Georgia Tech School of City & Regional Planning

What Georgia Tech School of City & Regional Planning does

Georgia Tech's School of City & Regional Planning (SCaRP), founded in 1952 within the College of Design, is a public academic department offering graduate and undergraduate programs in urban planning, geographic information science, and urban analytics. Its core academic products include the flagship Master of City and Regional Planning (MCRP), ranked 6th nationally by Planetizen in 2023, plus the M.S. in Geographic Information Science & Technology (MS-GIST), M.S. in Urban Analytics (MSUA), B.S. in Urban Planning and Spatial Analytics, Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning, online M.S. in Global Development, dual-degree pathways, and graduate certificates. Programs integrate technology-heavy curricula (GIS, R programming, big-data scraping, APIs) with studio-based experiential learning on real client projects in Atlanta and internationally.

The school differentiates through technology-driven research outputs, including the Cool Routes app (recommends shaded walking and biking routes across 10 U.S. cities using GPS and thermal data) and the Tokyo Smart City Studio (uses computer vision, deep learning, and social-media analytics for heat-risk prediction). Faculty-led affiliated labs include the Eco Urban Lab, Friendly Cities Lab, Planning + Property Lab, Planning Local Economic Development Lab, and Urban Climate Lab; the Center for Urban Resilience and Analytics (CURA) is the major institutional anchor for research collaboration.

Revenue is generated through tuition and fees across degree programs, externally funded sponsored research grants (NSF, state DOTs, Georgia Department of Economic Development), and donor-funded fellowships (Thomas D. Galloway, Glatting Jackson Kercher Anglin Lopez Rinehart, Max W. Harral, Dean's Fellowship). The school distributes through Georgia Tech's centralized admissions process, recruits via open houses, information sessions, student ambassadors, and alumni stories, and extends reach through international studios (Tokyo, Europe, Puerto Rico) and study-abroad partnerships.

Name

Georgia Tech School of City & Regional Planning

Legal name

Georgia Institute of Technology

Website

https://planning.gatech.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Georgia Tech School of City & Regional Planning is a public academic department offering graduate and undergraduate degrees in urban planning, GIS, and urban analytics, serving students with research-driven, studio-based programs in Atlanta.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta, Georgia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Revenue from graduate and undergraduate tuition for degree programs including MCRP, MS-GIST, MS-Urban Analytics, and PhD. Programs include professional degree tuition for full-time students.
2. Fellowships and Scholarships: Named fellowships funded by College of Design donors and alumni provide financial support to admitted students. These include Thomas D. Galloway Fellowship, Glatting Jackson Kercher Anglin Lopez Rinehart Fellowship, Max W. Harral Fellowship, and College of Design Dean's Fellowship.
3. Sponsored Research Grants: Externally funded research projects sponsored by agencies including National Science Foundation, state departments of transportation, Georgia Department of Economic Development, and other government entities. Faculty conduct funded research in transportation, resilience, urban analytics, and economic development.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Georgia Tech's School of City & Regional Planning (SCaRP) delivers graduate and undergraduate academic degree programs (MCRP, MS-GIST, MS-Urban Analytics, MS-Global Development, PhD, BS) in urban planning, GIS, urban analytics, and global development, paired with applied studio projects, capstone research, and affiliated research labs. The school also develops applied technology artifacts (e.g., the Cool Routes App and pedestrian safety analysis frameworks) and offers graduate certificates in sustainable cities and real estate development.

Product overview

Georgia Tech's School of City and Regional Planning (SCaRP) offers a comprehensive academic portfolio spanning undergraduate through doctoral levels within the College of Design. The Master of City and Regional Planning (MCRP) serves as the flagship professional degree, ranked sixth nationally by Planetizen. The school differentiates through its technology-integrated approach, offering specialized programs including the M.S. in Geographic Information Science & Technology (MS-GIST) and M.S. in Urban Analytics (MSUA) that teach students to harness big data, R programming, APIs, and web scraping for spatial analysis. These degree programs are supported by hands-on studio experiences (MCRP Studios) where students tackle real-world planning challenges for community clients, and by affiliated research labs including the Eco Urban Lab, Friendly Cities Lab, and Urban Climate Lab. A notable technology product is the Cool Routes app developed by faculty and students for the Center for Urban Resilience and Analytics, which helps users find cooler pedestrian and cycling routes using shade and temperature optimization. The school also offers dual degree programs combining planning with architecture, civil engineering, and business, as well as various graduate certificates.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Master of City and Regional Planning (MCRP) The flagship two-year professional master's degree program in city and regional planning. Prepares students for urban planning careers through coursework in planning theory, studios, and internships, with specializations including transportation, housing, land use, and economic development.
• Master of Science in Geographic Information Science & Technology (MS-GIST) A two-year professional master's degree focused on geospatial information science, GIS technology, and spatial analytics. Students learn GIS systems, remote sensing, programming for GIS, and enterprise GIS skills in preparation for careers in spatial technology and urban analytics.
• Master of Science in Urban Analytics (MSUA) A professional master's degree that teaches students to apply STEM methods and analytics to urban planning challenges. Curriculum covers R programming, big data analysis through APIs and web scraping, and spatial analytics to create measurable quality-of-life improvements in communities.
• Bachelor of Science in Urban Planning and Spatial Analytics An undergraduate Bachelor of Science combining urban planning fundamentals with spatial analytics. The program focuses on data-driven approaches to city and regional planning, preparing students for entry-level planning positions or graduate studies.
• Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning A research-focused doctoral program preparing students for academic careers in city and regional planning. The program involves coursework, qualifying exams, and dissertation research under faculty supervision.
• Master of Science in Global Development An online master's degree program focused on international development studies, offered in partnership with the broader Georgia Tech global development initiative.
• Undergraduate Minor in Sustainable Cities An undergraduate minor providing early exposure to sustainable cities concepts and urban planning fundamentals.
• Real Estate Development Certificate An undergraduate certificate providing foundational knowledge in real estate development.
• Graduate Certificates Graduate certificates (including Sustainable Cities and other specializations) that can be pursued alongside or independent of degree programs.
• Cool Routes App A mobile and web application that helps users in 10 U.S. cities (including Atlanta) find the coolest and most shaded walking and biking routes. Users select a city, enter start/destination, choose walking or biking, and the app generates up to three alternative routes with temperature and shade comparisons.

Quantifiable outcome

• Student capstone research on Leading Pedestrian Intervals adopted by Atlanta DOT's Vision Zero program for citywide implementation
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Center for Urban Resilience and AnalyticscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2026Georgia Tech research center that supported development of the Cool Routes app to help people find shaded routes during hot weather, supporting Assistant Professor Rounaq Basu's research.
• Propel ATLcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Nonprofit transportation advocacy organization partnered with SCaRP students for pedestrian safety research. Provided access to non-public pedestrian and traffic data for capstone research projects.
• Atlanta Department of TransportationcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2023City agency that adopted student research on Leading Pedestrian Intervals for implementation in Atlanta's Vision Zero program to improve pedestrian safety.
• University of Tokyo - Department of Urban EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Seven-year collaboration on smart city design and urban regeneration projects in Tokyo. Students in the Tokyo Smart City Studio work with University of Tokyo faculty and students on neighborhood planning projects using GPS, location data, and AI techniques.
• Global Carbon ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Collaboration on smart city projects in Tokyo involving carbon emission analysis and climate research alongside urban planning design work.
• National Institute for Environmental Studies, JapanminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Research collaboration on environmental studies related to Tokyo smart city projects and urban sustainability.
• Mitsui Fudosan University of Tokyo LaboratoryminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Collaboration on urban development research and analysis for Tokyo neighborhoods.
• Georgia ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 199725+ year partnership providing advanced planning assistance to communities throughout Georgia. Habersham County smart growth plan is a recent collaboration.
• Kimley-HornminorOthersEngineering and design consulting firm where SCaRP alumni (like Cristina Pastore) are employed as transportation planners.
• WalkMassachusettsminorOthersFirst pedestrian advocacy organization in the U.S. where Professor Rounaq Basu serves on the Board of Directors.
• Center for Urban Resilience and Analytics (CURA)coreTechnology or IntegrationGeorgia Tech research center led by Professor Subhrajit Guhathakurta that collaborates with SCaRP on multidisciplinary urban research projects including resilience and analytics.
• Aerospace Systems Design Lab (ASDL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeorgia Tech research lab under Dimitri Mavris that collaborated on digital twin projects for the Kendeda Building and campus-wide urban modeling.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Harvard Graduate School of Design (Urban Planning): Harvard GSD's urban planning concentration is one of the top-ranked programs nationally and a direct competitor — notably, SCaRP's MCRP students beat Harvard and UCLA at the 2026 APA Student Planning and Design Competition, confirming head-to-head competition.
• University of Michigan Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning: Taubman College's Urban and Regional Planning program is a top-tier peer offering MURP degrees with strong applied studios, comparable research centers, and similar ranking-tier competition for applicants and faculty.
• UC Berkeley Department of City and Regional Planning: Top-ranked planning graduate program and a direct peer on degree structure (MCP), research in transportation and analytics, and ranking tier. Subhrajit Guhathakurta (SCaRP) earned his PhD at Berkeley, signaling strong faculty pedigree alignment.
• University of Pennsylvania Weitzman School of Design (Urban Planning): Penn's Weitzman School offers an MS in Urban Planning with a strong dual-degree structure (including MBA), directly comparable to SCaRP's dual-degree programs and ranking-tier peers.
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Department of City and Regional Planning: UNC Chapel Hill's Department of City and Regional Planning is a top-10 peer; Bruce Stiftel earned his PhD there and Paige Clayton (SCaRP MCRP director) completed her PhD at UNC, evidencing strong academic lineage overlap.
• MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning: MIT's flagship graduate urban planning program, directly comparable to SCaRP's MCRP in degree offerings, research focus on urban analytics/GIS, and national ranking tier. Faculty ties overlap — Rounaq Basu is an MIT PhD alumnus and Paige Clayton held a visiting position at SKEMA/MIT during her doctoral work.
• Columbia University GSAPP (Urban Planning): Columbia GSAPP's Urban Planning concentration is a top-tier peer program offering MS degrees with applied studios and is a direct competitor for top applicants and research visibility in the planning field.
• Ohio State University Knowlton School (City and Regional Planning): Ohio State's City and Regional Planning program is a direct peer; former SCaRP Chair Gulsah Akar previously served as Professor of CRP at Ohio State and led the Sustainability Institute there, evidencing direct institutional overlap.
• UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs (Urban Planning): UCLA Luskin's Urban Planning graduate program is a top-10 peer that SCaRP directly competes against — both in the 2026 APA competition and in Planetizen national rankings — and offers similar urban-analytics and transportation-planning concentrations.
• Cornell University Department of City and Regional Planning: Cornell's CRP department is a long-standing direct peer in graduate planning education, with comparable research strengths in transportation, housing, and environmental planning and similar studio-based pedagogy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/georgia-tech-school-of-city-regional-planning

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Georgia Tech School of City & Regional Planning