Course coordinator
Dr Sara Alidoust
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 1, 2025 (24/02/2025 - 21/06/2025)
- Study level
- Postgraduate Coursework
- Location
- External
- Attendance mode
- Online
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Architecture, Design and Planning School
The focus of this course is on both the theory and practice of planning. In particular, this course intends to provoke students to think about what "good planning" means and of ways and means of improving the theoretical base and the practical operation of planning. Understanding planning theory will help future planners to understand how planning is practiced, why planning is done in particular ways, and provide them with a perspective about the roles that planners play. Critical questions will be explored, including: (a) should planners create utopian visions of how cities could be or to pragmatically deal with cities as they are, (b) should plans be grand and comprehensive or cautious and incremental, (c) should planners assist or resist the private market, (d) should planners be neutral professionals or social advocates, (e) should planners think like architects, social critics or private developers, and (f) should planners develop complex theories of urbanisation and decision-making, or simply deal with immediate practical and professional challenges? The course is structured around an exploration of recent approaches to citymaking, planning theory, and how they have given shape to planning practice. It also considers the professional status of planning and the ethical standards of the profession.
This course aims to provide a framework that brings together students' knowledge and experience accumulated through previous studies and/or employment. Through a mix of learning activities, we will explore and challenge key planning theories and concepts in order to find out how they fit and/or inform contemporary planning agendas, policy and practice.
Lectures will be delivered inﾠthree blocks: (1) THEORY:ﾠthe interaction of feminism, Indigenous planning and the concept of justice with cities; (2) PRACTICE: how planning theory, policy and practice is influencing the shape of our cities through strategic metropolitan planning; and, (3) WORKSHOPS:ﾠinteractive workshops using a range of engagement techniques to apply the concepts learned during the course. The course provides post-graduate students will the opportunity to apply their own knowledge and experience to key policy and practice challenges. This course is co-badged with PLAN4001.
Course requirements
Assumed background
This course assumes maturity and some understanding of planning issues. While there are no formal prerequisites to this course, it is beneficial if students have taken a few other planning courses prior to enrolling in Citymaking: Theory and Practice. The course will be taught jointly with PLAN4001, which is offered in the final year of the BRTP program. PLAN7120 includes additional practicals, including deeper and more critical discussions. . The assessments will also be different between the two courses, including more challenging questions on written tests, a more comprehensive strategic report and a longer reflective writing in the postgraduate course.
Incompatible
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
PLAN7111 or PLAN7611 and PLAN4001
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Dr Sara Alidoust
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Aims and outcomes
The overarching aim of the course is to develop an understanding of the linkages (or lack of them) between planning theory, planning policy, and planning practice. Related to this, the course aims to give students a deeper understanding of planning practice by showing how different theories can give extra understanding of the objectives, processes, and outcomes of planning. The underlying intention is to provide an opportunity for each person to develop their own understanding of what planning is and how planning should be conducted, as well as to identify the ethical issues raised through these different approaches.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Develop a comprehensive understanding of various planning theories that have shaped urban planning practices;
LO2.
Evaluate different planning practice approaches and assess their effectiveness in addressing contemporary urban challenges
LO3.
Critique and contextualise the assumptions and beliefs that underpin theories, concepts and practice of city-making
LO4.
Critique and contextualise the integrity and ethics issues in planning practice and the role of ethical standards in the profession
LO5.
Exhibit a comprehensive understanding of the processes involved in strategic planning, showcasing the ability to apply strategic thinking to urban development challenges
LO6.
Work both in groups and independently and utilise graphic, written and verbal presentation skills to effectively communicate comprehensive city-making theories and strategies;
LO7.
Critically evaluate your own approach to planning that consciously takes into account the various planning theories and practice approaches covered in class.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay/ Critique |
ASSESSMENT 1 Reflective Writing & Critique
|
40% IVAH |
Submission due 8/04/2025 1:00 pm
The reflective writing critique will be held in Week 7 Practicals. |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Presentation |
ASSESSMENT 2 Strategic Futures Report & Presentation
|
60% Group |
Presentation 1 9/05/2025 Report due 27/05/2025 1:00 pm Presentation 2 28/05/2025
Strategic Futures Presentation 1 and 2 slides are due by 1:00 PM on the day before the presentations. |
A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.
Assessment details
ASSESSMENT 1 Reflective Writing & Critique
- Hurdle
- Identity Verified
- Mode
- Oral, Written
- Category
- Essay/ Critique
- Weight
- 40% IVAH
- Due date
Submission due 8/04/2025 1:00 pm
The reflective writing critique will be held in Week 7 Practicals.
Task description
Assessment Rationale:
This individual assignment is in two parts:
Part 1: Reflective Writing (90%) + Part 2: Reflective Writing Critique (10%).
This reflective writing assignment aims to encourage students to critically analyse and reflect upon their understanding and experiences in the course. For each topic, reflect on your key learning, understanding and experiences gained during the corresponding week through lecture content, practical activities and reading materials. You must provide reflections in your entries, NOT summaries, of what you did in each week.
Complex / authentic assessment using AI and/or MT to support learning: This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance. A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools.
Hurdle requirements
A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied to receive a specific grade in the course. This assessment item is designated as a Hurdle in this course. This means a minimum achievement of 50% (a grade of 4) is required for this assessment item in order to pass the course. Meeting the hurdle requirement for a course does not guarantee a passing grade for the course and in order to pass this course, students also need to achieve a minimum grade of 4 overall.Submission guidelines
The School of Architecture, Design and Planning uses Blackboard and Turnitin for assessment submission. Turnitin is accessed through the course Blackboard site. Turnitin also checks for plagiarism or instances where the original work of others is not appropriately acknowledged. Uploaded files must contain readable text and not be rasterised. Uploaded files must contain readable text and not be rasterised. Students are advised to commence assignment uploads with sufficient amount of time (consider possible technical problems with computers, internet speed, etc). After successfully submitting an assignment through Turnitin, a ‘Submission Complete!’ screen will be displayed. It is the student’s responsibility to check assignment preview and confirm successful submission. If the ‘Submission Complete!’ screen isn’t displayed, the student should regard the submission as unsuccessful. Students should download a copy of the digital receipt as proof they have submitted the assignment. Students who are experiencing upload issues must advise the Course Coordinator immediately by email and should include screenshots and a copy of the assessment for submission. To meet professional accreditation, public engagement and quality assurance obligations, digital copies of all course assessment items must be submitted in addition to any hard copy submission requirements specified in individual Course / Studio Outlines. Any physical models should be photographed and a minimum of two photographs describing the complete and full model must be included in the digital submission.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 21 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
If a student wishes to apply for an extension, they must apply online on or before the assignment due date. When possible, it is suggested that requests are submitted 2 business days prior to the submission due date for the assignment to allow processing time. Students with outstanding applications for extensions are advised to submit their assessment by the original due date, irrespective of whether the work is complete, so that what has been done can be graded.
Late submission
The late penalty for this assessment item will be calculated as follows:
First 1-hour block - initial 1 hour grace period no penalty.
Second 1-hour block - An penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item will be deducted
Third 1-hour block - An additional penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item will be deducted. (adding up to a total penalty of 20% of the maximum possible mark)
Any submissions received after three hours will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each one-hour block is recorded from the time the submission is due.
ASSESSMENT 2 Strategic Futures Report & Presentation
- Team or group-based
- Mode
- Oral, Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Presentation
- Weight
- 60% Group
- Due date
Presentation 1 9/05/2025
Report due 27/05/2025 1:00 pm
Presentation 2 28/05/2025
Strategic Futures Presentation 1 and 2 slides are due by 1:00 PM on the day before the presentations.
Task description
Assessment Rationale:
It is in two parts:
Part 1: Strategic Futures Report – 40% of the course total grade
Part 2: Strategic Futures Presentations – 20% of the course total grade, divided into:
- Presentation 1 – 10% of the course total grade
- Presentation 2 – 10% of the course total grade
The Scenario: Students form groups of 4-6 depending on the final number of students enrolled in the course. A final list of groups will be posted on the course Blackboard. Students work in the same groups for both report and presentation parts. Your Consultancy Team (your group) has been commissioned by Brisbane City Council to develop a strategic document titled ‘Brisbane Resilience Strategy’. Your team was selected to undertake this work based on its global reputation in citymaking, metropolitan strategy and sustainable development. Brisbane City Council intends to use this work to inform and engage with the community about the resilience issues facing Brisbane; seek the cooperation of, and funding from other levels of government for key resilience projects; and engage with and support the private sector to build an understanding of, and ability to, transition to resilience practices. A nominated team leader from each group will submit a Group Report (4000 words ±%10 - excluding tables, figures, diagrams, images, references, appendices, endnotes and footnotes) – one copy per group.
Group Presentation 1, you will present key findings from your review of the literature on resilient planning and your analysis of Brisbane’s challenges and opportunities. You will provide a strong argument for your proposed vision for a resilient Brisbane. This is a valuable opportunity to receive feedback on your progress before the final submission of your report.
Group Presentation 2 serves as an opportunity for each team to showcase and elaborate on their strategies for developing a resilient Brisbane, building upon the content submitted in the previously completed group report. The objective is to communicate, defend, and engage with the proposed strategies, fostering a deeper understanding of resilience in urban planning.
If, for whatever reason, you find that your group is not functioning effectively, please contact your Course Coordinator for support.
Complex / authentic assessment using AI and/or MT to support learning: This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance. A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools.
Submission guidelines
The School of Architecture, Design and Planning uses Blackboard and Turnitin for assessment submission. Turnitin is accessed through the course Blackboard site. Turnitin also checks for plagiarism or instances where the original work of others is not appropriately acknowledged. Uploaded files must contain readable text and not be rasterised. Students are advised to commence assignment uploads with sufficient amount of time (consider possible technical problems with computers, internet speed, etc). After successfully submitting an assignment through Turnitin, a ‘Submission Complete!’ screen will be displayed. It is the student’s responsibility to check assignment preview and confirm successful submission. If the ‘Submission Complete!’ screen isn’t displayed, the student should regard the submission as unsuccessful. Students should download a copy of the digital receipt as proof they have submitted the assignment. Students who are experiencing upload issues must advise the Course Coordinator immediately by email and should include screenshots and a copy of the assessment for submission. To meet professional accreditation, public engagement and quality assurance obligations, digital copies of all course assessment items must be submitted in addition to any hard copy submission requirements specified in individual Course / Studio Outlines. Any physical models should be photographed and a minimum of two photographs describing the complete and full model must be included in the digital submission.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 14 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
If a student wishes to apply for an extension, they must apply online on or before the assignment due date. When possible, it is suggested that requests are submitted 2 business days prior to the submission due date for the assignment to allow processing time. Students with outstanding applications for extensions are advised to submit their assessment by the original due date, irrespective of whether the work is complete, so that what has been done can be graded.
Group requests must fill out the group member acknowledgement form: https://my.uq.edu.au/files/35533/extension-to-group-assessment.pdf with at least 50% in agreeance.
If one student has an extension then this student will receive the same mark as their other group members (with agreement from at least 50% of the members of the group, and recognition of potential impacts on the other group members). If 50% of group members do not agree, the extension will not be approved.
Late submission
The late penalty for this assessment item will be calculated as follows:
First 1-hour block - initial 1 hour grace period no penalty.
Second 1-hour block - An penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item will be deducted
Third 1-hour block - An additional penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item will be deducted. (adding up to a total penalty of 20% of the maximum possible mark)
Any submissions received after three hours will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each one-hour block is recorded from the time the submission is due.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 0 - 24 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 2 (Fail) | 25 - 44 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 45 - 54 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes |
| 4 (Pass) | 55 - 64 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 5 (Credit) | 65 - 74 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75 - 84 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Additional learning resources information
The blackboard site for this course will contain each week's learning resources. Further reading material and other useful links will be added to the course blackboard site throughout semester. They will supplement the other learning strategies in the course. Students are advised to check regularly for new material. They are also required to view the course announcements before coming to lectures each week.
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Multiple weeks From Week 1 To Week 13 |
Lecture |
Lecture Week 1 - Course Introduction and Planning Theory Week 2 - Alternative/Minority Planning Perspectives Week 3 - Justice and City making Week 4 - Introduction to Strategic Planning Week 5 - Planning Policy Week 6 - Urban Governance Week 7 - Project Management for Strategic Planning Week 8 - Planning Liveable and Resilient Cities 1 Mid Semester break Week 9 - Planning Liveable and Resilient Cities 2 Week 10 - Resilient Planning for Brisbane Olympics Week 11 - Stakeholder Round Table - Resilient Planning Week 12 - Ethics In Planning Week 13 - Group Presentations and Course Celebration |
Multiple weeks From Week 2 To Week 12 |
Practical |
Practical Week 1 - No Practical Week 2 - Alternative/Minority Planning Perspectives Week 3 - Justice and City making Week 4 - Strategic Planning-Understanding Place Week 5 - Strategic Planning-Understanding Process Week 6 - Strategic Planning-Urban Governance Week 7 - Reflective Writing Assessment Critique Week 8 - No Practical Mid Semester break Week 9 - Strategic Planning-Evaluating Outcomes Week 10 - Strategic Futures Presentation 1 Week 11 - Strategic Planning-Governance Frameworks Week 12 - Drop-in session Week 13 - No Practical |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.