About

Undergraduate Program in Urban and Regional Planning

The Undergraduate Program in Urban and Regional Planning (URP), Universitas Sumatera Utara, is a bachelor’s program designed to cultivate a new generation of spatial planners who are visionary, critical, and sustainability-oriented. Established in 2025 and commencing its academic operations in the 2026/2027 Academic Year, this program reflects USU’s commitment to providing higher education that responds to the challenges of future urban and regional development.

The main strength of URP USU lies in the integration of spatial technology, digital planning, and tropical sustainability approaches relevant to the regional context of North Sumatra—from the Lake Toba Area and the Mebidangro Metropolitan Region to coastal and rural zones. Supported by GIS laboratories, planning studios, and collaborations with government agencies, the private sector, and international institutions, students are directly exposed to real-world professional planning practices. URP USU aims not only to produce spatial planners but also to nurture changemakers—individuals capable of understanding territorial complexity and transforming it into equitable, intelligent, and sustainable development strategies. With a strong academic foundation and extensive networks, this program serves as a platform for students to contribute to shaping a better future for Indonesia’s spatial development — from Medan to the world.

History

2010

The idea to establish this study program emerged in 2010 from academic discussions within the Department of Architecture and the Urban and Settlement Laboratory at Universitas Sumatera Utara. At that time, the demand for regional planning experts in North Sumatra was rapidly increasing, especially in response to the growth of strategic national areas such as the Lake Toba Region, Mebidangro Metropolitan Area (Medan–Binjai–Deli Serdang–Karo), and other strategic zones. The preliminary studies identified a gap between urban growth and local planning capacity, highlighting the urgency to establish a new program capable of producing professional planners with an interdisciplinary approach. However, the establishment plan was temporarily halted to allow for more comprehensive preparation.

2023

In 2023, the initiative to establish the Undergraduate Program in Urban and Regional Planning was revived. A group of lecturers from the Architecture Program, led by Prof. Ar. Ir. Nurlisa Ginting, M.Sc., Ph.D., IAI, began preparing the academic proposal by conducting Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and benchmarking with established planning programs at universities such as ITB, UGM, ITS, and several international institutions. Discussions were also held with various stakeholders in the field of planning, including the Indonesian Planning Schools Association (ASPI), the Indonesian Association of Planners (IAP), and local governments such as the North Sumatra Provincial Government and the City of Medan, particularly agencies that regularly collaborate with professional planners. The outcomes of these discussions formed the basis for developing the curriculum of the new program. The establishment process was fully supported by the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Prof. Dr. Ir. Fahmi, S.T., M.Sc., IPU, ASEAN Eng., who issued Decree No. 3210/UN5.2.4.D/TP.01.05/2025 concerning the Founding Team of the Urban and Regional Planning Study Program (Undergraduate and Master’s). The founding team was chaired by Prof. Ir. Nurlisa Ginting, M.Sc., Ph.D., and consisted of Prof. Dr. Ir. Dwira Nirfalini Aulia, M.Sc.; Prof. Beny Octofryana Yousca Marpaung, S.T., M.T., Ph.D.; Dr. Ir. Ar. Achmad Delianur Nasution, S.T., M.T., IAI., AA., IAP., GP; Dr. Anthoni Veery Mardianta, S.T., M.T.; Dr. Wahyuni Zahrah, S.T., M.S.; Dr. Ar. Ir. N. Vinky Rahman, M.T., IAI; Dwi Debora Sitanggang, S.Ds., M.T.; Fitri Rahmawati Nasution, S.T.Ar., M.T.; and Narosu Siregar, S.T., M.Sc.

2025

The program proposal underwent internal evaluation by the Quality Assurance Board (BPM) and discussions within the University Senate. On July 9, 2025, the Rector of Universitas Sumatera Utara, Prof. Dr. Muryanto Amin, S.Sos., M.Si., issued Rector’s Decree No. 3081/UN5.1.R/SK/TP.01.05/2025 on the Authorization to Establish a New Study Program at the Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Sumatera Utara. Through this decree, the Undergraduate Program in Urban and Regional Planning (S1) was officially established and declared ready to accept its first cohort of students.

2026

To ensure the program’s legitimacy and operational readiness, the Undergraduate Program in Urban and Regional Planning USU underwent accreditation by the National Accreditation Board for Higher Education (BAN-PT). On September 16, 2025, BAN-PT issued Decree No. 7195/SK/BAN-PT/Ak.P/2.0/S1/IX/2025, granting Provisional Accreditation Status to the new program. With this accreditation, URP USU officially commenced operations and opened enrollment for its inaugural cohort in the 2026/2027 Academic Year.

Vision & Mission

Vision remove

To become an internationally recognized undergraduate program in Urban and Regional Planning that contributes to sustainable development based on local potential.

Mission remove

Menyelenggarakan institusi Pendidikan Perencanaan Wilayah dan Kota berciri pengetahuan lokal yang berkarakter BINTANG (Bertakwa kepada Tuhan Yang Maha Esa; Inovatif yang berintegritas; serta Tangguh dan Arif).
To provide urban and regional planning education that is adaptive to global standards and issues while remaining rooted in local cultural potential.
To develop innovative and solution-oriented research in urban and regional planning, focusing on sustainable development based on local potential.
To conduct community service activities that contribute to local potential development and community empowerment, responsive and sensitive to sustainable development.
To build international collaboration with academic institutions, government, and industry to enhance graduates’ global competence.
To develop an urban and regional planning program that applies sustainable principles grounded in the local wisdom of North Sumatra.

Goals & Targets

Goals remove

To produce highly capable graduates in urban and regional spatial planning within the framework of sustainable development.
To contribute to accelerating the achievement of sustainable development across Indonesia—particularly in Western Indonesia and North Sumatra—by preparing graduates who can act as agents of sustainable development, especially in urban and regional spatial planning.
To prepare globally competitive graduates equipped with up-to-date scientific and technological knowledge, while possessing a deep understanding of local potentials and challenges to improve the quality of regional development.

Organization Structure