History and definition of planning, determinants, goals and objectives of spatial planning. Role, legitimacy and authority of planning. General and specific theories, such as descriptive, prescriptive and normative theories, and the context of developing countries. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

An overview of planning legislation and a short history of planning process in Saudi Arabia. Methods, techniques and instruments for implementing plans through decrees and administrative acts, the basis for urban and regional planning and its relation to Sharia Law as well as the structure and organization of Saudi public planning administration. Discussion of zoning procedures, subdivision, review practices, and budget preparation and execution. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

History and definition of landuse planning. The concept of policy, programming and planning. Determinants and systems guiding landuse development. Socioeconomic development and Landuse. Space requirements, spatial distribution and localization concepts. Landuse planning models, and procedures for formal landuse plans. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

Issues of population distribution and economic activities in urban areas. Microeconomic principles, and economic nature of urban systems. Economic aspects and models of urban growth and city size, land-use pattern, housing, transportation, environmental problems, unemployment, and public policy. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

Probability, statistics, decision theory and their applications in city planning. Basic probability concepts, data classification and summarization. Statistical sampling, hypothesis testing, goodness of fit, regression analysis, analysis of variance, contingency tables, and elementary Bayesian decision making. Use of computer statistical packages. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

Context and role of data and analysis in city and regional planning. Design of survey including questionnaire planning and construction, data collection and data processing. Methods and techniques used in planning such as forecasting, decision models, programs evaluation and selection, program scheduling, etc. Prerequisite: CRP 505

Pre-Requisites: CRP505

Information and experience with the rapidly growing field of Computer-Aided Planning. Management Information Systems (MIS), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Decision Support Systems (DSS), Knowledge Based Expert Systems and Automated Mapping and Graphing. Basic principles common to the design and use of software in each area. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

Introduction to urban systems modeling in planning. Models of population projection, residential location model, urban transportation/landuse models, spatial interaction models, gravitational models, employment analysis and economic base and regional income models.

Different analytical techniques that are used by planners and policy makers in the planning process. Topics include Multivariate Analysis, Linear Programming Non-linear Programming, and Queuing Theory. Applications of these techniques in the city and regional planning. Prerequisite: CRP 506

Pre-Requisites: CRP506

Cartography as instrumental tool for urban and regional planning. Topographic and thematic maps; maps for basic administrative use; systems and scales of maps; legends, keys and symbols; statistics and maps; terminology and automation of maps. Remote sensing and photogrammetry such as geometry of photographs, stereoscopic vision, terrestrial photogrammetry, etc. Interpretation of terrestrial photogrammetry and maps of all kind. Prerequisite: CE 260 or Consent of the Instructor

GIS functional elements, attribute and spatial data structures, remote sensing and GIS, global GIS databases, and GIS Applications. Case studies of GIS adoption and Application in Saudi Arabia and abroad. GIS planning and implementation, and future of GIS technology. Prerequisite: CRP 507 or Consent of the Instructor

Technical aspects of GIS setup, GIS hardware and software, system configurations and data communications. Coordinate systems, map projections, Digital Elevation Models (DEM), data structures, and Global Positioning Systems (GPS). Prerequisite: CRP 514

Pre-Requisites: CRP514

Advanced topics are selected from the area of Computer-Aided Planning. Prerequisite: CRP 507

History and origin of cities, their functions and structures, and theories of urban development and planning. Impact of contemporary urban development on sociocultural and economic systems and urban policies. Prerequisite: CRP 501

Pre-Requisites: CRP501

Identification of similarities and differences in patterns of family life in urban/ rural settings and their influence on urban/rural spatial structures. Relationships between technological and social changes and policies, and their impact on urban/rural spatial organization as well as urban planning and design concepts. Discussion and examination of theories of urban/rural sociology in the context of Third World, Middle Eastern and Saudi Cities. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

Conceptual basis of regional planning; Inter-Regional analysis including regional input-output analysis, economic base theory, and migration; Intra-Regional analysis including location of industry, spatial structure of regions, and models of spatial interaction. Prerequisites: CRP 503, CRP 504

Pre-Requisites: CRP503 And CRP504

Historical development of traditional Muslim towns. Determinants of Islamic urban spatial structure. The physical aspects of urban form and the role of the socio-cultural factors and legal system in the structure of Muslim towns. Urban design principles of traditional Arab and Muslim towns. Discussion of the problems of contemporary Islamic cities and the relevance of the traditional design principles to the building of future cities in the Islamic world. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

Changes in urban land use and the socio-economic structures of urban settings, historical districts revitalization and regeneration. Goals, plans and operations of adaptive re-use and regeneration of local traditional as well as modern districts. Prerequisite: CRP 503

Pre-Requisites: CRP503

The origin of new-towns concepts as an approach to urban development in Saudi Arabia in particular and the Middle East in general. Analysis of planning and designing processes. Examination of issues and problems in new town development. Comparative evaluation of new towns in Arab, Islamic and the Western World. Review of new industrial towns in Saudi Arabia. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

Ideas, concepts, policies and programs for developing rural areas on national, regional and local level. The links between national policies and rural areas, such as population growth and urbanization and their impact on rural areas. Different models of rural development with specific emphasis on hierarchy in the physical structure, from small towns, villages, to hamlets (hijar). Specific topics of planning and design of rural areas in the region will be presented. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

Physical planning elements, concepts, analysis and designing plans of a citydistrict (harah) or a city, in small groups of students as teams to offer experience with group dynamics. Application of urban planning process, theories and methods are discussed to solve physical urban/rural problems. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

Review of architecture and urban design history. Theories and concepts of urban spatial design. Elements and analysis of the concept of urban space. Major theoretical and critical responses to the crises of the modern urban environment. Discussion of urban design concepts through analysis of urban settings in the Gulf region. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

History principles of legislation and regulations of Public Works Management. Administrative structure of agencies responsible for public works in the Kingdom. Basic budget appropriation for operation, capital projects and budget balancing, borrowing and subsidies. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

Overview of the housing stocks and its function as a commodity. The private versus the public housing development process. The user and housing design. Housing rehabilitation and conservation as a community development strategy. Adaptive reuse, urban revitalization and manufactured housing. The overall evaluation of housing supply and demand versus housing need based on local demographic developments and general housing strategies at the local, regional, and national levels. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

Planning for and management of urban infrastructure projects. Identification of physical infrastructure systems such as water and sewage systems, urban transportation networks,....etc. Management, finance and budgeting, and operation and maintenance of infrastructure projects. Case studies of local urban infrastructure systems. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

Planning and management of urban transportation systems. Functional description, planning, and analysis of transportation systems. Characteristics of major transportation modes in Saudi Arabia. Current research, technology, and policy issues are stressed. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

Discussion of problems and planning aspects specific to arid zones. Different factors influencing the built environment in the arid regions including climate, water, vegetation, and soil. Emphasis on basic considerations of urban sites problems; economically related aspects of urbanized regions. Specific problems of construction and site selection; the design of specific urban physical city-scape and landscape in arid zones. Physical planning for sustainable resources. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

Major aspects of environmental analysis, planning and management. Problems and principles of site analysis, land use methods, and geologic hazard planning. Natural resource, pollution and residuals management. Economics of renewable and non-renewable resources, and the economic cost of environmental controls. Environmental impact assessment and local case studies of environmental management. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

Basics of the smart and sustainable challenges facing urban areas and the different factors and processes that develop and shape smart and sustainable cities. Explore the role of land use, energy systems, mobility modes, and different infrastructures systems in lowering city’s environmental footprint. Knowledge of how innovations in technology, planning, and sustainability assessment tools can create smart, healthy, resilient and inclusive cities and improve quality of life.

Theoretical and empirical studies of the economic effects of environmental policies. Issues of costs and benefits of alternative sustainability environmental policies to deal with air pollution, water quality, solid waste, and other climate change impacts. Market failure; externality, common and public goods; economic valuation of the environment; and circular economy in cities.

Context and role of data and analysis in city and regional planning. Design of surveys including questionnaire planning and construction, data collection and data processing. Probability, statistics, and decision theory and their applications in city planning. Basic probability concepts, data classification and summarization, statistical sampling, hypothesis testing, goodness of fit, regression analysis, analysis of variance, contingency tables, and elementary Bayesian decision making. Computer statistical packages.

GIS functional elements and basics of Remote Sensing, attribute and spatial data structures, global GIS databases, and GIS and Remote Sensing application areas. Photogrammetric systems, space borne sensors and platforms, fundamentals of analyzing remotely sensed data and data integration. Case studies of GIS and Remote Sensing adoption and application in Saudi Arabia and abroad. GIS planning and implementation, and future of GIS and Remote Sensing technology.

Fundamentals of sustainable urban and infrastructure development with insight into renewable energy infrastructure. Aspects related to urban and infrastructure development, urban and alternative energy sources (production, distribution, and consumption), including urban and transportation (land, rail, air, and water), urban and water, and urban and social infrastructure. Concepts and approaches towards sustainable urban and infrastructure development and the perspective of renewable energy – integration. Emphasis on operations of technical urban infrastructure

Advanced topics are selected from the broad area of city and regional planning. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

A graduate student working towards his MCRP degree is required to take this course prior to the end of his degree program and contribute to the general area of his Final Planning Project research. Grades are Pass or Fail. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

The student has to utilize his knowledge and skills developed during his graduate studies in dealing with a complete city and regional planning problem under the supervision of a CRP graduate faculty member. The student is expected to deal with the selected topic in his selected concentration area. The Final Planning Project report will be presented and evaluated by a faculty committee representing the student's area of concentration. Prerequisites: All required courses, at least four elective courses.

Master report on an independent study that deals with the analysis and/or design of a significant problem related to the field of smart and sustainable cities and prepared under the supervision of a CRP faculty. This report should follow formal report format including an introduction, literature review, research methodology, collection and analysis of data, conclusions and recommendations, list of references and appendices. The report will be presented and evaluated by a faculty committee. Pre-requisite: Completion of 12 credit hours from the program