QGIS for Urban Planning and Spatial Analysis

Urban planners, geographers, and researchers rely on spatial data to solve complex real-world challenges in our cities and communities. This text-based course guides you through the foundational concepts of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) using QGIS, the industry-standard open-source platform. You will start with core spatial terminology and coordinate reference systems before moving into hands-on data manipulation and mapping practices. By reading and working through practical scenarios, you will learn to visualize spatial patterns, analyze urban infrastructure, and present compelling geographic data. What you will learn: Understand core GIS principles, spatial data models, and coordinate reference systems; Navigate the QGIS interface and manage vector and raster data layers; Perform spatial queries and attribute joins to analyze urban demographic datasets; Create professional, readable maps with appropriate symbology, labels, and layouts; Apply basic spatial analysis tools such as buffering, intersection, and heatmaps to urban planning scenarios; Clean and prepare messy public data for spatial analysis. This course begins with essential geographical concepts and guides you step-by-step through data loading, analysis, and map production. It is designed entirely for beginners with no prior GIS experience or programming background. Start reading today to unlock the power of spatial data in urban environments.