Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 1, 2025 (24/02/2025 - 21/06/2025)
- Study level
- Postgraduate Coursework
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 4
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Architecture, Design and Planning School
Students in this course speculate on future scenarios for urban habitation and develop responses to global challenges such as climate change, population increase, automation, waste, conflict, regime change and diminishing resources. The impetus for positing alternatives to the present is explored through critical review of prospective architecture and urban design. This research grounds the formulation of future scenarios and alternative visions for future settlements. The course emphasizes the agency of architecture and urban design in effecting change and the role of visualisation and persuasive argumentation in developing urban design propositions.
UDAD7006 is an Advanced Urban Design course in which students develop future scenarios involving pressing environmental, social, and/or cultural challenges and respond creatively. Students will engage with industry, government and/or stakeholder groups to build independent critical thinking skills. Students will explore options and test intellectual ideas by developing a Strategic Urban Design Framework.
Next Generation Urban Villages: Sustainable urban development using foresight, systems and design approaches
Cairns offers a unique urban context, situated between world heritage-listed environments (the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics Rainforest), with only a narrow development corridor for the city’s future expansion. Looking towards 2050, the city seeks a new development pathway which enhances liveability, advances decarbonisation, builds climate resilience, and protects biodiversity. The approaches we use to address these challenges – in Cairns and globally – will determine our ability to achieve sustainability goals.
In this Urban Futures Studio, students will pursue this task by weaving together foresight and systems thinking through an iterative design process. We will begin by exploring critical environmental, social, and economic issues and urban strategies. Students will then build on this shared resource to develop an urban design proposition which achieves a ‘triple-bottom line’ outcome.
Throughout this studio, students will develop valuable professional skills and folio pieces. Students will liaise with government and industry leaders and community stakeholders as part of the design process and build on a collaboration between UQ and the Cairns Regional Council initiated in 2022. Students will also benefit from the expertise of an interdisciplinary team of researchers pursuing urban sustainability.
Course requirements
Incompatible
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
ARCH7006
Restrictions
This course is restricted for enrolment to GCUrbDevDes and MUrbDevDes. MArch students and Study Abroad students must email adp@uq.edu.au to enrol.
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Aims and outcomes
This course aims to extend students' ability to formulate and implement design strategies that consider the constraints and opportunities of future urban environments.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Individually and/or collaboratively critically analyse the opportunities and challenges of an urban problem
LO2.
Deploy a reflexive and research-driven design process
LO3.
Integrate contemporary urban design practice and discourse in the design of a complex urban project
LO4.
Communicate the strategic and experiential qualities of an urban design proposal across a range of scales and at exhibition standard.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Presentation | Urban systems analysis report for design | 40% Individual Assignment |
Student presentation and formative feedback in class 3/04/2025 Blackboard submission 8/04/2025 4:00 pm |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Presentation, Product/ Design |
Strategic Urban Design Framework
|
60% Individual - Hurdle |
Formative presentation in class 15/05/2025 Digital submission 28/05/2025 4:00 pm Final presentation in class 29/05/2025 |
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
Urban systems analysis report for design
- Mode
- Oral, Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Presentation
- Weight
- 40% Individual Assignment
- Due date
Student presentation and formative feedback in class 3/04/2025
Blackboard submission 8/04/2025 4:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04
Task description
Assessment Rationale:
In this report, students will present findings from the workshops analysing the system of environmental or societal factors to inform sustainable urban development in Cairns. Having established your sustainability subtopic in Workshop 1, this report will include four parts:
1) Building an evidence base incorporating data sets and analysis of your urban sustainability subtopic.
2) Exploring the ‘system’ surrounding your subtopic and clarifying its relationship to urban development in Cairns.
3) Highlighting priority strategies through which urban design can contribute to sustainability outcomes across scales.
4) Speculate on a positive vision for Cairns in which urban design enhanced social-ecological sustainability.
The Research Report should contain text, graphic, and mapping diagrams conveying the above components to inform sustainable urban design in Cairns.
This report is produced and assessed as individual work. It will also form a shared resource document for all course students which will be valuable for your next assignment and future studies.
Complex / authentic assessment using AI and/or MT to support learning: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT) are emerging tools that may support students in completing this assessment task. Students may appropriately use AI and/or MT in completing this assessment task. Students must clearly reference any use of AI or MT in each instance.
A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
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 28 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.
Strategic Urban Design Framework
- Hurdle
- Identity Verified
- Mode
- Oral, Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Presentation, Product/ Design
- Weight
- 60% Individual - Hurdle
- Due date
Formative presentation in class 15/05/2025
Digital submission 28/05/2025 4:00 pm
Final presentation in class 29/05/2025
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04
Task description
Assessment Rationale:
Students will apply your collective urban systems analysis (from A1 shared resource with attribution to authors) to inform your Strategic Urban Design Framework and site proposal – in essence, translating complex thinking into a clear, compelling strategy. In the Framework, you will present a compelling argument for a sustainable urban development on your site in Cairns. This will include your analysis of urban systems, and your integrated response to urban sustainability. Your framework will demonstrate how your proposed development will provide complementary sustainability outcomes across the ‘triple bottom line’ of environment, society, and economy. This framework will be presented through a range of techniques and media including images, text, site diagrams and mappings (2D and 3D) at various scales.
Complex / authentic assessment using AI and/or MT to support learning: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT) are emerging tools that may support students in completing this assessment task. Students may appropriately use AI and/or MT in completing this assessment task. Students must clearly reference any use of AI or MT in each instance.
A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
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. 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 28 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.
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 not 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
Library resources are available on the UQ Library website.
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 |
Studio |
Studio/Lecture Week 1 LECTURE: Shaping urban futures - Introducing the course philosophy and purpose, and understanding local and regional issues systemically. DESIGN WORKSHOP 1: Systems thinking for urban sustainability - Introducing foundational systems concepts, methods, and confirming selection of focus topics. Week 2 ENVIRONMENT LECTURE: Decarbonisation through urban design - Understanding the role and opportunities for urban design to support decarbonisation. DESIGN WORKSHOP 2A: Decarbonisation - Systems mapping of decarbonisation drivers to inform urban design ENVIRONMENT LECTURE: Biodiversity through urban design - Understanding the role and opportunities for urban design to support biodiversity outcomes. DESIGN WORKSHOP 2B: Biodiversity - Systems mapping of urban biodiversity drivers to inform urban design Week 3 SOCIETY LECTURE: Decarbonisation through urban design - Understanding the role and opportunities for urban design to support local needs in Cairns. DESIGN WORKSHOP 3A: Society - Systems mapping of societal drivers to inform urban design SOCIETY LECTURE: Building community wellbeing through urban design - Understanding the role and opportunities for urban design to support community and wellbeing. DESIGN WORKSHOP 3B: Community wellbeing - Systems mapping of community wellbeing drivers to inform urban design Week 4 LECTURE: Elements of Urban Design for sustainability - Understanding five core elements of urban design DESIGN WORKSHOP 4A: Urban systems - Integrating urban design elements into environmental and social systems. DESIGN WORKSHOP 4B: Urban sustainability strategies - Integrating sustainable urban design strategies into environmental and social systems. Week 5 Presentations and formative feedback to test ideas and approaches, as you finalise your urban systems analysis. Week 6 LECTURE: Developing a sustainable urban design framework - Introducing assignment 2. LECTURE: Understanding urban context Processes for understanding local context. DESIGN WORKSHOP 5: Context analysis - Understanding site scale, and mapping local elements of urban design. Week 7 ECONOMY LECTURE: Urban design case studies and urban economics - Components of an urban design framework, case study examples, and urban economics. DESIGN WORKSHOP 6: Site and program options -Developing preliminary options for site response and program based on triple-bottom line requirements. Week 8 LECTURE: Systems and synergy - Identifying core urban design strategies which provide complementary benefits to environmental, social, and economic outcomes. DESIGN WORKSHOP 7A: Synergy for urban sustainability - Identifying core urban design strategies which provide complementary benefits to environmental, social, and economic outcomes. Mid-semester break Week 9 STUDIO SESSION: Refining strategies LECTURE: Urban design case study Week 10 STUDIO SESSION: Clarity and narrative - Individual tutorial sessions to refine your Strategic Urban Design Framework and its communication prior to review. LECTURE: Urban design case studies Week 11 Interim reviews - Presentations and formative feedback to test ideas and approaches, as you finalise your Strategic Urban Design Framework. Week 12 STUDIO SESSION: Wrap up - Individual tutorial sessions to finalising your Strategic Urban Design Framework and its communication prior to submission. Week 13 DESIGN WEEK: Final presentation and exhibition - Student presentations of final strategic urban design framework to industry and academic guests. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
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 for Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.