Program Overview

This degree explores what cities are, and what they can be. It goes beyond the concept of a smart city to also cover important technological, social, economic and sustainability issues to ensure a comprehensive and holistic approach to cities of today and tomorrow.

This degree will help students build and develop efficient, sustainable and community-based cities and cultivate awareness of interdisciplinary history of modern cities, urban economics, city development and planning theory, urban ecology, digital transformation, informatics, policy and decision making, demography, and applied problem-solving and research methods. Providing an all-encompassing view of the development of the city, the program also addresses key subjects such as water, food, waste, transport, education and energy systems, taking into account complex interactions between each of the elements. Smart Cities is an emerging interdisciplinary plan of action that includes the designer, the technologist and the humanist all working together. It prepares graduates for smart cities that can talk, giving live status updates through networks on traffic patterns, pollution, parking, water and energy and other vital information.

Program Goals

• Furnish the tools to apply the various elements of a smart city to enhance the quality of urban life for citizens.
• Apply the tools learned in the program to a body of data to deliver a high-quality body of research.

Program Learning Outcomes

• Conduct a City Impact Assessment Utilizing Both Qualitative and Quantitative Methods.
• Develop Systems to Support Effective Governance and Responsive Citizen Engagement.
• Analyze and Manage Plans for Accessible Infrastructure.
• Assess the Feasibility of Smart City Data Infrastructure Networks and Technologies.
• Measure Energy and Environmental Impacts.
• Apply the Analysis of Big Data to Common Urban Problems and Service Delivery.