Course Spotlights - Spring 2026
Want to make a real difference in your community? Take an Urban Studies and Planning course in Spring 2026.
Learn how to shape future cities with a focus on sustainability, transportation, and community design. You’ll get practical experience and work with experts as you tackle current urban challenges. Sign up now for Spring 2026 courses and start your journey to becoming an urban planner!
URBS 220 Cities and Climate Change
Introduction to the complex relationship between the urban and global environments. This course explores the scientific, social, economic, and cultural aspects of climate change, and addresses mitigation and adaptation strategies for cities and regions. Emphasis on the critical analysis and development of climate action plans.
- Available for General Education, Basic Skills, A3 Critical Thinking.
- Tuesdays & Thursdays from 1:00PM - 2:15PM
URBS 310 Growth and Sustainable Development of Cities
Examination of the forces contributing to the form, structure and sustainable development of cities. Emphasis on urban areas of the U.S. Conservation of resources and heritage in city development will be considered.
- Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement.
- Available for General Education, Area 4 Social and Behavioral Sciences. (W.I.)
- Fully Online on Mondays & Wednesdays from 10:00AM - 11:15AM or 11:30AM - 12:45PM or 1:00PM - 2:15PM
URBS 350 Cities of the Developing World
Urbanization process of cities with an emphasis on the historical background and the social, economic, cultural and political factors responsible for shaping cities in the developing world. Spatial dimensions of the urbanization process and common urban problems are explored using case studies of cities in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East and Asia.
- Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement.
- Available for General Education, CSUN Section F Comparative Cultural Studies. (W.I.)
- Tuesdays & Thursdays from 10:00AM - 11:15AM
URBS 380 Los Angeles: Past, Present, Future
Multidisciplinary investigation of the Los Angeles urban area, its patterns of population and resources distribution; its historical, economic, social and cultural developments; and policies models designed to cope with its problems and to develop its potential as an ethnically diverse metropolis on the Pacific Rim. Application of social science methodology. Series of faculty and guest speakers, weekly discussion sessions and field trips.
URBS 495D Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design
This course explores how design of the built environment influences safety, community, and quality of life. We’ll look at recent research, contemporary theory, and practical applications across a wide range of settings, including multi-family mixed-use housing, traditional neighborhood planning, high-rise offices, commercial and retail spaces, and streetscape design. A key focus will be on Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), an approach that integrates safety and crime prevention strategies directly into the way we design the built environment. CPTED relies on principles such as natural access control, natural surveillance, visibility, and territorial reinforcement. Together, these strategies give architects, urban planners, criminologists, sociologists, and community leaders powerful tools to enhance public safety and community well-being. Real-world case studies from Southern California and other parts of the U.S. will provide examples of how these concepts are applied in practice.
- Prerequisite: Upper division standing or instructor consent.
- Tuesdays & Thursdays from 2:30PM - 3:45PM
