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Urban Planning

Bachelor of DesignMajorYear: 2024

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Overview

Urban Planning as an academic discipline is the study of how cities grow and change, and of the application of policy tools that can guide that towards a viable, resilient and healthy future. Students majoring in Urban Planning learn about the historical evolution of cities, indigenous knowledge, critical urban challenges such as climate change and urban sprawl, the responsibilities of the planning profession, and how cities are planned and governed from Australian and international perspectives. They learn to critically consider a plurality of perspectives in envisioning future cities. Urban Planning students also learn essential skills such as plan making, policy analysis, and technical writing in both urban and regional contexts.
Learning in the Urban Planning course is broad and interdisciplinary. Students develop the above skills and knowledge through a variety of pedagogical formats, including lectures, tutorials, a Capstone project, fieldworks, and problem-based studios. The city is the laboratory, and students will engage with fellow students from around the world.


Careers and Further Study: Professional urban planners conceive and implement policy in a variety of areas, including land use, urban form, social infrastructure, transport, economic development, and public open space. The undergraduate major in Urban Planning is a pre-professional course designed to provide the basic skills and theoretical knowledge to undertake an accredited professional program like the Master of Urban Planning . For more information on the Masters programs, please visit the Melbourne School of Design web site: msd.unimelb.edu.au

Intended learning outcomes

Graduates majoring in Urban Planning will be able to demonstrate:

  • Ability to bring a broad understanding of design and problem-solving to bear on the discipline of Urban Planning
  • Broad knowledge of the history, theory, leading concepts and principles of urban planning and urban design
  • Understanding of the practices of quantitative and qualitative research in planning, and an ability to apply them
  • Broad knowledge of climate change, Indigenous communities, and the roles of planners in addressing them to support sustainable, efficient, inclusive, and equitable development
  • An ability to identify the main trends and factors shaping the spatial economics and development of local, national, regional and global communities
  • An ability to identify and resolve the causes of conflict in negotiation
  • Abilities in leadership and team work
  • Capacity to identify ethical behaviours in professional practice

Last updated: 1 March 2024

Structure

50 credit points

To obtain a major in Urban Planning students need to complete:

  • 50 credit points of Urban Planning core subjects

Note:

ABPL30060 Urban Precinct Studio has been changed to PLAN30005 Urban Precinct Studio.

Urban Planning core subjects

Code Name Study period Credit Points
PLAN30005 Urban Precinct Studio
Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville)
 25
PLAN30001 Planning Scenario and Policy Workshop
Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville)
 12.5
PLAN30003 Research Methods for Planners
Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville)
 12.5

Non-allowed breadth

Students undertaking the Urban Planning major are not permitted to take as breadth:

Or any of the following subjects:

Code Name Study period Credit Points
ABPL30042 Landscape Studio: Urban Open Space
Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville)
 12.5
ABPL30051 Urban Morphological Mapping
Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville)
 12.5
ECON30021 No longer available
EVSC30006 Ecology of Urban Landscapes
Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville)
 12.5
HORT10015 No longer available

Notes

To view a sample course plan please visit http://edsc.unimelb.edu.au/undergraduate/course-planning/bdes/urban-planning

Last updated: 1 March 2024