Master of Science in Urban Design and Transport

The Master of Science in Urban Design and Transport (MScUDT) is a unique inter-disciplinary Programme that links urban design and transport studies, marrying design thinking with evidence-based transport analysis techniques to develop a more effective and balanced placemaking approach to cities.

Traditional urban design focuses on the built environment and placemaking, largely overlooking the social, economic, and environmental dynamics of urban mobilities and access. In contrast, transport studies focus on operations and management of transport systems, tending to ignore the impact of infrastructures on the urban experience, the urban qualities, mobilities equality and its effects on access to opportunities and the enjoyment of places.

The MScUDT focuses on current and emerging challenges at this critical but overlooked confluence of urban design and transport studies. The curriculum aims to enable smart, healthy, equitable and resilient cities of the future, by providing an urban design education informed by knowledge of relationships between transport, land use, built environment and human behaviours. The Programme prepares built environment professionals to tackle the design, creation, and management of people-focused and sustainable cities, whether in Hong Kong, Asia-Pacific or internationally.

The MScUDT curriculum draws on the latest thinking and technologies in urban design, placemaking, transport, urban planning, and major blue, grey, and green infrastructure project development. It will draw on the emergence of new data sources and urban design analytics, to offer exposure to new approaches to urban design, placemaking and transport planning research and design in a design studio setting. The studio setting enables students to develop systemic and holistic design solutions-led perspective in their approach to cities management and change.

Themes that will be explored in the Programme include present and future multi-modal complexities of placemaking and urban design’s interface with transport and infrastructure planning and design; urban design and placemaking theory and practice in an age of climate crisis; the reintegration of slow modes; the emergence of micro-mobilities, surface and air autonomous vehicles.

This programme welcomes candidates wishing to work between disciplines as deep generalists to bridge ‘silos’ at the strategic levels with attention to the details of innovative design delivery across spatial scales that aim to create urban well-being and equity.

The programme is co-organized by the Department of Urban Planning and Design, the Department of Geography, and the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Hong Kong.

The MScUDT Programme is equivalent to a European Master’s Degree measured by the European Credit Transfer System (120 ECTS).

Upon completing the MScUDT programme, graduates are entitled to at least two-year Hong Kong working visa (IANG), which can be renewed.