Gateway to the Profession of Planning
MIT's graduate course introduces the mindset and professional sensibilities that underlie effective urban planning practice. Delivered through MIT OpenCourseWare, the materials include the full syllabus, weekly readings, discussion topics, and assignments used in the on campus seminar for incoming planning students. Rather than teaching technical methods, the course asks students to examine how planners think: how they frame problems, weigh competing values, and act under uncertainty in real communities. Topics include the history and self-conception of the planning profession, ethical dilemmas planners face, and case discussions drawn from actual planning practice. All course materials are free to access and reuse under MIT's open license, though there is no certificate or instructor interaction since this is a self-paced archive of a taught class rather than a live offering.