Gateway: Planning Action
MIT's introduction to urban planning theory and history, designed for incoming Master in City Planning students but open to all through OpenCourseWare. The course uses real-world cases rather than straight lecture to examine the power and limits of planning, the competing roles planners occupy in communities worldwide, and the political and ethical dilemmas practitioners face. It condenses the planning history, politics, and ethics content normally spread across several required courses in accredited US planning programs into one gateway course, while adding assignments meant to build professional communication skills. Materials include case studies, readings, and assignments as published on MIT OpenCourseWare, free to access with no certificate offered.