Spatial Database Management and GIS for Urban Planning

Modern urban planning relies heavily on data-driven decisions. To manage a city's assets effectively, professionals must understand how to store, query, and analyze geographic data. This course provides a clear, text-based path to mastering spatial databases and geographic information systems (GIS) for urban environments. You will transition from understanding basic geographic concepts to writing complex spatial queries. By learning how to organize and analyze asset networks, you will gain the skills needed to support critical infrastructure and urban planning decisions. What you'll learn: - Understand foundational spatial database concepts and geographic coordinate systems - Write spatial SQL queries using PostGIS to analyze urban asset networks - Manage and clean geographic data for real-world municipal use cases - Design spatial database schemas optimized for urban planning and infrastructure - Apply spatial analysis techniques to solve accessibility and routing problems - Implement modern database best practices, including spatial indexing for performance This course begins with core terminology and spatial data models before moving into practical database management workflows. You will read comprehensive explanations, study structured SQL examples, and work through realistic scenarios that mimic municipal planning challenges. This course is designed for beginners in spatial data, urban planning students, and GIS professionals looking to strengthen their database management skills. No prior database administration experience is required.