The Site and Urban Systems Planning course provides a unique opportunity to engage in the exploration, utilization and critical assessment of new multi-layered manipulative simulation interfaces. Developed by the Tangible Media Group at the Media Lab, these platforms combine and update digital and tangible data in ways that promise to enhance design and planning processes and communication with the public. By testing and applying these platforms, as well as traditional methods, we will be able to learn various approaches involved in evaluating and planning sites.

These approaches include:

1. Understanding spatial as well as temporal relationships between individual site factors and local or regional context.
2. Identifying basic relationships between natural and cultural processes and how they influence site-planning decisions.
3. Evaluating natural and cultural site systems as they shape design programs and goals.
4. Evaluating and critiquing alternative site development proposals.
5. Practicing common as well as new techniques commonly utilized by site planning professionals.