CeHuNews 53/03

University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy

Faculty of Architecture 

Department : URBAN PLANNING

The Department provides student training for the following disciplines: Urban Planning, Park and Landscape Architecture, Regional Planning, Management in Urban Planning and Architecture, Sociology of Architecture, Ecology in the Regional Planning, Urban Planning and Architecture, Methods for Analysis of Urban and Architectural Environment and of the package of disciplines in the pathway "Urban Planning, Regional and Landscape Planning".

The Department provides guidance for diploma projects as well.

Urbanism is a new major for the UACG and for the country, a result of a Joint European Project, funded by PHARE-TEMPUS. The programme has been reviewed by leading Bulgarian and foreign experts and accredited by the National Agency for Accerditation and Evaluation. Highly qualified academics from UACG, specialized at European Universities as well as professionals and academics from Bulgaria and Europe will take part in the teaching process.

The programme introduces modular structure, European Credit Transfer System and Quality Control System. According to the guidelines of the RTPI, AESOP and ECTP planning education should induce knowledge of:

• Planning nature, aims, theory and methodology;
• History of Planning as Institution and job;
• Cultural differences in Planning within European and Global context;
• Development of natural and cultural values and resources, the impacts of human intervention in the environment and the principles of Sustainable development;
• The institutional, political and legislative framework of Planning practice;
• Mechanisms for implementation of Planning Policies;
• The relation of Planning with the other sectors of Economics.

The course of training should develop skills and values in the following areas:

• Decision making methods in multidisciplinary teams;
• Awareness of the concepts, instruments and activities for management of knowledge and their practical application;
• Techniques for collecting, processing and analysis of data, including the use of IT;
• Environmental assessment and management;
• Analysis of social demands;
• Methods for generating ideas for strategic planning;
• Integration of principles of aesthetics and Planning practice;
• Management of the policy of implementation of project proposals in different plans;
• Verbal, visual and written communications.
• Cultural prerequisites as an element of the environment;
• Ethical aspects of implementation of Planning documents.

The education is 4 years, including 7 semesters of lectures, seminars and tutorials and 1 semester diploma project or diploma thesis on a selected by the student topic. It is a Bachelor level programme, structured in core and optional modules. Successfully completed this level of study could attend Masters programmes, specially designed for the needs of the country.

Graduates in Urbanism would be employed at different levels of private and public sectors and as specialists in different areas:

• In management of urban and suburban areas, municipalities, local authorities and changes in the natural and built environment;
• As investment consultants in real estate agencies and projects for effective land use;
• As experts in strategic planning, regional planning, urban and housing policy, planning for tourism, infrastructure and communications, landscape planning, environmental conservation and impact assessment and land and property management;
• As designers and team leaders of projects and researches, in the process of preparation and adoption of new planning and environmental legislation.

Potential employers would be private design and consultance companies, real estate agencies, entrepreneurs, all levels of national and local administrations. They would participate in the management of municipalities according the current European practice.

Sofía - BULGARIA