The Undergraduate Program in Urban and Regional Planning (URP), Universitas Sumatera Utara, was established in 2025 and began its academic operation in the 2026/2027 Academic Year. This program was founded in response to the urgent need for professional planners capable of addressing the challenges of regional and urban development in the global era—not only within North Sumatra and western Indonesia but also across broader regions.

URP USU envisions becoming an internationally recognized study program that contributes to sustainable development based on local potential. This vision is realized through its mission to provide planning education that is adaptive to global issues, rooted in local culture, and guided by the core values of BINTANG (Faithfulness, Innovation, Integrity, Resilience, and Wisdom) as the defining character of USU graduates. The distinctive strength of URP USU lies in its focus on regional and urban planning studies that uphold local wisdom (local indigenous knowledge), while utilizing North Sumatra as a living learning studio. The province offers diverse resources and a strategic position as part of Indonesia’s national priority areas, including the Lake Toba Region, the Mebidangro Metropolitan Area (Medan–Binjai–Deli Serdang–Karo), and the Sumatra Economic Growth Corridor. In addition, the program is supported by extensive collaboration networks with the Indonesian Association of Planners (IAP), the Association of Indonesian Planning Schools (ASPI), local governments, and international institutions.