About the Department
The Department of City and Regional Planning at Cornell University provides a dynamic, rigorous, and supportive context to address the most urgent planning questions of our time.
Our faculty and students plan for a sustainable future through work on climate adaptation, sustainable transportation and infrastructure systems, affordable housing, economic development, and environmental justice. We challenge inequality by embedding justice and equity in plans, policies, and processes that shape governance and institutions. We transform the built environment through urban design, historic preservation, and reuse. We map, model, and analyze cities using GIS, urban data analytics, spatial and statistical analysis, qualitative methods, and storytelling. We engage communities through ethical and accountable collaborative partnerships and participatory research and teaching.
At CRP, the next generation of planners and urbanists are equipped to work across multiple scales, inspired by global practice, and make local impact to shape cities and regions, now and in the future.
It’s an important time to be a planner and urban scholar. We have an imperative to think and work differently, to draw on interdisciplinary approaches, and to engage the crises and creativity that define cities across the world.
Our Approach
Degree Programs
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Bachelor of Science in Urban and Regional Studies
URS students go on to work in a diverse array of fields from urban plann…
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Master of Regional Planning
A multifaceted, trans-disciplinary program that prepares the next genera…
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Master of Science in Regional Science
A multidisciplinary field that explores how geographic location and spat…
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Master of Arts in Historic Preservation Planning
Dedicated to protecting, maintaining, and planning for buildings, sites,…
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Doctor of Philosophy in City and Regional Planning
Training the next generation of innovative and cutting-edge planning sch…
CRP Faculty Collaborate with
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95
Universities and Research Institutes Around the World
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80
Non-profits and NGOs
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54
Policymaking Agencies
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38
Institutes and Programs Across Cornell
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31
Cities and Municipalities
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12
Companies
Upcoming and Ongoing Events
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![a person pins up content on a wall with a city scape in the window.]()
Feb 9–Mar 9
Open Houses: City Visionaries Summer Program for High School Students
Join us for an open house, where we’ll share information and answer questions about City Visionaries, a new summer program for high school students in New York City.
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![A stone, gothic style university building surrounded by a highly manicured lawn.]()
Feb 27
Davarian Baldwin: The Campus as Planning Apparatus — Land Controls, Labor Management, and Local Governance
Attend this lecture by Davarian L. Baldwin, who will examine how the physical form of “the campus” operates as a planning tool that transforms neighborhood blocks into engines of university and corporate wealth through land control, labor management, and the semi-private governance of host communities.
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![A grand stone entrance gate decorated with red flags and lanterns leads into a busy tree-lined campus.]()
Mar 6
Sainan Lin: From Redevelopment to Coproduction — Urban Renewal and Community Governance in China
Guest professor Sainan Lin examines China’s shift from state-led redevelopment to collaborative urban renewal, using Wuhan’s Jianghanli community as a case study.
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![A mural of three women with afro hairstyles, adorned with colorful flowers and face paint, symbolizing themes of racial injustice.]()
Mar 13
Erin Benay: Sharing the Same Park Bench — Art as Urban Development in the Rust Belt
Attend a lecture with art historian Erin Benay on how murals shape community, memory, and social change through public art and activism.
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![A miniature city model with streets, buildings, and public transportation.]()
Mar 20
Frank E. Tolbert: Planning in Practice — Subregional Transportation Planning and Professional Skills in Contemporary Urban Planning
Attend a lecture examinig how subregional planning functions as a critical bridge between municipal needs, regional policy frameworks, and state and federal transportation objectives.
In the Media Trump Plans to Ban Big Investors From Buying Houses. Will That Lower Prices?
New York Magazine — Real Estate and CRP Associate Professor Suzanne Lanyi Charles does not expect it will have a huge impact on prices but notes that it could combat negative effects on tenants.
In the Media Iran’s Capital Is Moving. The Reason Is an Ecological Catastrophe
Scientific American — CRP Associate Professor Linda Shi comments on the political motivations behind relocating Iran’s capital, noting that Tehran’s severe water shortages stem not only from drought but also from decades of mismanagement and land subsidence, which the government is now using to justify moving the capital to the Makran coast.
Stories Local Volunteer Powers Rural Resilience with Student Support
Beth Harrington worked with CRP and CALS Professor Mildred Warner’s graduate students to survey her community and address concerns about communication in emergencies.
Stories
Alum Leads Urban Design Collective that Preserves Black Community
Cornellians profiles Emma Osore (B.S. URS ’09) cofounder and executive director of BlackSpace, a collective of planners, architects, artists, and designers who work to protect, elevate, and create Black spaces.
Stories Cornell AAP to Launch First New York City-based High School Summer Program
Cornell AAP recently announced an opportunity for rising high school juniors and seniors to join City Visionaries, the newest addition to the Gensler Family AAP NYC Center’s (AAP NYC) immersive slate of New York City-based programs.
In the Media For These Old Bus Stations, It’s Not the End of the Line
Bloomberg — CRP Associate Professor Nicholas Klein comments on the evolution of modern transportation hubs and the shift to curbside service.
Student Work
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![Black and white poster with building clip art.]()
Vincent Zhang
B.Arch. '26 -
![Eight renderings of people engaging with vendors in various scenarios.]()
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![3D rendering of an older multi level home on a neighborhood street corner.]()
Katie Barnes
M.R.P. '25 -
![Green park with large leafy trees and a blue park bench.]()
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![Hands sort through hand written notes scattered on a table.]()
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![Gray, white, and black rendering of a city street with buses, people, and shops.]()
Maurice Bradford
B.S. URS '20 -
![Charcoal artwork of a torso with a black background.]()
Lela Robinson
B.S. URS '20, M.L.A. '23 - Keep Browsing
