Students
ENVS8418 – Environmental Planning
2025 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde
General Information
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| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Convenor
Peter Davies
12 WW room 232
Peter Davies
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| Credit points |
Credit points
10
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| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
Admission to MEnv or MEngMgt or MPlan or MSusDev or GradDipEnv or GradCertEnv or GradCertEnvPlan or MConsBiol or GradDipConsBiol or GradDipRes or GradCertRes
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| Corequisites |
Corequisites
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| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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| Unit description |
Unit description
This unit focuses on the issues influencing environmental planning and policy in Australia. It examines contemporary policy and practice affecting areas such as strategic land, biodiversity, water, mining and transport planning. There is a strong emphasis on the development and enhancement of critical analysis and constructive review of plans and policies and the development of practical skills used and required by professionals working in the field of environmental management and planning. The unit includes a field trip where students will learn and apply a range of techniques that are used to develop urban policies and plans. Learning in this unit enhances student understanding of global challenges identified by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) Sustainable Cities and Communities; Life on Land |
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 assess environmental theory, plans and policies across multiple scales and jurisdictions
- ULO2: apply environmental and planning law and policy and planning skills to the decision-making process of government and industry
- ULO3: identify and critically evaluate the interests, roles and responsibilities of stakeholders involved in environmental planning decisions
- ULO4: demonstrate individual and group-based skills in research and writing for different target audiences
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reflection | 30% | No | 24/08/2025 |
| Group assignment | 30% | No | 12/10/2025 |
| Briefing report | 40% | No | 03/11/2025 |
Reflection
Assessment Type 1: Reflective Writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: 24/08/2025
Weighting: 30%
Reflective report focusing on the content and learning outcomes of the first module and how this will inform the future assessment tasks
On successful completion you will be able to:
- critically assess environmental theory, plans and policies across multiple scales and jurisdictions
- apply environmental and planning law and policy and planning skills to the decision-making process of government and industry
- identify and critically evaluate the interests, roles and responsibilities of stakeholders involved in environmental planning decisions
Group assignment
Assessment Type 1: Practice-based task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: 12/10/2025
Weighting: 30%
Prepare as a small group project a report or strategy based on an authentic task and write a personal reflection on the process.
Sparkplus is used to provide an individual score based on the quality of the group task. Individual scores are determined through specific questions where students in the group assess each other and also provide a self-assessment of their contribution. Written comments are also required to validate the numeric scores.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- critically assess environmental theory, plans and policies across multiple scales and jurisdictions
- apply environmental and planning law and policy and planning skills to the decision-making process of government and industry
- identify and critically evaluate the interests, roles and responsibilities of stakeholders involved in environmental planning decisions
- demonstrate individual and group-based skills in research and writing for different target audiences
Briefing report
Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: 03/11/2025
Weighting: 40%
Write a briefing report for a government agency on a topical environmental policy or planning issue (35% of marks) and present your report in small groups (5% of marks).
On successful completion you will be able to:
- critically assess environmental theory, plans and policies across multiple scales and jurisdictions
- apply environmental and planning law and policy and planning skills to the decision-making process of government and industry
- identify and critically evaluate the interests, roles and responsibilities of stakeholders involved in environmental planning decisions
- demonstrate individual and group-based skills in research and writing for different target audiences
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
Weekly lectures and tutorial workshops
The unit is delivered in a face-to-face mode. The content is based on a 3-hour weekly lecture program, inclusive of class discussion and workshop activities. Supporting this content, students are required to complete core reading/s or other activities (e.g., listen to podcasts or watch videos) identified on the iLearn site.
Field trip
There is a field trip mid semester to offer interactive and authentic learning linked to the unit’s content and assessment tasks.
This is scheduled for 13th September, 2024. This will be a full day and will be based within the Sydney area and accessible by public transport.
Unit Schedule
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Wk |
Date |
Lecture topic |
Workshop exercise |
Assessment Task |
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Part A Legal and policy foundations for environmental and land use planning |
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1 |
28 July |
Lecture 1 Introduction to environmental planning (Peter Davies) |
Overview of course and assessments Reflection presentation and exercise |
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2 |
4 Aug |
Lecture 2 Environmental planning instruments (Peter Davies) |
Environmental conservation zoning and policy |
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3 |
11 Aug |
Lecture 3 Sustainability within local and regional land use planning (Peter Davies) |
How sustainability is defined as a planning concept |
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4 |
18 Aug |
Lecture 4 Strategic planning to Environmental Impact Assessment (Peter Davies) |
Understanding the Review of Environmental Factors process (linked to group assessment) |
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5 |
25 Aug |
Lecture 5 Urban density and housing controls (Peter Davies) |
Local planning controls |
Assessment 1: Due 24th August (30%) |
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Part B Environmental planning in practice |
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6 |
1 Sept |
Lecture 6 Biodiversity planning (Peter Davies) |
Guest: Matt James (Department of Climate Change, Energy the Environment and Water) Achieving net zero biodiversity loss |
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7 |
8 Sept |
Masterclass: Environmental databases (Katherine Korbel) - directly linked to your major group assessment |
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13 Sept |
Field trip Meadowbank / Parramatta River (Peter Davies and Katherine Korbel) |
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8 |
15 Sep |
Lecture 7 Planning for bushfire protection (Peter Davies)
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Asset protection zones
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Mid semester break |
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9 |
6 Oct |
Public holiday |
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10 |
13 Oct |
Lecture 9 Environmental planning for National Parks (Katherine Korbel) |
Unpacking Plans of Management and their relevance to environmental planning |
Assessment 2: Due 12 October (30%) |
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11 |
20 Oct |
Lecture 10 Regional environmental water management (Katherine Korbel) |
Water planning in the Murray Darling Basin |
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12 |
27 Oct |
Lecture 11 Coastal management plans (Katherine Korbel) |
Managing coastal development in the face of sea level rise |
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13 |
3 Nov |
In class presentations (linked to assessment 3) (KK + PD) |
Unit wrap up (PD) |
Assessment 3: Due 3rd Nov (40%) |
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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:
- Academic Appeals Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progression Policy
- Assessment Policy
- Fitness to Practice Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Complaints Resolution Procedure for Students and Members of the Public
- Special Consideration Policy
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 connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
Academic Integrity
At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.
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- Workshops
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Unit information based on version 2025.04 of the Handbook