Department of City & Metropolitan Planning at University of Utah

Welcome to the Department of City & Metropolitan Planning 

The Department of City and Metropolitan Planning at the University of Utah is a vibrant community of students and faculty committed to exploring and guiding quality planning and development of our cities and metropolitan regions.

Join us for our 10 11 12 Lecture Series at the Leonardo!

2012 Mayor's Symposium a Huge Success!

This year's symposium was focused on the Granary District of Salt Lake City. Primarily known as an industrial area of the city, the Granary District is poised to experience a renaissance in activity and development. Click here to download the list of speakers and short briefs on their ideas and involvement with the Granary District.

PhD Fellowship in Ecological Planning at University of Utah

The College of Architecture + Planning (CA+P) at the University of Utah is pleased to announce the Ecological Planning Ph.D. Fellowship for 2012-5.

This fellowship will award $23,500 annually to a student pursuing a Ph.D. in Metropolitan Planning, Policy & Design at the CA+P. The student will also contribute to building a new university center that advances research and practice related to ecological planning.

The CA+P invites applications from students who will have completed a Masters degree in a related field such as planning, landscape architecture, ecology, environmental science, environmental humanities, or architecture by Spring 2012 and have demonstrated a strong interest in ecological planning. Applicants should send a brief letter of interest to Nan Ellin at nan.ellin@utah.edu and apply online to the Ph.D. program in Metropolitan Planning, Policy & Design by January 15, 2012.

Click here to download a .pdf of the fellowship announcement.

The 9 Line, developed by the Salt Lake City Workshop with the City of Salt Lake and other community partners, has been paved and celebrated its ribbon cutting on November 5, 2011. Graduate student Sean Morgan served as Team Leader on this project and undergraduate Joseph Briggs (pictured here) designed the logo that currently appears on the billboard at 9th West and 9th South. At the event, Mayor Ralph Becker spoke of the importance of the 9 Line and cut the ribbon by riding his bike through it with community members. For more information, click here or here. For ribbon cutting photo gallery, click here.

The Utah Chapter of the American Planning Association has recognized CA+P's Listening to Mobridge project with an Outstanding Achievement Award! Listening to Mobridge was a community workshop course conducted by Professor Goldsmith during the Fall 2010 semester. Participating students visited Mobridge, South Dakota to focus on the future of a 30-acre piece of lakefront property. They experienced firsthand the small community’s landscape and lifestyle and gained rich knowledge through their numerous conversations with Mobridge residents. Students then spent the rest of the semester debating and formulating ideas for developing the site. They returned in March to present their plan (download as PDF) to the city council and community.

One of many highlights of the ACSP conference: Salt Lake City Mayor Becker led a bike trip around the city for visiting planners on Oct. 14, 2011. Larger photo. (Photo credit: Will Becker)

Congratulations to the team behind the Central Pointe Urban Village Small Area Plan, one of CMP's latest Student Projects, for receiving the American Planning Association Award of Merit!

On September 14, Dr. Arthur C. Nelson was the Distinguished Eckdahl Lecturer at Kansas State University, where he presented his new area of work: What American Really Want. Larger photo.

On June 23, CMP students and Professor Ellin got an up-close view of the City Creek Center construction progress, thanks to Bill Williams, member of the CA+P Advisory Board and Director of Architecture for CCRI (City Creek Reserve, Inc). City Creek Center is scheduled to open March 22, 2012. Click here for photos from the tour.

Professors Bruce Appleyard, Reid Ewing, and Chris Nelson visited with HUD Secretary Shawn Donovan at the Wasatch Choices for 2040 kick-off on June 1, 2011 at the Rio Grande Depot. HUD awarded its maximum $5 million to the Wasatch Front Consortium that includes the Metropolitan Research Center. Click here for full-size photo.

In an article titled "Ghost of Past Visions Looking to the Future," new CA+P associate research professor Bruce Appleyard was recently featured in Sign On San Diego in anticipation of Appleyard's appearance at a planning forum in San Diego. Read the article here.

Department chair Nan Ellin has been awarded the Honors Professorship for 2011-12 by the Honors College to support the Salt Lake City Workshop. This workshop brings together students from the University with community partners to envision best possibilities and work toward realizing these visions. Ellin also received an ASU President’s Award for Sustainability as a team member on “The Future of Phoenix” project.

On April 28, the Department of City & Metropolitan Planning celebrated the end of the year with a celebration at Caffe Niche. In addition to food and drink, the department honored the year's outstanding students. For a list of award recipients and photos, click here.

Join CA+P and Jane's Walk USA for four different neighborhood tours in the Salt Lake and Heber Valleys on May 7 and 8. "Jane's Walks are organized in the spirit of Jacobs, who believed that people are at the heart of their cities," says Stephen Goldsmith, associate professor of city and metropolitan planning.

The University of Utah's MRED program, a joint program of the David Eccles School of Business and the College of Architecture and Planning, has been recognized as an accredited program by the CCIM Institute.

Exciting news for local transportation planners! US News & World Report has ranked Salt Lake City 2nd on its list of the "10 Best Cities for Public Transportation."

Congratulations to CMP professor Stephen Goldsmith, recently named the University Professor for Campus Sustainability. Visit the University's FYI News for an engaging Q&A with Professor Goldsmith.

The University of Utah is local host for the ACSP 52nd Annual Conference, Oct 13-16, 2011, at the Salt Lake City Marriott Downtown.

CA+P Dean Brenda Case Scheer's new book, The Evolution of Urban Form, examines why so many of our urban environments are resistant to change. Suitable for professional planners, architects, urban designers, and students, this book includes practical examples of how typology is critical to analytical, design, and regulatory situations. Read more at the American Planning Association website.

In their 4th annual "America’s Favorite Cities" survey, Travel + Leisure magazine ranks Salt Lake City on six lists! Appearing in the rankings for the first time, Salt Lake is ranked #1 in the Safety and Cleanliness categories, #3 in Public Parks + Access to the Outdoors, and #5 in 3 of the People categories: Attractive, Friendly, and Athletic/Active.