BTRP Town and Regional Planning UP
Town and Regional Planning is a tool to promote and manage change through the planning, design, implementation and management of public interventions in the development and use of land. These interventions may vary from site to supranational level. The intention with these interventions is to widen choice, promote equity and ensure sustainable development. The guiding motive of the profession is the generation of viable alternatives to existing settlement types.
At the current juncture in South Africa’s history, Town and Regional Planning is a key profession in the rectification of the spatial and other imbalances in both urban and rural areas, as well as the improvement of inefficient and under-performing living environments. The challenge for planning lies in the fact that various interests and expectations for the future are often contradictory and conflict-ridden. A professional approach, combining sensitivity and analytical and strategic skills, is hence required to handle the various political, social, environmental and economic issues at stake.
The ideal town and regional planner is a creative person who is able to put forward innovative solutions to complex problems, a mediator who is able to reconcile diverse points of view, a strategic thinker and a good manager. Given the enormous backlog in the fields of housing and social services and the poverty in which many South Africans live, planners also need a strongly developed sense of social and environmental justice and be committed to human development.
BTRP Town and Regional Planning UP
Our Bachelor degree is a four-year full-time coursework programme. The course in Town and Regional Planning equips the planner with the necessary knowledge and skills to develop and propose urban and rural interventions to manifold problems in both settlements and regions. The key areas of study are:
- Planning theory and history;
- Land use management and land development;
- Settlement planning and design; and
- Strategic and integrated development planning for cities and regions.
A number of modules in related fields such as economics, sociology and statistics are also prescribed to ensure a multi-disciplinary perspective and knowledge-base that is required to provide appropriate solutions for complex urban and rural problems. The following modules comprise the full Town and Regional Planning course as reflected in the 2014 curriculum: