Masters in Urban Practice

Curriculum Structure
The Core represents the IIHS’ focus on the holistic development of the learner. Once a learner has made her way through the Commons, she can choose in her second year to Concentrate to develop depth in a particular practice area and knowledge domain. Concentrations are chosen by learners in consultation with their faculty advisors to reflect their interests and future career choices as well as give them an opportunity to attain depth and skills in a particular interdisciplinary area.

Core

The Core represents the IIHS’ focus on the holistic development of the learner with a range of sensibilities and agency as an ethical practitioner via a multi-dimensional set of learning experiences rooted in South Asian culture. At its most concrete, the Core will be transacted as set of workshops, seminars, field trips and learning experiences. As the figure shows, the Core is conceptualised as a series of engagements with:

The Self Society and Environment Professional practice Click on this image to enlarge

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Commons

The Commons is the shared interdisciplinary curriculum taken in their first year by all MUP learners and is the foundation of IIHS’ unique learning experience. It encapsulates essential knowledge domains and cross-cutting skills and perspectives that are central to the education of the Urban Practitioner. It represents the foundational principles of multiple disciplines and approaches needed to engage with and practice within human settlements.

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Concentrations

The concentrations progressively on offer at IIHS are:

• Planning- Explore concepts and theories of social change; forms of planning; training on research, leadership, communication, organisational management. Streams offered within planning offered: development, environment, housing, infrastructure and services, urban design, law, policy and governance.
• Policy and Governance- Expertise in policy, law and governance, public finance, institutions and policy-making processes, macro project design and implementation with a focus on economic and political systems that impact human settlements.
• Economic Development- Understand, manage and respond to economic development challenges; Critical application of modern economic analysis and tools, quantitative methods for policy analysis and evaluation; Perspectives on debates about approaches to economic development and policy.
• Human Development- Understanding governance, policy and planning for human development; Issues of social infrastructure, citizenship and politics; Advanced methods in human development, including impact assessment, policy analysis, monitoring and evaluation and project management.
• Land and Housing- Focus on land use, development and planning in settlements; on design, supply and regulation of housing; on project design and management, technology production and delivery systems; housing and land management challenges such as land acquisition and resettlement and land markets.
• Infrastructure- Emphasis on planning, design, management, economics and finance in physical infrastructure sectors such as water supply, storm water and waste water management, solid waste management, energy services, mobility and communication.
• Design- Critically rethink conventional design practice for creation of vibrant settlements; unified perspective on urban design, landscape and architecture.
• Environment- Understanding relationships between environment, climate change, settlements and social systems at global, national and local levels; analytical rigour and ability to work across scales, disciplines and sectors.
• Risk Mitigation and Climate Change- Will cover a range of natural and man-made disasters, focus on disaster recovery and rehabilitation and risk mitigation with emphasis on vulnerability.

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