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About the
Major in Urban and Regional Affairs
In today's
evolving urban landscape, issues such as community
development and organization, affordable housing,
safety, cleanliness, and quality of life become increasingly
complex. The urban and regional affairs major prepares
students to meet the challenge of addressing these
issues.
Enthusiastic, motivated, and technically
astute applicants will find a wealth of opportunities
in the major. Our students are engaged in research
that addresses economic, social, and demographic trends
and their policy consequences. The University
Center for Social and Urban Research, for example,
is currently examining regional policy and the impact
of welfare reform. It also provides regional economic
modeling, including a substantial database that offers
context to decision makers.
We are located
in a region where the emergence of special districts
and regional and local governments has allowed our
faculty and students to study urban and regional affairs
as they unfold.
For practical,
hands-on experience in the day-to-day application
of theory, there can be no better laboratory than
the city of Pittsburgh itself. Small enough to be
navigable, yet large enough to present intriguing
challenges, Pittsburgh plays
host to many internships
in the public and nonprofit sectors, several of which
have led to full-time employment for our graduates.
Students create
professional-grade
reports worthy of presentation
to future employers and invited audiences. The Pennsylvania
Planning Association recently honored GSPIA students
for their work on a project examining tax increment
financing as a tool for economic development in Allegheny
County . Other notable achievements include Keep It
Clean Oakland!, a program initiated by our students
through the Oakland Planning Development Corp., which
began as a neighborhood cleanup initiative but later
expanded to include the recovery and sale of used
furniture.
The University's
Community Outreach
Partnership Center, an initiative of the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development, links
students to meaningful outreach efforts across a wide
range of fields: small business development, children's
literacy and tutoring, health care and prevention,
and neighborhood revitalization.
If you seek
a challenging, hands-on program through which you
will study urban and regional affairs with some of
the most accomplished scholars in the nation, we invite
you to contact us for a more in-depth discussion.
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