Big Plans and Mega-Urban Landscapes
MIT's course examines how cities and regions absorb massive planning interventions, from new towns to infrastructure corridors to redevelopment zones. Case studies span local and international projects, tracing the physical, ecological, technological, political, economic, and cultural consequences of large-scale urban change. Lectures come from practicing planners and designers who have worked on these projects firsthand, giving the material a practitioner's view rather than a purely academic one. Assignments ask students to develop planning and design strategies that operate across multiple scales, from a single site to an entire region, and across different time horizons, from immediate construction phases to decades-long buildout. The course is offered through MIT OpenCourseWare with course materials, readings, and assignments freely available online. It suits students of urban planning, architecture, or geography who want to understand how big plans actually get built and what they change once they exist.