UXH431 Urban Planning Practice

Unit Outline: Semester 1 2025, Gardens Point, Internal

Overview

Urban planners collaborate within project teams to find and implement solutions to complex contemporary issues. In this unit, we will simulate a planning consultancy with a local government client to provide strategic directions to guide the future development of a specific geographic area. You will work in small groups as a strategic planning consultancy and develop a strategic plan to meet the requirements of the local government.  As final year urban and regional planning students, you have developed the technical and communicative skills required to undertake this work throughout your course and professional practice placements but will need to invest significant time and collaborate effectively to produce high-quality deliverables.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

1. Analyse significant urban planning issues and solve planning problems to achieve desired outcomes.
2. Synthesise a wide range of economic, social, spatial and policy data to respond to community needs and priorities.
3. Apply communicative planning processes in the development of strategic plans.
4. Collaborate to build professional relationships and achieve project goals and critically reflect on your development as an effective team member.
5. Communicate complex planning concepts through oral, written and visual communication methods.

Content

Learning Approaches

This unit employs studio based, problem based and collaborative learning to provide opportunities for you to apply best practice planning processes, site appraisals, strategic planning and problem solving.

Your participation in the unit will include:

• Weekly studio sessions to review concepts and discuss techniques, apply knowledge and skills, and practice specific elements of the planning process
• Independent practice of each stage of the planning process
• Collaboration with teams through a strategic planning exercise using asynchronous collaborative online tools

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

You will receive feedback in various forms throughout the semester which may include:

Self-Feedback: Reflection

Peer feedback: Feedback through group work.

Expert feedback: Industry practitioners provide feedback on project.

Teacher feedback: Opportunities for both individual and group feedback throughout the semester as well as a part of assessment process.

Assessment

Overview

Assessment in this unit has been designed to give you the opportunity to show your learning against the unit learning outcomes and to logically progress through the necessary steps required to develop a comprehensive strategic plan. In the Topic Report you will collaborate in groups to analyse the site area and report on its key characteristics. This work will inform the Strategic Plan, where you you will synthesise a wide range of economic, social, spatial and policy data to develop a plan that responds to community needs and priorities. The Progress Report will help you to keep your projects on track, and demonstrate your capacity to collaborate and communicate with other professionals.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Topic Report

Working in specialised topic area groups, you will develop a detailed report that thoroughly documents the nature of a nominated topic (e.g. transportation, environment, economy, etc.) relevant to the assigned study area. You will collect data and background information on the topic and undertake a comprehensive analysis of its characteristics and the implications for the study area. You will use the results of your analysis to establish a draft vision and planning objectives for aspects related to nominated topic. Prior to submitting the report, you will present the key findings in an in-class presentation to the project clients. You will incorporate feedback received in during the presentation into the final report.

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Assessment: Strategic Plan

Acting as a team of planning consultants, you will develop and present a strategic plan for a distinct geographic area. It will include a refined vision, objectives, and strategic directions along with policy and land use maps, implementation strategies, and a monitoring framework. You will also describe detailed background information about the site and the method used to develop the plan. You will develop a final product that is attractively designed and highly visual so as to permit the communication of complex planning concepts to a wide audience, and guide the future development of the area. You will also need to present your plan to the client and industry professionals, highlighting key attributes of your document that aid in navigation, readability and fulfillment of elements of the project brief.

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Assessment: Progress review

Acting as a planning consultant working for a government or industry client, you will be required to provide documentation that demonstrates ongoing engagement in project delivery, reflection on your role as a project team member, and benchmark progress towards the project's completion. Throughout the semester you will document your contributions to your project teams including the work you have produced, evidence of your collaboration with group members, participation in group discussions, and timely completion of assigned project tasks. Your progress is to be documented within a nominated project management system used by your project teams. Your contributions will be formally reviewed by both teaching staff and peers.

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.

The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Requirements to Study

Costs

Site visits to study area/s will involve some travel expenses

Resources

Resource Materials

Software

This unit will require the use of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign

ArcGIS Pro may also prove useful in your analysis of the study area

Risk Assessment Statement

All commencing students are required to complete the Mandatory Safety Induction

There are no extraordinary risks associated with the classroom/lecture activities in this unit.

Prior to any off campus class activities that you are required to undertake in this unit, a risk assessment will be prepared and made available to you at the MAPS (Management and Assessment of Project Safety) library or on the unit Canvas site. You will receive a briefing regarding any specific hazard and risk related instructions from your field leader before commencing the activity.