Advanced Sustainable Urban Design

Why study Advanced Sustainable Urban Design at Dundee?

Patrick Geddes (1854-1932), the Scottish urbanist, biologist and former Chair of Botany at the University of Dundee introduced the 'Valley Section', as a representation of inter-relationships between the natural and built environment and the social, cultural, economic and political life of communities living in and around a city. This notion of 'sustainable urbanism' advocated by Geddes, is particularly significant in an increasingly globalising world, where mobility of people has widened choices of where they 'live' and 'work'. Such an endeavour calls for an urban design education to create professionals who can understand, evaluate and design high quality places.

The legacy of urbanist philosophy advocated by Patrick Geddes provides a good starting place for the advancement of skills for an urban design profession. Equally, with £1 billion waterfront regeneration work taking place in the heart of the city of Dundee which includes £45 million investment in the only other branch of the Victoria and Albert museum outside London, there are ample opportunities to understand the inter-relationships between 'discourse' and 'practice' in shaping high quality places. In this regard, the School of the Environment at the University of Dundee is delighted to offer this opportunity to aspiring urban design professionals, to learn how to plan, design, develop and deliver sustainable urban environments.

Professional Accreditation

The new MSc Advanced Sustainable Urban Design programme is accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) as a specialist masters degree and can therefore lead to full RTPI accreditation for students with an undergraduate degree in town planning that is partially accredited by the RTPI.

This course aims to provide skills, impart knowledge and develop competencies in the delivery, design and development of sustainable urban projects. This will be in reference to landscape urbanism, urban microclimate, climate change, sustainable material, and urban layout in an international context.

It will give you an opportunity to identify models and strategies of good practice in urban design to support sustainable urban development and to assess the sustainability elements of development schemes.