Students
GEOP181 – Urban Planet: Cities and Planning in the Anthropocene
2017 – S2 External
General Information
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| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor and Lecturer
Dr Donna Houston
Contact via Email
W3A 418
Please email me to make an appointment
Tutor
Dr Rowena Butland
Contact via Via email
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| Credit points |
Credit points
3
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| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
ENVG111 or GEOS111 or GEOP111
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| Corequisites |
Corequisites
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| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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| Unit description |
Unit description
The unit focuses on two big ideas: urbanisation and the Anthropocene. For the first time in human history, over half of the world’s population live in cities. Urbanisation and the political, cultural and economic structures that sustain urban life are key drivers of global environmental change. The unit asks the question: how are we to imagine, plan and govern cities in the Anthropocene era? What solutions to global environmental change might cities offer? Key dimensions of urban planning theory, philosophy and practice are covered, including: urban cultures, urban infrastructures and mobilities, social change and social justice, urban political economy, governance and urban ecology. Students will have the opportunity to link theory and practice through real-world projects, where Sydney will become ‘living laboratory’ for engaging with our urban planet.
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Important Academic Dates
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- 1. Demonstrate knowledge of the key philosophies of planning and how these influence contemporary urban policies and debates
- 2. Use key concepts of urban and planning theories to describe and explain the perceptions of cities in terms of their structure, influences, inhabitants and environments
- 3. Articulate the diverse and changing skills required by practising planners in the context of global social and environmental change
- 4. Formulate and apply ethical and socially engaged planning principles though an independent investigation of a local urban context
- 5. Demonstrate development in communication skills, specifically those of writing and the visual and verbal presentation of work and ideas
General Assessment Information
There are five assessment tasks associated with this unit. But don't panic! Some of these tasks are associated with attendance and active participation in class, rather than formal written assignments. The assessment in GEOP181 focuses on two key areas:
(1) Developing foundational skills and knowledges for understanding urban dynamics, spaces and places through the exploration and application of urban theory to urban spaces, and
(2) Developing foundational skills in the written, verbal and visual communication of spatial / urban planning concepts and ideas
The assessment tasks for this unit cover a range of activities and are listed below. Please make sure that you check the GEOP181 iLearn website for additional information about the assessment items, including detailed instructions, marking criteria and marking guides.
A note on participation tasks (assessment items 4 and 5).
While the lectures will be recorded and made available through Echo360 on iLearn, regular attendance at the lectures is strongly encouraged and it is compulsory to participate in all of the scheduled online tutorials and the student conference in weeks 12 and 13. This means that in GEOP181 we will be recording your weekly online participation.
Weekly online participation and the Urban Futures Student Conference
Assessment task 5 is associated with your weekly "participation" marks for the unit (5%) and your attendance and participation in the student conference in Weeks 12 and 13 (5%). In order to receive these marks you must attend class and you will need to take an active role in the sessions. If you miss any of these sessions, you will need to have a very good reason and provide Donna with a medical note or documentation that is consistent with Macquarie University's "Disruption to Studies" policy (see policies and procedures below). The Urban Futures Student Conference is your final piece of assessment for the unit (there is no final exam for this unit) and it is very important to your final result in GEOP181 that you take this exercise very seriously and be generous in your time and attention to other students presenting their work.
Handing in and receiving back your assignments via Turnitin
Unless otherwise specified, all assignments should be submitted online through Turnitin on the GEOP181 iLearn site. A Turnitin link will be provided for each assignment task (with the exception of the blog entry associated with the student conference). Please make sure that all assignments are submitted on time - by 5pm on the due date. Donna will post an announcement on iLearn when the marks are released back via Turnitin, so please make sure that you check iLearn and your Macquarie student email regularly throughout the semester to keep up-to-date with important notices and instructions, feedback and marks for your assignments.
Penalties for late assignments
Late assignments will be penalised with the deduction of 10% of the total mark per day the assignment is late (this includes weekends). Extensions will only be granted in exceptional circumstances. Please refer to Macquarie University "Disruption to Studies" policy for guidance and contact Donna as soon as possible if you are experiencing circumstances that are preventing you from completing your assessments on time.
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Critical Review | 20% | No | 5pm, Fri Sept 1 (Week 5) |
| Urban Field Project | 35% | No | 5pm Fri Oct 20 (Week 10) |
| Urban Futures Conference | 20% | No | Weeks 12 and 13 |
| Planning keyword | 15% | No | Weeks 3-11 |
| Active participation | 10% | No | Weeks 1-12 |
Critical Review
Due: 5pm, Fri Sept 1 (Week 5)
Weighting: 20%
The lectures and tutorials in weeks 2, 3 and 4 introduce three key urban planning doctrines which have profoundly influenced planning knowledge and practice. Your task is to choose one planning doctrine (planning the ideal city; modern rational planning or participatory/deliberative planning) and write a 1200 word critical review of the key ideas and thinkers that have shaped the planning doctrine. You will be asked to discuss the strengths and limitations of the doctrine. Please submit the assignment through the Turnitin link for this task in iLearn.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- 1. Demonstrate knowledge of the key philosophies of planning and how these influence contemporary urban policies and debates
- 2. Use key concepts of urban and planning theories to describe and explain the perceptions of cities in terms of their structure, influences, inhabitants and environments
- 3. Articulate the diverse and changing skills required by practising planners in the context of global social and environmental change
- 5. Demonstrate development in communication skills, specifically those of writing and the visual and verbal presentation of work and ideas
Urban Field Project
Due: 5pm Fri Oct 20 (Week 10)
Weighting: 35%
The urban field project is the major assessment item for this unit. This is where you will be asked to apply planning theory to a real world context. Your task is to select a field study site in Sydney or your local area and to investigate the site from an urban planning/design perspective. This will include observing the site and documenting the space in terms of how it is used; its rules, signs and regulations; its design elements; and its cultural meanings and representations. Your site analysis will form a case study for a 2000 word essay in which you will apply planning/urban theory to your selected site.
This assessment will be completed in three steps. Step one will involve the selection of the site and you will be asked to develop your thinking about your assignment in a field project activity to be completed online in the week 5 tutorial forum. The activity will help you to clarify your project and to receive feedback about your selection and approach to the project from your tutor. Step two involves the site analysis itself. This is where you will visit your site and conduct observations and it may involve visiting your site more than once. In some cases you may be able to record your surroundings on your smart phone - though please be careful not to do this in places where you might get into trouble for it! Step three will involve applying urban theory to your site observations in the form of a 2000 word essay. In your written essay, you will need to include evidence of your reading and research on your chosen topic (in the form of in-text citations and a reference list) and evidence of your field observations (in the form of sketches, photos, and observations) to receive a pass for the assignment.
Detailed instructions and ideas for this assignment will be made available through iLearn and discussed in the lectures. Please submit your assignment to the Turnitin link on iLearn by the due time and date.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- 1. Demonstrate knowledge of the key philosophies of planning and how these influence contemporary urban policies and debates
- 2. Use key concepts of urban and planning theories to describe and explain the perceptions of cities in terms of their structure, influences, inhabitants and environments
- 3. Articulate the diverse and changing skills required by practising planners in the context of global social and environmental change
- 4. Formulate and apply ethical and socially engaged planning principles though an independent investigation of a local urban context
- 5. Demonstrate development in communication skills, specifically those of writing and the visual and verbal presentation of work and ideas
Urban Futures Conference
Due: Weeks 12 and 13
Weighting: 20%
Drawing on your research from the field project, you are asked to consider how your investigations relate to the challenges facing sustainable urban futures. You will develop a short 3-minute presentation (in the form of a short animation or powerpoint). External students will submit their presentation to a special online conference forum set up in iLearn under the Week 12 heading. The focus of the presentation is on the problems and possibilities of the future city - so please do not be shy in putting your ideas about what our urban futures should look like out there! You will be assessed on the quality of your presentation and how you adapt the delivery to an online environment. You are required to respond to questions from the conference audience, and post questions to other presenters. Your project will not be marked unless you present and post questions and responses to other presentations in iLearn. Please note that all students are asked to post their presentations in the conference blog/wiki. External students should do this too so that on-campus students can see your work. However, to avoid confusion about the presentations and responses for external students a special conference forum is set up in Week 12.
Further details and instructions about this assessment will be posted on iLearn. Your must submit your presentation to external forum iLearn by 5pm Monday 30th (Week 12).
On successful completion you will be able to:
- 1. Demonstrate knowledge of the key philosophies of planning and how these influence contemporary urban policies and debates
- 2. Use key concepts of urban and planning theories to describe and explain the perceptions of cities in terms of their structure, influences, inhabitants and environments
- 3. Articulate the diverse and changing skills required by practising planners in the context of global social and environmental change
- 4. Formulate and apply ethical and socially engaged planning principles though an independent investigation of a local urban context
- 5. Demonstrate development in communication skills, specifically those of writing and the visual and verbal presentation of work and ideas
Planning keyword
Due: Weeks 3-11
Weighting: 15%
We have kept the readings for the online tutorials as short and snappy as possible - a difficult task in a unit about the history and theory of planning! To help facilitate exciting online tutorial discussions and collectively build our planning/urbanism vocabularies, you are required to post one substantive (400 words) tutorial discussion based on the keyword assignment between weeks (3-11). To lead the discussion you will explore the topic for your selected week by introducing a planning keyword. In your post, you will discuss your keyword and how it relates to the readings. You may use a stimulus for the discussion in the form of a media article or a short media clip. You are also required to submit your keyword to Turnitin (your definition should be no longer than 400 words, excluding references, the same as the internal cohort). GEOP181 typically has low external enrolments and it is unlikely that keywords will be presented every week. To receive marks for assignment, you must complete the task and get in touch with your tutor by week 2 to identify your keyword and what week you will be presenting it. Responses to other student's keyword presentations will be marked off as part of your weekly participation.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- 1. Demonstrate knowledge of the key philosophies of planning and how these influence contemporary urban policies and debates
- 2. Use key concepts of urban and planning theories to describe and explain the perceptions of cities in terms of their structure, influences, inhabitants and environments
- 3. Articulate the diverse and changing skills required by practising planners in the context of global social and environmental change
- 5. Demonstrate development in communication skills, specifically those of writing and the visual and verbal presentation of work and ideas
Active participation
Due: Weeks 1-12
Weighting: 10%
We make every effort for off-campus students to feel engaged in weekly activities. Therefore off-campus students will (like the on-campus students attending tutorials) have the opportunity to receive 10% participation marks.
You will receive a 5% participation mark for your attendance and participation in (1) the weekly online tutorials (2) and a 5% participation mark for your online participation in the Urban Futures Student Conference.
The minimum expectation for weekly participation is that you do the readings each week and post at least one reflection, question or commentary about the readings and lectures or a response to a keyword presentation in weeks when another student is leading the online discussion.
Participation in the online version of the Urban Futures conference requires two steps. (1) you will post your presentation by 5pm on Monday, Week 12 and (2) you will respond to questions about your own presentation and pose questions to other presenters by 5pm on Monday in Week 13. Please note that you will need to present your own work and respond to other student's presentations to receive your full participation mark.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- 1. Demonstrate knowledge of the key philosophies of planning and how these influence contemporary urban policies and debates
- 2. Use key concepts of urban and planning theories to describe and explain the perceptions of cities in terms of their structure, influences, inhabitants and environments
- 3. Articulate the diverse and changing skills required by practising planners in the context of global social and environmental change
- 4. Formulate and apply ethical and socially engaged planning principles though an independent investigation of a local urban context
- 5. Demonstrate development in communication skills, specifically those of writing and the visual and verbal presentation of work and ideas
Delivery and Resources
Delivery and Resources
GEOP181 Cities and Planning is taught over 13 weeks in a lecture/tutorial format. Each week, a two hour time slot is set aside for lectures and one hour for tutorials. The lectures will be recorded and made available via Echo360 which is linked to the iLearn page. We strongly encourage off-campus students to keep up-to-date with the weekly lectures and you are required to post each week in the online tutorial.
Please note that there is a guided walking tour of Macquarie Park scheduled in the lecture slot (10am-12pm) in week 5. There are two required readings set for each week and it is essential that you do these readings. Any additional required readings will be extremely short (for example, a piece from the Conversation or a link to related planning documents for you to peruse). In S2 2017, we are trialling Leganto - a new way of accessing and organising unit readings in iLearn. It has some great functions for building your own reading collections for assignments and it also has citation tools to assist with generating reference lists. You will note that readings are divided into "required" and "recommended". Recommended readings are included as a resource for your assignments. You are strongly encouraged to read widely on a range of urban theories and issues beyond the set requirements of the unit.
It is extremely important that you have regular access to a computer and iLearn in GEOP181. Not only will lecture slides and notes be posted on iLearn, it is also where you will submit your assignments via the Turnitin link and receive feedback. Donna will post important notices via the announcements tool. A separate dialogue will be set up for external off-campus students where you can post any questions that you may have. The link to the iLearn login page is: https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/login/
Weekly Required Reading Schedule
Week 1 Life on an Urban Planet
Welcome to the Anthropocene (N.D) Online: http://anthropocene.info/
Explore website and watch 3minute film ‘An Urbanizing Planet’: http://anthropocene.info/short-films.php
Castree, Noel (2016) An Official Welcome to the Anthropcene: But Who Gets to Decide its Here? The Conservation. Online: https://theconversation.com/an-official-welcome-to-the-anthropocene-epoch-but-who-gets-to-decide-its-here-57113
Week 2 - Planning Doctrine 1: Ideal Cities and Utopian Planning
Friedman, J. (2012) The Good City: In Defense of Utopian Thinking. In Susan Farnstein and Scott Campbell (eds) Readings in Planning Theory, pp: 87-104.
Sennett, R. (2013) Reflections on the Public Realm. In Gary Bridge and Sophie Watson (eds) The New Blackwell Companion to the City, pp: 390-397.
Week 3 Planning Doctrine 2: The Rise of Modern Planning
Hall, P (2000) The Centenary of Modern Planning in R Freestone (ed), Urban Planning in a Changing World: The Twentieth Century Experience, pp. 20-39.
Harvey, D. (2008) The Right to the City. New Left Review, pp: 23-40.
Week 4 Planning Doctrine 3: The Participatory Turn in Planning
Arnstein, S. (1969) A Ladder of Citizen Participation, Journal of the American Institute of Planners 35(4) pp: 216-224.
Porter, P. How Can we Meaningfully Recognise Australian Cities as Indigenous Places? The Conversation. Online: https://theconversation.com/how-can-we-meaningfully-recognise-cities-as-indigenous-places-65561
Sandercock, L. (2004) Towards a Planning Imagination for the 21st Century. Journal of the American Planning Association 70(2): 133-141.
Week 5 - Field Trip to Macquarie Park (tutorials scheduled as normal)
Yigitcanlar, T et al (2016) Place Making for Knowledge Generation and Innovation: Planning and Branding Brisbane's Knowledge Community Precincts, Journal of Urban Technology, 23:1, 115-146.
Monge, F. (2012) Urban Anthropological Research: Old Spaces and New Ways of Living. Anthropology in the City, edited by Italo Pardo, and Giuliana B. Prato, Taylor and Francis
Week 6 - Sensing the City
Amin, A. (2015) Animated Space. Public Culture 27(2): 239-257.
Urry, J. (2013) City Life and the Senses. The New Blackwell Companion to the City, pp: 347-356.
Week 7 - Urban Mobilities and Transport
Sipe, N. 2014. Transport Planning. In Jason Byrne et al (eds) Australian Environmental Planning: Challenges and Future Prospects. New York and Oxon: Routledge, pp. 146-157
Dowling, R., and Simpson C. (2013) ‘Shift – the way you move’: reconstituting automobility’. Continuum: A Journal of Cultural and Media Studies 27(3): 421-433.
Week 8 Urban Governance
A Plan for a Growing Sydney. Online: http://www.greatersydneycommission.nsw.gov.au/en/What-We-Do/A-Plan-for-Growing-Sydney
Randolph B and Tice, A (2017) 'Relocating Disadvantage in Five Australian Cities: Socio-spatial Polarisation under Neo-liberalism', Urban Policy and Research, 35(2): 103-121 19, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08111146.2016.1221337
Power, E (2017) Is this the budget that forgot renters? The Conversation: http://theconversation.com/is-this-the-budget-that-forgot-renters-77101
Week 9 Urban Dwelling and Inhabitation
Shaw, K. (2008) Gentrification: What it is, and What Can Be Done about It. Geography Compass 2(5): 1697-1728.
Foster, J. (2014) Hiding in plain view: Vacancy and prospect in Paris’ Petite Ceinture. Cities 40: 124-132.
Week 10 Urban Resilience and Infrastructures
Resilient city: http://www.resilientcity.org/index.cfm?id=11449
Green Infrastructure: Concepts and Definitions. Online: http://gievidencebase.botanicgardens.sa.gov.au/contents/green-infrastructure-concepts-and-definitions
Swyngedouw, E (2006) Circulations and metabolisms: (Hybrid) natures and (Cyborg) cities. Science as Culture 15(2): 105-121.
Week 11 Urban Nature
Owens, M and Wolch, J (2015) Lively cities: people, animals and urban ecoystems. The Oxford Handbook of Animal Studies Edited by Linda Kalof. Oxford University Press.
Houston, D et al (2016) Climate Cosmopolitics and the Possibilities for Urban Planning. Nature and Culture 11(3): 259-277.
Unit Schedule
| Weekly Topic | Lecture | Tutorial | Things to Note |
| 1. Introduction: Life on an Urban Planet |
L1 Introduction to the Unit L2 Planning on a planet of Cities |
Introductions and questions, Unit guide; keyword assignments
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Please attend tutorials this week! Make sure you check out the link in iLearn to Leganto (this is where you will access unit readings from the Library) |
| 2. Urban Planning Doctrine 1: Ideal Cities and Planning |
L3 What Cities ought to Be L4 Who Are Cities For? Public Realms and Spaces |
Introducing the field project & conference assignments | |
| 3. Urban Planning Doctrine 2: The Rise of Modern Planning |
L5 Expert Designs: Spatial Planning and the Urban Growth Machine L6 The Right to the City |
Begin student-led discussions with planning keywords |
Planning keywords should be submitted to the iLearn forum on the day of the tutorial presentation |
| 4. Urban Planning Doctrine 3: The Deliberative Turn |
L7 Diverse Cities L8 The Deliberative Turn |
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| 5. Urban Spaces | Sydney Field Study: Macquarie Park Walking Tour (meet in lecture theatre, compulsory) |
No student lead presentations - but there will be a tutorial! Field Project briefing - in class exercise |
Critical Review essay due to Turnitin in iLearn by 5pm on Friday 1st September. |
| 6. |
L9 Sensing the City L10 TBA |
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| 7. Urban Mobilities and Transport |
L11 Moving through the City L12 Transport planning |
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| Semester Break | Monday Sept 18-Friday Sept 29 | ||
| 8. Urban Governance |
L13 TBA - guest lecture L14 - guest panel |
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| 9. Urban Dwelling & Inhabitation |
L15 Urban Regeneration Processes L16 Home and home-making |
Role play for week 10 posted in iLearn - please read before tutorial | |
| 10.Urban Resilience & Infrastructures |
L17 Resilient Cities L18 Cyborg Cities |
Week 10 role play in class - no set readings or presentations or keyword entries for this week |
Remember that there is a 5% attendance and participation mark for this week's tutorial activity Your urban field project assignment is due to Turnitin in iLearn by Friday October 2o by 5pm |
| 11. Urban Nature |
L19 Wild play L20 Planning multispecies cities |
This is the last student led class with planning keywords | |
| 12. | Urban Futures Student Conference (compulsory) | No tutorials |
Short presentation on a topic related to urban futures. There is a 5% attendance mark for attending all of the presentations in week 12 & 13
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| 13. |
Urban Futures Student Conference (compulsory)
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No tutorials | Please submit post to the urban futures conference wiki blog on iLearn by 5pm on November 3. |
Policies and Procedures
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy_2016.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/complaint_management/procedure.html
Disruption to Studies Policy (in effect until Dec 4th, 2017): http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html
Special Consideration Policy (in effect from Dec 4th, 2017): https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/special-consideration
In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.
Student Code of Conduct
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/
Results
Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.
Student Support
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Student Services and Support
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
Student Enquiries
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
IT Help
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
Graduate Capabilities
Creative and Innovative
Our graduates will also be capable of creative thinking and of creating knowledge. They will be imaginative and open to experience and capable of innovation at work and in the community. We want them to be engaged in applying their critical, creative thinking.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- 4. Formulate and apply ethical and socially engaged planning principles though an independent investigation of a local urban context
- 5. Demonstrate development in communication skills, specifically those of writing and the visual and verbal presentation of work and ideas
Assessment tasks
- Urban Field Project
- Urban Futures Conference
- Active participation
Capable of Professional and Personal Judgement and Initiative
We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- 2. Use key concepts of urban and planning theories to describe and explain the perceptions of cities in terms of their structure, influences, inhabitants and environments
- 3. Articulate the diverse and changing skills required by practising planners in the context of global social and environmental change
- 4. Formulate and apply ethical and socially engaged planning principles though an independent investigation of a local urban context
- 5. Demonstrate development in communication skills, specifically those of writing and the visual and verbal presentation of work and ideas
Assessment tasks
- Urban Futures Conference
- Active participation
Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills
Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- 1. Demonstrate knowledge of the key philosophies of planning and how these influence contemporary urban policies and debates
- 2. Use key concepts of urban and planning theories to describe and explain the perceptions of cities in terms of their structure, influences, inhabitants and environments
- 3. Articulate the diverse and changing skills required by practising planners in the context of global social and environmental change
- 4. Formulate and apply ethical and socially engaged planning principles though an independent investigation of a local urban context
- 5. Demonstrate development in communication skills, specifically those of writing and the visual and verbal presentation of work and ideas
Assessment tasks
- Critical Review
- Urban Field Project
- Urban Futures Conference
- Planning keyword
- Active participation
Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking
We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- 1. Demonstrate knowledge of the key philosophies of planning and how these influence contemporary urban policies and debates
- 2. Use key concepts of urban and planning theories to describe and explain the perceptions of cities in terms of their structure, influences, inhabitants and environments
- 3. Articulate the diverse and changing skills required by practising planners in the context of global social and environmental change
- 4. Formulate and apply ethical and socially engaged planning principles though an independent investigation of a local urban context
- 5. Demonstrate development in communication skills, specifically those of writing and the visual and verbal presentation of work and ideas
Assessment tasks
- Critical Review
- Urban Field Project
- Urban Futures Conference
- Planning keyword
- Active participation
Problem Solving and Research Capability
Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcome
- 5. Demonstrate development in communication skills, specifically those of writing and the visual and verbal presentation of work and ideas
Assessment task
- Urban Field Project
Effective Communication
We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- 2. Use key concepts of urban and planning theories to describe and explain the perceptions of cities in terms of their structure, influences, inhabitants and environments
- 3. Articulate the diverse and changing skills required by practising planners in the context of global social and environmental change
- 5. Demonstrate development in communication skills, specifically those of writing and the visual and verbal presentation of work and ideas
Assessment tasks
- Critical Review
- Urban Field Project
- Urban Futures Conference
- Planning keyword
- Active participation
Engaged and Ethical Local and Global citizens
As local citizens our graduates will be aware of indigenous perspectives and of the nation's historical context. They will be engaged with the challenges of contemporary society and with knowledge and ideas. We want our graduates to have respect for diversity, to be open-minded, sensitive to others and inclusive, and to be open to other cultures and perspectives: they should have a level of cultural literacy. Our graduates should be aware of disadvantage and social justice, and be willing to participate to help create a wiser and better society.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- 3. Articulate the diverse and changing skills required by practising planners in the context of global social and environmental change
- 4. Formulate and apply ethical and socially engaged planning principles though an independent investigation of a local urban context
Assessment tasks
- Urban Field Project
- Active participation
Socially and Environmentally Active and Responsible
We want our graduates to be aware of and have respect for self and others; to be able to work with others as a leader and a team player; to have a sense of connectedness with others and country; and to have a sense of mutual obligation. Our graduates should be informed and active participants in moving society towards sustainability.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcome
- 4. Formulate and apply ethical and socially engaged planning principles though an independent investigation of a local urban context
Assessment task
- Urban Futures Conference