Housing, land use, growth, and management became increasingly important issues for state and local community planners during the 1960s and 1970s. The Urban Studies Center (now Urban Studies Institute) was established as part of the UofL President’s Office in 1966. In 1968, the Urban Studies Center received a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to design and conduct an experimental graduate program in community development. The program grew rapidly and in 1971 became a separate graduate teaching component called the Institute of Community Development (ICD). The current graduate programs in Public Administration and Urban and Public Affairs evolved from ICD.

After being incorporated into a new College of Urban and Public Affairs in 1983, the current program’s predecessors were housed in several places – the Institute of Urban and Public Affairs, the School of Urban and Public Affairs, and the College of Business – prior to settling into its current home within the College of Arts and Sciences.

Through changes in organization and leadership, the department has continued to expand its offerings. The graduate program in Urban Planning was implemented in 2002, as the first planning degree offered in the state of Kentucky. In 2017, the department began offering its very first undergraduate program – a Bachelor’s degree in Sustainability – as well as a graduate degree in Sustainability. The Department of Urban and Public Affairs, as it is now known, originated an undergraduate degree in Urban Studies in 2020.