Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP)

Core Requirements (18 credit hours)

Capstone Project (6 credit hours)

or

Electives (24 credit hours)

Together with their adviser, students select elective credit hours using coursework from across the university. Students and advisers also develop individualized areas of concentration that include courses relevant to their interests. Sample concentrations are provided below and in the MURP handbook, but students may also work with their advisors to design a custom concentration that fits their particular interests: 

• Environmental Policy and Planning
•  Land Use and Physical Development Planning 
• Housing, Community, and Economic Development 
• International Development Planning 
• Transportation Planning and Policy
• Planning Analytics 
• Urban Design

The MURP program is practically oriented, heavily featuring studios and other applies projects. Examples of past studio projects include:

SPRING 2020

SUBJECT: Small Businesses in Neighborhoods Surrounding VT's Innovation Campus
PROFESSOR: Margaret Cowell

In Spring 2020,  students analyzed the current small business ecosystem in the neighborhoods that surround the new Innovation Campus site and provided recommendations to both Virginia Tech and the City of Alexandria about ways to respond to the impacts of this investment. This work also resulted in a StoryMap they created and posted online for relevant stakeholders to access as needed. For more details please see: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=f9515c2a99194b66bb774f28ae132c62

Fall 2020 Year Long Studio

SUBJECT:  Enhanced Near Miss Survey to Improve Pedestrian Safety
PROFESSOR: Tom Sanchez

Our studio class worked with Alexandria Families for SAfe Streets (AFSS). AFSS and its affiliated Families for Safe Streets (FSS) chapters in Arlington and Fairfax County (collectively referred to as the Northern Virginia Families for Safe Street or “NoVA FSS”), have the Near Miss survey on their respective web sites where pedestrians and other vulnerable road users can report vehicle / pedestrian “near miss” incidents that were almost crashes as well as describe dangerous locations so that pedestrians and/or bikers.

Currently, there is limited data analytics regarding the Near Miss/Dangerous Location survey on the AFSS website, but it will soon be upgraded to an Esri software platform with GIS mapping thanks to the work that the capstone studio class at the VT Masters of Urban and Regional planning is about to complete. The VT Graduate students have also built the platform so that VDOT’s TREDS crash data involving pedestrians and cyclists can be displayed by the jurisdictions of Alexandria, Arlington, and Fairfax and then the Near Miss data can overlay the TREDS crash sites to compare where the history of crashes have happened versus where the NM incidents are happening in more of a real time setting. One can visually see the correlation (or not) of reported Near Miss incidents versus historical crash sites. For more information please see: https://www.alxffss.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/04/Alexandria-Families-for-Safe-Streets-Newsletter_Spring-2021.pdf

Spring 2019 E-Scooter Studio

SUBJECT:  Shared Mobility Devices in Arlington
PROFESSOR: Ralph Buehler

Dockless e-scooters, e-bikes, and pedal bikes, also known has shared mobility devices (SMDs), have recently emerged as another mobility option available for rental in many major cities across the US. Our study surveyed 182 Rosslyn residents, workers, and visitors about their experience with and attitudes towards dockless e-bikes and e-scooters. In Addition, we counted over 600 parked e-scooters in three neighborhoods in Arlington County to evaluate how many were parked correctly.
Our study resulted in the following findings:
• E-scooter users are younger, more racially/ethnically diverse, and financially less well-off than non-users. User and non-user gender distributions are similar.
• Respondents choose e-scooters as the fastest option to make practical trips such as errands and work.
• Respondents would use e-scooters more frequently if they had safer places to ride, if prices were lower, and if accessing e-scooters were more convenient.
• E-scooters are more likely to replace car (mainly TNC and taxi) trips than public transit trips.
• Perceptions of e-scooter safety and parking impacts to sidewalks vary sharply between users and non-users—with more negative opinions for non-users.
• The most frequent causes of improper parking are that scooters were not upright, blocked the pedestrian right of way, or were on private property.
• Many respondents are unfamiliar with SMD rules in Arlington County.
We presented the results of this studio class at the TRB annual meeting and published a peer-reviewed paper:
James, O., Swiderski, JI, Hicks, J., Teoman, D., and Buehler, R. 2019. Pedestrians and E-Scooters: An Initial Look at E-Scooter Parking and Perceptions by Riders and Non-Riders. Sustainability, Vol 11, No. 20, 5591; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11205591.”

Fall 2019: Year Long

SUBJECT: Affordable Housing in Arlington and Alexandria
PROFESSOR: Shelley Mastran

The year-long capstone studio focused student research on projects related to affordable housing in Arlington and Alexandria. During the fall, all 12 students worked on a history of residential development in Arlington County as it relates to planning and zoning. Students traced the evolution of housing patterns from the late 19th century to today. One of the major findings of the study is that through its zoning ordinances and comprehensive plans, Arlington reinforced the dominance of single-family subdivisions across the landscape, which has contributed to today’s dearth of housing that is affordable to those of low and middle income.

During the spring semester the class divided into groups, working on projects related to affordable housing in the city of Alexandria. These projects include studying the results of a resident survey in Del Ray and Arlandria; identifying underutilized parcels of land that would be suitable for “missing middle” housing; identifying financial mechanisms for providing Accessory Dwelling Units; conducting case studies of “co-living,” such as rooming houses, that would be applicable to Alexandria; inventorying and analyzing the range of mixed-income assisted living facilities across the U.S.; and studying barriers to building affordable housing in northern Virginia and conducting a cross-jurisdictional analysis of the housing development process

FALL 2019 Year Long Studio

SUBJECT: Craft Beer and Urban and Regional Planning
PROFESSOR: Theodore Lim

Craft breweries are enjoying a surge of popularity, growing from an estimated eight craft brewery operations in 1981, to over 4,500 microbreweries and almost 2,600 brewpubs as of 2018 (Brewer’s Association, 2019). In 2018, small and independent brewers comprised 13.2% of market share by volume, and 24.1% market share by retail value (ibid). Craft breweries are not just significant symbol of the US’ changing taste in beer. Their presence in local communities are also creating interesting spaces where people can gather, revitalizing downtowns, adapting historic buildings, and creating linkages between outdoor recreation, and the local business and food movements. Regionally, some areas are promoting craft breweries as part of a regional economic development strategy related to tourism and food and beverage processing. The growth in popularity in craft breweries is not without its challenges however. Examples of concerns accompanying brewery establishment include: increased congestion, public drunkenness, cultural changes, resident quality of life vs tourism development, infrastructural constraints, and environmental impacts.

In this studio we will examine the role urban and regional planners play in balancing the goals of community and economic development, infrastructure capacity, quality of life, environmental amenity, historical preservation, and sustainability. We will conduct in-depth site research using interviews, surveys, and photography in the City of Asheville, NC, known for its craft beer culture and tourism industries, and apply lessons learned to deliverables we prepare for our clients: (1) the Town of Blacksburg, VA; (2) the Blacksburg Partnership; (3) Onward New River Valley; and (4) the Brewer’s Association.

SPRING 2019 Year Long Studio

SUBJECT: Preparing Communities for Automated Vehicles
PROFESSORS: Wenwen Zhang and Theodore Lim

Description: Automated vehicles (AVs) are vehicles that require no driver. These vehicles represent the culmination of several rapidly developing technologies, such as remote sensing, machine-learning, and computer vision, and are capable of transporting passengers with little to no human input. In this studio, students explore what local agencies, policy-makers, planners, and residents can do to prepare their communities for local changes associated with the coming of AVs. While no one can predict the timeline of AV implementation with complete certainty, we can expect that AVs will have a profound impact on many aspects of private and personal life over the next decades, including: 1) individual vehicle travel, 2) public transit, 3) parking, 4) the metropolitan footprint, 5) parks and open space, 6) affordable housing and 7) employment. The challenge to planners and policy- makers is that the future of AVs is both uncertain and highly impactful. We will work to identify case studies of what planners can do to plan in the face of such uncertain, impactful change, as well as survey planners’ own perceptions of their communities’ readiness.

SPRING 2017 Transportation Studio

SUBJECT: Capital Bikeshare station expansion, feasibility study in Merrifield, VA
PROFESSOR: Dr. Ralph Buehler
Bikeshare is a convenient mode of neighborhood circulation that can also improve first and last mile access to public transportation. In the Fall of 2016, Fairfax County launched bikeshare in Tysons as well as Reston. In an effort to further expand their bikeshare network, the Fairfax County Department of Transportation has reached out to Virginia Tech to develop a feasibility study for a bikeshare expansion to Merrifield, Virginia. 

Students can obtain a Graduate Certificate (or certificates) while completing the MURP degree. Certificates are a way to develop expertise in a particular area, and to have that expertise recognized. Some of these certificates are also open to non-degree seeking students enrolled in the Commonwealth Campus program. Availability of certificates varies by campus.

Students can pursue dual degrees, gaining knowledge and credentialling in complementary domains. UAP students have completed simultaneous graduate degrees in:

• Landscape Architecture (MLA) 

• Public Administration (MPA)

• Geography (MSc) 

• Natural Resources (MNR)

• Performing Arts (MFA)

• Civil Engineering (MS CE) and Environmental Engineering (MS ENE)

1. Environmental and Water Resources

2. Geotechnical Engineering 

3. Structural Engineering and Materials

4. Transportation Infrastructure & Systems Engineering

5. Construction Engineering & Management

Interested students must apply and be accepted into both programs and submit an Application for Simultaneous Degree to the Graduate School. Please consult the Graduate Catalog for more information. 

Both the Blacksburg and Arlington campuses boast exclusive amenities based on their geographic location that shapes the way students engage with our programs. This makes the MURP at Virginia Tech unique as it offers access to urban planning in rural, suburban, urban, national, and international areas. In addition, regardless of campus location, all MURP students have access to our internationally recognized faculty and fellow students in both Arlington and Blacksburg. Access such as:

• Courses offered virtually to connect the campuses
• Joint studio classes
• 1-credit weekend modules that allow faculty and students to travel
  between campus locations
• Capstone thesis committees and independent/directed studies with faculty
  advisors from both campuses
• Joint-campus events held virtually such as alumni panels, speaker
  series, student engagement events
• Open to part-time (3 credit/1 class per semester minimum) and full-time
  students
• Moreover, students have the ability to switch campus locations during their
  course of study if they so choose (e.g. spending 1 year in Blacksburg and 1
  year in Arlington).

The Virginia Tech Community Scholars Fellowship Program is a partnership between Virginia Tech's Master of Urban and Regional Planning Program (MURP) and the Virginia Chapter of the American Planning Association to encourage diversity in the planning profession. The fellowship program has provided financial support for incoming MURPs from underrepresented groups (including African American, Latinx, Pacific Islander, or American Indian). All students who are admitted to the MURP program and have submitted applications prior to the March 1st financial aid admissions deadline will be invited to submit an additional essay to apply for the Community Scholars Fellowship Program. Selection criteria will accompany the fellowship application details. Selection of  Community Scholar Fellowship recipients in any given year is dependent on the availability of funding.

• Plan of Study (POS)
• UAP 5974 - Independent Study Request Form
• UAP 4964 or 5964 - Field Study Internship
• Field Study Intern Supervisor Report
• Graduate School Forms