MIT’s newest major provides a foundation for students to work in applied computation, data analytics, public policy, economic development, urban design, management, and planning.

In the years to come, solutions to the complex global problems, which are increasingly urban, will require an understanding of large amounts of data and a facility with analysis, visualization, sensors, and even the integration of artificial intelligence into planning and policy-making contexts in a democratic and ethical manner. At the same time, the fields of computer science and machine learning can benefit from the urgency and “hands-on” nature of the sorts of challenges presented in policy-making and urban planning contexts and can lead to democratic and ethical innovations of technology. In short: urban planners have excellent problems, and computer scientists have excellent tools.

The subjects in the major combine ethics, justice, public participation, policy, and design with statistics, data science, geospatial analysis, visualization, robotics, and machine learning to craft equitable solutions to complex urban problems.

The 11-6 degree allows undergraduates to learn the theory and practice of (1) urban planning and policy-making including ethics and justice; (2) statistics, data science, geospatial analysis, and visualization, and (3) computer science, robotics, and machine learning.

To accomplish these ends, the required subjects include core courses in both computer science and urban planning fundamentals, as well as lab and project-based courses that will help students synthesize and integrate across the two departments. On the Urban Studies and Planning side, students will also receive a grounding in the political, sociological, legal, and ethical aspects of collecting and using new information flows and new civic technologies to design and manage city resources and urban spaces around the world. They will also learn the techniques of for data visualization, applied spatial analysis, urban design, and making public policy formulation and implementation.

For the predominantly technically-minded undergraduates at MIT, working within real urban contexts and environments will expose them to:

• Fundamental and socially-relevant questions of equity, fairness, diversity, and implementation in a global context;
• Specific applications of technology and systems in environmental management, transportation, infrastructure financing, cybersecurity, provision of housing, and job creation.
• Diverse contexts in which technology is tested and used, especially at the critical intersections between government and industry; policy-making and implementation; and in both the developed and developing world.