The faculty in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Florida define “Urban and Regional Planning” as a professional practice that seeks to apply systematic thinking, knowledge, ethical and societal principles and innovative technologies to the problems and challenges of the natural environment, regional and urban systems. Planning professionals utilize short and long-range vision, supported by information and analytical systems, as a means to improve the quality of life and to support healthy environments.

The University of Florida’s Department of Urban and Regional Planning defines its mission as being a leader in planning education, research and practice for the citizens of Florida, in the Southeast and within the nation. We seek to educate planners who will work with innovative technologies to create livable cities within sustainable environments. To accomplish its mission, the department endeavors to strategically position itself to benefit from the vast resources of the University of Florida and the larger planning profession. In so doing, the department offers four areas of specialization: planning information and analysis systems; urban and environmental design; growth management and transportation; and housing, economic and community development; each expanding beyond the inherited historical and theoretical principles of city and urban planning.

The department’s “Mission Statement” and its “Goals and Objectives” have been developed through a broad-based participatory process. The department’s goals and objectives are a result of an ongoing process that reflects the desires of faculty, the department’s professional advisors, our students, the Planning Accreditation Board, and the planning practitioners. The department’s “Mission Statement” and its “Goals and Objectives” reflect the faculty’s desire to develop a program of excellence that supports planning education, the profession, and the University’s status as a member of the American Association of Universities (AAU).