Unit Guide

General Information

Unit convenor and teaching staff	Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor Linda Kelly linda.kelly@mq.edu.au Contact via email
Credit points	Credit points 3
Prerequisites	Prerequisites Admission to BPlan and (39cp at 100 level or above) including ENVG370 or GEOP370
Corequisites	Corequisites
Co-badged status	Co-badged status
Unit description	Unit description This unit provides an opportunity for final year planning students to consolidate, integrate and synthesise prior knowledge and learning across the multiple subjects of the program. The assessment focus of the unit culminates in the development of a site master plan for a local council. The workshop format of the unit combines group and individual work and provides an opportunity to advance specific skills necessary for strategic and site master planning and how this relates to urban planning at a local to regional scale. Attendance at six full-day workshops on campus is compulsory and active participation is required. There is no final examination.

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:

A critical understanding of the role of planning in designing healthy built environments.
Experience in the preparation of strategic planning documents.
An awareness of the planner's role in communicating issues to different audiences
An understanding of the interplay between planning and design and the planner's various roles in this process.
An ability to present complex issues clearly and succinctly.
An understanding of how to undertake various practical skills expected of a planner in the workplace.

General Assessment Information

Assessment tasks are designed to ensure you are getting something out of the unit. You have a lot to gain from completing each task well – both as a student and a soon-to-be professional planner. Please let the unit convenor know if you need clarification about the expectations for each task. Some general information:

Late assignments will incur a 10% penalty per day late, including weekends. This penalty will be applied unless a valid medical certificate is supplied or alternative acceptable documentation. Please contact the unit convenor as soon as possible if you are unwell and unlikely to make a deadline.
Familiarise yourself with the University’s policy on plagiarism.
Follow the guidelines provided for each assessment task carefully, taking note of the marking criteria.
All assignments should be well presented and properly referenced.
Text should be in a minimum of 11 point font, 2cm margins and use headings and subheadings as appropriate.

Use diagrams (maps, plans, photos, images) as appropriate – always cite them if they’re not yours; always incorporate them into your text using captions and/or descriptions; always make sure they are of a size and quality to be readable and useful.
Proof-read your work (more than once)
Use Australian English
Use the Harvard system of referencing.
Assessment tasks are to be submitted on iLearn under 'Assessments' (Turnitin) at the beginning of class in the week that they are due.
Examples of assessment tasks and grading rubrics are provided on iLearn as a guide to students.

Assessment Tasks

Name	Weighting	Hurdle	Due
Preparing a submission	20%	No	Week 4
Planning for Health	30%	No	Week 8
Site planning and design	40%	No	Week 13
Attendance and participation	10%	No	ongoing

Preparing a submission

Due: Week 4
Weighting: 20%

The NSW Parliament has launched an inquiry into Land Release and Housing Supply in NSW. You are to prepare a submission to the Inquiry within the framework of the Committee's Terms of Reference. You may draft the submission from the perspective of either a State government authority, a local council, a property developer or developer lobby group.

https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/committees/inquiries/pages/inquiries.aspx

On successful completion you will be able to:

An awareness of the planner's role in communicating issues to different audiences
An ability to present complex issues clearly and succinctly.
An understanding of how to undertake various practical skills expected of a planner in the workplace.

Planning for Health

Due: Week 8
Weighting: 30%

You are to undertake an evaluation of the Bay Walk, a recreational path that goes around Iron Cove between Drummoyne and Lilyfield. Ideally, you should do the 7 kilometre walk at least twice – once clockwise and once anticlockwise. This task entails some observational research with you as a participant. In evaluating the Walk you need to:

establish your criteria for evaluation – make sure you include its role in planning for healthy environments
identify any gaps or weaknesses
make recommendations for changes or improvements

Your paper should be presented with evidential material supporting your evaluation, such as photos, maps or sketches from your walk. You could chose to do the walk as a pedestrian, cyclist, runner, pushing a stroller, walking alone or in a group. All these variables will create a different result.

On successful completion you will be able to:

A critical understanding of the role of planning in designing healthy built environments.
An understanding of the interplay between planning and design and the planner's various roles in this process.
An ability to present complex issues clearly and succinctly.
An understanding of how to undertake various practical skills expected of a planner in the workplace.

Site planning and design

Due: Week 13
Weighting: 40%

Planning for redevelopment – this task centres around the potential redevelopment of a site. You need to develop a site specific plan to guide redevelopment. Parts to this task include:

Understanding the existing situation, eg land uses, building heights, neighbourhood character
Understanding the planning context
Identifying opportunities and constraints
Making recommendations for any changes to the LEP
Developing a plan to show development guidelines
preparation of a 2,000 word (maximum) background document
preparation of an A3 plan and guidelines (max 2 pages)

On successful completion you will be able to:

Experience in the preparation of strategic planning documents.
An understanding of the interplay between planning and design and the planner's various roles in this process.
An ability to present complex issues clearly and succinctly.
An understanding of how to undertake various practical skills expected of a planner in the workplace.

Attendance and participation

Due: ongoing
Weighting: 10%

Attendance is compulsory and non-attendance at workshops will require documentation in the form of a doctor's note, etc. Please refer to Macquarie University's 'Disruption to Studies' policy for appropriate forms of documentation. The unit is being taught involving you in active learning which will require you to participate in activities each session. The activities are designed to provide you with essential skills for working as a planner. In order to achieve maximum marks for this assessment it will not be sufficient to simply turn up, you will need to demonstrate engagement and participation. Attendance will be recorded at each workshop. Therefore failure to attend the workshops may impact upon other assessments and could lead to a fail result for the unit. A mark of 10% has been assigned to participation and attendance and this will be recorded on the basis of attendance and active participation in class discussions.

On successful completion you will be able to:

Experience in the preparation of strategic planning documents.
An awareness of the planner's role in communicating issues to different audiences
An understanding of the interplay between planning and design and the planner's various roles in this process.
An ability to present complex issues clearly and succinctly.
An understanding of how to undertake various practical skills expected of a planner in the workplace.

Delivery and Resources

GEOP463: Planning and Design Project is the capstone for the Bachelor of Planning and is valued at 3 credit points. The goal of this unit is to provide an opportunity in the final year to consolidate, integrate and synthesise prior knowledge and learning across the multiple subjects of the program.

The workshop format of the unit combines group and individual work and provides an opportunity to advance specific skills necessary for a planner in the workplace. The assessment tasks are individual, however, the workshop activities will include working on your own, in pairs and in groups. This will reinforce skills of working independently as well as working co-operatively and collaboratively.

GEOP463 is taught in block mode using seven three - four hour workshops over the course of the semester. Each session will include the following components:

Lecture
Student presentation on previous workshop activity
Activity – field based and classroom based

Unit Schedule

12noon - 4pm Mondays in Room W5C 303

Week #, date and time	Workshop Topic	Activity	Student Presentation
Week 1 31 July 12noon - 2pm	Introduction to unit and assessment tasks	Community profiles having regard to 2016 Census data	Introductions
Week 3 14 August 12noon – 4pm	Planning for the public domain	Fieldwork: Pedestrian mobility exercise	Individual presentation of research data: Your local community profile
Week 5 28 August 12noon - 4pm	Planning for development	Fieldwork: identifying neighbourhood character	Pairs presentation of field research: pedestrian mobility
Week 7 11 September 12noon - 4pm	Assessing Design	Shadow diagrams	Group presentation of fieldwork: neighbourhood character
Mid semester break 18 - 29 September
Week 9 9 October 12noon - 4pm	Planning for centres and precincts	DA assessment/preparing SEE
Week 11 23 October 12noon - 4pm	Communicating the planning message & customer service	Writing for different audiences Codes SEPP
Week 12 30 October 12noon - 1.30pm	Putting it all together - life after uni	Reflection on unit

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

Experience in the preparation of strategic planning documents.
An ability to present complex issues clearly and succinctly.

Assessment tasks

Preparing a submission
Planning for Health
Site planning and design
Attendance and 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

An awareness of the planner's role in communicating issues to different audiences
An understanding of the interplay between planning and design and the planner's various roles in this process.
An ability to present complex issues clearly and succinctly.

Assessment tasks

Preparing a submission
Planning for Health
Site planning and design
Attendance and 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

A critical understanding of the role of planning in designing healthy built environments.
Experience in the preparation of strategic planning documents.
An understanding of the interplay between planning and design and the planner's various roles in this process.
An understanding of how to undertake various practical skills expected of a planner in the workplace.

Assessment tasks

Preparing a submission
Planning for Health
Site planning and design
Attendance and 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

A critical understanding of the role of planning in designing healthy built environments.
An understanding of the interplay between planning and design and the planner's various roles in this process.
An ability to present complex issues clearly and succinctly.

Assessment tasks

Preparing a submission
Planning for Health
Site planning and design
Attendance and 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

Experience in the preparation of strategic planning documents.

Assessment tasks

Site planning and design
Attendance and participation

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

An awareness of the planner's role in communicating issues to different audiences
An ability to present complex issues clearly and succinctly.

Assessment tasks

Preparing a submission
Planning for Health
Site planning and design
Attendance and 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 outcome

An awareness of the planner's role in communicating issues to different audiences

Assessment tasks

Preparing a submission
Attendance and 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

An understanding of the interplay between planning and design and the planner's various roles in this process.

Assessment tasks

Planning for Health
Site planning and design
Attendance and participation

Changes since First Published

Date	Description
24/07/2017	1. Various typos found in document, including dates & times in Unit Schedule 2. Due date for assessment 1 changed from week 5 to week 4 3. One dot point for assessments 2 & 3 deleted 4. Links to references in Delivery & Resources updated