Urban Planning (Non-Thesis): Transportation Planning (M.U.P.) (60 credits)
Offered by: Urban Planning (Faculty of Engineering)
Degree: Master of Urban Planning
Program credit weight: 60
Program Description
The Master of Urban Planning (M.U.P.) Urban Planning (Non-Thesis); Transportation Planning option enables students to specialize in this field as part of their course of study for the Master of Urban Planning degree (M.U.P.). Studio courses, an internship, and a final project involve real-life applications and research.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Required Courses (49 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| URBP 505 | Geographic Information Systems. | 3 |
Geographic Information Systems. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to fundamental geographic information system (GIS) concepts and a range of GIS applications in urban and regional planning. | ||
| URBP 609 | Visual Communication 1. | 1 |
Visual Communication 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Techniques used for visual communication in planning practice, including a basic introduction to software. | ||
| URBP 610 | Visual Communication 2. | 1 |
Visual Communication 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Refinement of techniques used for visual communication in planning practice, including basic use of software. | ||
| URBP 611 | Data Visualization for Planning. | 1 |
Data Visualization for Planning. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to data visualization for planning, using computer applications. | ||
| URBP 612 | History and Theory of Planning. | 3 |
History and Theory of Planning. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A review of planning history and theories of planning. These are examined under three categories: explanation of urban phenomena, substantive theory, and theories of process. | ||
| URBP 619 | Land Use and Transport Planning. | 4 |
Land Use and Transport Planning. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Analysis of transport and land use interactions in urban areas. Study of the impacts of transport systems on travel behaviour, residential and work location decisions, and urban form; discussion of implications for planning practice. | ||
| URBP 622 | Planning Studio 1. | 6 |
Planning Studio 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduction to planning practice based on real-world urban research and planning at the neighbourhood level. Topics: problem definition, methods for data collection and analysis, goal setting, design and analysis of alternative plans, public policy, plan implementation, and professional presentation techniques. Students work in interdisciplinary teams on assessments of current living conditions and on plans to improve them, including policies and projects related to housing, public space, infrastructure and services, and community development. Research and recommendations are presented in oral presentations and written reports. | ||
| URBP 623 | Planning Studio 2. | 6 |
Planning Studio 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Research and planning techniques for land development. Students work in teams to do research on context, program and precedents and develop a detailed plan for a site that poses urban and/or environmental challenges. Topics: site analysis, market analysis, and financial analysis; land-use regulation, real-estate development, residential planning, and housing policy; data collection and analysis, design and evaluation of alternatives, and project implementation. | ||
| URBP 624 | Planning Studio 3. | 6 |
Planning Studio 3. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Exploration of complex planning problems at the local or regional scale, chosen depending on the experience and research interests of the participants, for the acquisition of research and planning skills in greater depth. Students work in teams to fulfill a mandate for a public, private or third-sector client. Substantive issues vary according to clients. Topics: project management, client-consultant interactions, and professional communication. | ||
| URBP 628 | Practical Experience. | 0 |
Practical Experience. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An internship related to the practice of urban planning is required. The practical experience must be of at least 360 hours' duration and be supervised by a professional in the planning field. An evaluation of the student's performance by the supervisor, as well as a short report by the student, forms the basis for assessment. | ||
| URBP 630 | Supervised Research Project 1. | 3 |
Supervised Research Project 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Supervised research project, providing foundations to focus on a particular area of enquiry in planning. | ||
| URBP 631 | Supervised Research Project 2. | 3 |
Supervised Research Project 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Continuation of the requirements for the Supervised Research Project. | ||
| URBP 632 | Supervised Research Project 3. | 6 |
Supervised Research Project 3. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Continuation of the requirements for the Supervised Research Project. | ||
| URBP 635 | Planning Law. | 3 |
Planning Law. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A comparative study of private and public control of land use and development, including master plans, zoning bylaws, subdivision control, urban redevelopment, expropriation, regional planning, environmental protection, and heritage conservation. | ||
| URBP 640 | Introduction to Planning Statistics. | 1 |
Introduction to Planning Statistics. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduction to descriptive and inferential statistics, focusing on building confidence and intuition in using and manipulating quantitative information. Correlation, t-tests, chi-squared tests, and bivariate regression. | ||
| URBP 641 | Reading the Urban Landscape . | 1 |
Reading the Urban Landscape . Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An overview of selected passive techniques that may be used to assess the congruence between urban environments and people as they go about their daily activities. These techniques include: (1) observing physical traces, (2) observing behaviour, (3) cognitive mapping and wayfinding, and (4) the assessment of the overall quality of urban environments. | ||
| URBP 642 | Introduction to Planning Data. | 1 |
Introduction to Planning Data. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Techniques of exploratory data analysis. Data cleaning and transformation. Visualization techniques. Census data and the methods most commonly used to analyze them. Principles of reproducible research. | ||
Complementary Courses (11 credits)
Group A
5-11 credits from the following:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CIVE 540 | Urban Transportation Planning. | 3 |
Urban Transportation Planning. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Process and techniques of urban transportation engineering and planning, including demand analysis framework, data collection procedures, travel demand modelling and forecasting, and cost-effectiveness framework for evaluation of project and system alternatives. | ||
| CIVE 561 | Greenhouse Gas Emissions. | 3 |
Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Greenhouse gas inventories at various scales from national to institutional. Emission estimation methods including field measurements and engineering calculations for anthropogenic sources including fossil fuel combustion from transportation and energy production, cement production, hydroelectric reservoirs, oil and gas systems, landfills, wastewater treatment and sewer systems, and agriculture. Technical and policy options for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Group project. | ||
| CIVE 661 | Modelling of Transportation Emissions. | 4 |
Modelling of Transportation Emissions. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Interactions between transportation modeling and emissions modeling; models for on-road and non-road emissions; impacts of technology, fuel quality, and driving behaviour on the generation of vehicle emissions. Effects of alternative fuels. | ||
| URBP 503 | Public Transport: Planning and Operations. | 3 |
Public Transport: Planning and Operations. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Overview of topics in planning and operations for public transport with special emphasis on best-practice strategies of contemporary urban systems. | ||
| URBP 504 | Planning for Active Transportation. | 3 |
Planning for Active Transportation. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The importance of transit, walking, and cycling as modes of transportation in sustainable urban environments. Planning, design, and operation of mass transit systems, bikeways, and footpaths. | ||
| URBP 506 | Environmental Policy and Planning. | 3 |
Environmental Policy and Planning. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Analytical and institutional approaches for understanding and addressing environmental issues at various scales; characteristics of environmental issues, science-policy-politics interactions relating to the environment, and implications for policy; sustainability, and the need for and challenges associated with interdisciplinary perspectives; externalities and their regulation; public goods; risk perception and implications; the political-institutional context and policy instruments; cost-benefit analysis; multiple-criteria decision-making approaches; multidimensional life-cycle analysis; policy implementation issues; conflict resolution; case studies. | ||
| URBP 536 | Current Issues in Transportation 1. | 2 |
Current Issues in Transportation 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Current transportation issues and topics are addressed from practitioner and academic perspectives. | ||
| URBP 537 | Current Issues in Transportation 2. | 2 |
Current Issues in Transportation 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Current transportation issues and topics are addressed from the perspectives of both professional practitioners and academics. | ||
| URBP 608 | Advanced GIS Applications. | 3 |
Advanced GIS Applications. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduces students to real-world geographic information systems (GIS) problems and enhances the mastering of the geographic information systems as a tool for solving complex urban planning problems. Students will analyze several planning research problems spatially and introduce solutions to these issues. | ||
| URBP 620 | Transport Economics. | 4 |
Transport Economics. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Economic and financial aspects of urban transport policies and planning. Introduction to impact assessment techniques for major transport projects and policies; discussion of political debates concerning transport financing. | ||
| URBP 643 | Selected Geographic Information Systems Applications . | 1 |
Selected Geographic Information Systems Applications . Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Selected applications in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) related to urban planning. | ||
Group B
0-6 credits of coursework at the 500 or 600 level offered by any offered by any academic unit at McGill or another Montreal university, with the approval of the School, if they help students to develop an in-depth knowledge of one or more subject areas in the field of planning. Choices usually include courses in real-estate analysis, urban geography, sociology, anthropology, law, politics, and environmental science. Students must confirm prior to registration that the selected course(s) can be counted toward the M.U.P. degree.