Cities Without Slums (ABPL90279)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
Overview
| Availability | July |
|---|---|
| Fees | Look up fees |
This subject explores ways to achieve global housing equity in informal settlements. Urbanisation and densification are the two most powerful processes that impact the quality of life in cities. While cities offer better opportunities through education, healthcare, employment and transport, poorly planned urbanization reinforce the already present challenges of poverty, informality, affordable housing, climate change, and inequity. As one billion urban residents lack access to affordable and secure housing and basic services, urban informality continues to challenge current approaches to urban development.
The Cities Without Slums subject will provide students with intellectual and creative tools to explore and explain the process of urbanization, the importance of housing, policies that give rise to slum formation and the persistence of slums. Specifically, this subject will:
• equip students with a critical mindset to analyse emerging ‘best-practice’ over the years and the roles of institutions in influencing and/or formulating national urbanization, housing and slum upgrading policies.
• engage students in making use of practice-oriented research, to employ case studies from around the globe and explore government-led, community-led, and community/local government partnership approaches to slum upgrading and the delivery of land and provision of basic services in the context of urban governance.
• help prepare students to effectively examine cross-cutting topics that underwrite inclusive and sustainable, well-managed cities, including regulatory frameworks, security of tenure, housing finance, land use and transport interaction and linkages, and affordable house designs.
The widening participation and collaboration that is happening between and across the public and private sectors as well as with civil society and the urban poor communities is an acknowledgment of the diverse roles actors and agencies can play, both in the Global South and the Global North, in shaping better cities for all.
Intended learning outcomes
On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:
- Describe the factors that give rise to informal settlements in both Global South and North contexts, including the role of urban policy and planning in land and affordable housing delivery for low-income groups.
- Explain various urban policies and planning approaches for slum upgrading and prevention from around the globe, with an emphasis on the Asia Pacific Region.
- Analyse the complex interplay between informal settlement issues and the broader urban challenges (such as poverty, climate change, and natural hazard risks), drawing on the diverse and competing interests of various actors and agencies, and their rights to the city, critically examining how these factors collectively shape promising practices' for creating inclusive, resilient, competitive, and sustainable cities.
- Develop innovative strategies to support the building of inclusive and sustainable settlements.
Generic skills
- Gain critical reading, thinking, debating and problem solving skills
- Conduct research and analysis of scientific and policy evidence
- Acquire written and verbal communication skills
- Acquire the ability to work individually as well as collaboratively in teams
- Reflective practice skills
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
None
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Recommended background knowledge
Urban studies, development studies, public policy.
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Assessment
| Description | Timing | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
Urban Informality Critical Essay ABSTRACT (Individual)
| Early Week 1 of the teaching week | 10% |
Urban Informality Poster and Presentation (Group work).
| Week 2 | 30% |
Urban Informality Critical Essay (Individual)
| 3 Weeks after the end of teaching | 60% |
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Dates & times
- July
Coordinator Derlie Mateo-Babiano Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours 54 hours over two weeks ( 21 hours Lecture/ seminar + 28 hours Workshop / Tutorial +5 hours presentation) Total time commitment 170 hours Pre teaching start date 7 July 2025 Pre teaching requirements completing the required readings and reflection exercises and Abstract preparation for the Individual Critical Essay Assignment Teaching period 14 July 2025 to 26 July 2025 Last self-enrol date 8 July 2025 Census date 18 July 2025 Last date to withdraw without fail 1 August 2025 Assessment period ends 15 August 2025
Time commitment details
170 hours
What do these dates mean
Visit this webpage to find out about these key dates, including how they impact on:
- Your tuition fees, academic transcript and statements.
- And for Commonwealth Supported students, your:
- Student Learning Entitlement. This applies to all students enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP).
Subjects withdrawn after the census date (including up to the ‘last day to withdraw without fail’) count toward the Student Learning Entitlement.
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Further information
- Texts
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Course Master of Urban Planning Course Master of Urban Design - Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Please note Single Subject Studies via Community Access Program is not available to student visa holders or applicants
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
- Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students
Last updated: 4 March 2025