International Studies in Planning Concentration

International Studies in Planning (ISP) is both a curricular concentration within the department and a program of the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies at Cornell. Most students in ISP also do coursework within the other two departmental concentrations. In addition, Cornell's preeminent global position in international development work allows students to draw on a huge range of faculty and courses across the university. Graduates find positions as policy analysts and project managers in national and international development agencies, government foreign assistance programs, NGOs, and as planners both in the private and public sector in various countries around the world.

Students probe urban, regional, and international development processes and their implications for the lives and livelihoods of people in diverse international contexts. Students learn to critically assess international development policies and analyze the design and implementation of programs that reflect a commitment to environmental sustainability, economic vitality, and social justice.

With this course of study, students use the tools of planning analysis to:

• Plan, implement, and evaluate urban and regional development projects in a range of international contexts
• Incorporate race, class, and gender equity concerns in international planning and development practice
• Design programs and policies that contribute to environmental sustainability
• Foster broad and meaningful participation in development programs
• Build organizational capacity to design and execute successful projects and programs

U.S. based students interested in international careers as well as international students interested in returning to work in their countries of origin, enroll in ISP related courses. Most ISP students affiliate with area-studies programs on campus and work overseas in winter or summer breaks on research or projects. Through the Mario Einaudi Center, ISP offers competitive fellowships to support summer research and spring semester international internships through the Cornell in Rome program.

Students completing the ISP concentration may wish to select courses from the following lists:

• CRP 6700 Regional Planning and Development in Developing Nations
• CRP 6720 International Institutions
• CRP 5076 Project Planning in Developing Countries
• CRP 6760 Latin American Cities
• CRP 6790 Infrastructure in the Third World
• CRP 6102 Economics of Financial Crises
• CRP 6120 Devolution, Privatization, and the New Public Management
• CRP 6150 Current Issues and Debates on NGO's
• CRP 6270 Regional Economic Impact Analysis
• CRP 6210 Quantitative Techniques for Policy Analysis and Management
• CRP 6710 Seminar on International Planning
• CRP 6740 Urban Transformations in the Global South
• CRP 6770 Issues in African Development

Other CRP courses with some international content:

• CRP 6504 Comparative Urban Development: The European Case
• CRP 6503 Comparative Land Use Policy
• CRP 6502 Suburbia

Students should consult with CRP faculty and the appropriate area-studies program, which offer important compilations of area-related courses across the university. Courses are likely to be in the following fields: development sociology, industrial and labor relations, government, anthropology, natural resources, nutrition, and applied economics and management, among others based on a student's interest. Cornell's three National Resource Centers funded area-studies programs in East Asia, South-East Asia, and South Asia all offer Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships to U.S. citizens.