School of Architecture and Urban Planning was established in 2003. It currently has 53 faculty members, including 18 with senior professional titles, 50 with a master’s degree or higher, 4 certified Class I architects, 6 registered urban planners, and 1 certified Class II architect. Among them, the school boasts 1 on-campus doctoral supervisor, 18 master’s supervisors, and 16 off-campus enterprise mentors. Many of the faculty members graduated from prestigious universities, including Tongji University, Tianjin University, Chongqing University, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, Chang’an University, Wuhan University, and Lanzhou University, among others, or have overseas study and research experience.

The school offers two five-year undergraduate programs in Architecture and Urban and Rural Planning. It is authorized to confer a secondary doctoral degree in “Territorial Spatial Planning,” primary master’s degrees in Urban and Rural Planning and Architecture, as well as a professional master’s degree in Urban and Rural Planning. Urban and Rural Planning is recognized as a provincial key discipline in Gansu, while the Architecture program is a nationally recognized “First-Class Undergraduate Program.” The Architecture program has also passed professional education accreditation by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, enabling it to confer professional bachelor's degrees in Architecture.

The school houses one provincial research platform, the “Gansu Provincial Research Center for Green Habitat Engineering in Urban and Rural Areas,” one university-level platform, the “Lanzhou Jiaotong University Territorial Spatial Planning Engineering Research Institute,” and one school-level platform, the “Lanzhou Jiaotong University Urban and Regional Planning Research Center.” It is also supported by several specialized technical platforms, including the “Architecture and Urban Digital Technology Laboratory,” the “Architectural and Urban Heritage Conservation Laboratory,” the “Building Physics Laboratory,” and the “Architectural Model and Construction Laboratory,” as well as one social service platform, the “Planning Division of Lanzhou Jiaotong University Design and Research Institute Co., Ltd.”

In recent years, faculty members have leveraged their academic strengths and professional expertise to actively contribute to regional and local socio-economic development. The school has gradually developed distinctive academic directions, including theories and technologies of territorial spatial planning, urban planning history and theory, ethnic architecture and cultural heritage protection, and vernacular architecture and rural revitalization. Faculty members have undertaken 12 National Natural Science Foundation projects, 3 Humanities and Social Science projects by the Ministry of Education, and over 20 other provincial, ministerial, municipal, and departmental projects. More than 100 academic papers have been published, with over 30 indexed in SCI, EI, and CPCI. Additionally, over 10 textbooks and monographs have been published, and multiple awards have been received, including the Gansu Province Outstanding Scientific Research Achievement Award for Higher Education Institutions and the Gansu Province Philosophy and Social Sciences Outstanding Achievement Award.

Students and faculty have frequently earned accolades in prestigious international competitions such as the “HOP Cup,” “Guyu Cup,” “Architecture Design Exhibition for Developing Countries,” “EVOLO Skyscraper Design Competition,” “WUPENiCity International Urban Design Competition,” and the “Western Light Summer University Design Competition.” They have also excelled in domestic contests such as the “Internet+,” “Challenge Cup,” and “China Union Cup,” achieving remarkable results.

The school adheres to the overarching policy of “focusing on precise management with small-class characteristics, comprehensive education with professional features, and intrinsic development through practice-oriented training.” Guided by academic disciplines, centered on professional education, and oriented toward employment, the school emphasizes teaching, promotes research, and strengthens social services. By aligning with the characteristics of the architecture and urban planning industries, it strives to cultivate first-class professionals with strong practical skills and high expertise. It has become a collaborative and innovative school with significant regional advantages and influence in the fields of architecture and urban planning.