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Urban and Regional Planning

URP MainPage StudentsWorking 2023 CPUT is the only university in South Africa that offers diploma qualifications in Urban and Regional Planning, with a unique opportunity to gain work-placed learning experience. Due to changes to the higher education environment in South Africa, and the associated nationwide transition to the Higher Education Qualifications Sub-Framework (HEQSF), CPUT has phased out the National Diploma, BTech and MTech. These qualifications were replaced by the HEQSF-aligned Diploma, the Advanced Diploma and the Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning, respectively.

Planners deal with the allocation of activities in geographical space. In consultation with communities and other stakeholders, Planners, for instance, decide on the location of residential homes, religious buildings (e.g. churches and mosques), schools, shops, sports grounds, parks and so on. The ultimate aim of planning is to improve people's living conditions and livelihoods. In other words, people are at the centre of Planning activities.

The department produces graduates who can demonstrate focussed knowledge, skills and values in the field of urban and regional planning, with a focus on spatial development; including the sustainable design, regulation and management of land-use systems to improve the quality of human settlements.
In terms of employment prospects, the Planning profession has been identified as one of the top scarce skills in South Africa. Graduates from CPUT are in great demand from all employers across South Africa and even globally.

Students will enjoy the courses offered by the department if they are well-organised, enjoy working with data, maps and graphs, and have an interest in the development and growth of human settlements.

Holders of Urban and Regional Planning qualification from CPUT have many career paths to choose from. These can mainly be in:
  • Private firms: where graduates work with teams of Planners and other professionals.
  • Public sector: where graduates can work in local, provincial or national government.
  • Non-governmental organisations (NGOs): where graduates work with other professionals to contribute to the empowerment of communities.