Students

GEOP3030 – Liveable Cities: Infrastructure, Mobilities and Place-Making

2021 – Session 2, Fully online/virtual

Session 2 Learning and Teaching Update

The decision has been made to conduct study online for the remainder of Session 2 for all units WITHOUT mandatory on-campus learning activities. Exams for Session 2 will also be online where possible to do so.

This is due to the extension of the lockdown orders and to provide certainty around arrangements for the remainder of Session 2. We hope to return to campus beyond Session 2 as soon as it is safe and appropriate to do so.

Some classes/teaching activities cannot be moved online and must be taught on campus. You should already know if you are in one of these classes/teaching activities and your unit convenor will provide you with more information via iLearn. If you want to confirm, see the list of units with mandatory on-campus classes/teaching activities.

Visit the MQ COVID-19 information page for more detail.

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Jessica McLean
jessica.mclean@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
130cp
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

Liveability is used to define the quality of social, environmental, economic and infrastructural life in cities and regions. ‘Liveable’ is often seen as an antidote to a range of problems, such as urban sprawl and the lack of connectivity between different infrastructures, land-uses and communities. In this unit, students will analyse the meanings of liveability and consider policies and projects related to making cities and regions more liveable, such as smart and green infrastructure, transport and mobilities, urban activation and place-making. The unit focuses on the role of planning in making connections that improve the relationships between infrastructure, mobility and place. Overall, students will gain critical insights and practical knowledge of urban policies, governance structures and plans, as well the ethics and values, that underpin the goal of creating more liveable and connected cities.

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:

  • ULO1: Critically discuss the interconnections between infrastructure, mobility and place
  • ULO2: Engage with and critique theoretical concepts related to liveable cities
  • ULO3: Evaluate how ideas of liveability are interpreted and adopted in a range of urban and regional contexts
  • ULO4: Communicate to diverse audiences using appropriately selected written, oral and visual means

General Assessment Information

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – 10 marks out of 100 credit will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted seven days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline.

No late submissions will be accepted for the quizzes as they are timed assessments.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Online quizzes 25% No 13.00 13/08/21; 13.00 10/09/21
Liveable cities portfolio 35% No 13.00 08/10/2021
Report on a planning project 40% No 13.00 05/11/2021

Online quizzes

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: 13.00 13/08/21; 13.00 10/09/21
Weighting: 25%

 

Online quizzes related to unit content and readings

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Critically discuss the interconnections between infrastructure, mobility and place
  • Engage with and critique theoretical concepts related to liveable cities

Liveable cities portfolio

Assessment Type 1: Portfolio
Indicative Time on Task 2: 35 hours
Due: 13.00 08/10/2021
Weighting: 35%

 

A portfolio project exploring liveability in the context of a case study city, including digital, written and visual components

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Critically discuss the interconnections between infrastructure, mobility and place
  • Engage with and critique theoretical concepts related to liveable cities
  • Evaluate how ideas of liveability are interpreted and adopted in a range of urban and regional contexts
  • Communicate to diverse audiences using appropriately selected written, oral and visual means

Report on a planning project

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 40 hours
Due: 13.00 05/11/2021
Weighting: 40%

 

2000 word report critically evaluating a planning project delivering liveable city goals.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Critically discuss the interconnections between infrastructure, mobility and place
  • Engage with and critique theoretical concepts related to liveable cities
  • Evaluate how ideas of liveability are interpreted and adopted in a range of urban and regional contexts
  • Communicate to diverse audiences using appropriately selected written, oral and visual means

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Each week you are expected to:

1. View the recorded lectures and any associated online material posted that week.  

2. Complete assigned readings available on Leganto prior to the tutorials

3. Participate in tutorials where weekly readings will be discussed and activities conducted that build knowledge and skills.

In addition you are required to complete all assessment exercises.

GEOP3030 Liveable Cities uses a diverse range of digital resources, including an iLearn page where slides and audio from lectures will be posted, the Macquarie University Library for access to peer reviewed journal articles accessed via Leganto, and the Internet for news about, and discussions of, liveable cities. You will be required to have access to word processing technology and access to iLearn to complete and submit assignments.

For online tutorials, it is expected that you can attend and participate in a location where you are able to speak freely and engage constructively with the class. This may require using zoom backgrounds or headphones to ensure your privacy. 

Unit Schedule

Week 

Topic 

Teacher 

1 

Friday 30 July 

Introduction: unit overview, assessments, expectations  

What makes an urban environment liveable? 

Jess McLean 

Alison Ziller  

2  

6 August 

Place-making: Country in the City 

 

Jess McLean 

 

3 

13 August 

Place-making: Digital place-making 

Jess McLean 

4 

20 August 

Place-making: Creative place-making  

Jess McLean 

5 

27 August 

Infrastructure: Neglected infrastructure and misrepresented infrastructure 

 

Alison Ziller 

6 

3 Sept 

Digital field trip 

 

Alison Ziller 

7 

10 Sept 

Infrastructure: Smart cities 

Jess McLean 

 

8 

1 Oct 

Infrastructure: Green infrastructure 

Donna Houston   

 

9 

8 Oct 

Mobilities: Citizen-led transport planning 

 

Donna Houston 

10  

15 Oct 

Mobilities: Mobilities and access  

Jess McLean 

 

11 

22 Oct 

Mobilities: Active transport 

Donna Houston  

12

Assessment planning and doing week: drop-in tutorials to talk through progress and problems 

 

13 

5 Nov 

Conclusion: Making cities more liveable? 

Jess McLean 

 

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) 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 or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@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 help you improve your marks and take control of your study.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

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

If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@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.

Changes from Previous Offering

Not applicable as this is a new unit.

Unit information based on version 2021.02 of the Handbook