Urban Studies and Planning MPlan(UG)

Core modules:

Development, Planning and the State

The module provides an introduction to state intervention into land and property development and to current planning law and practice. Having considered land-use patterns within an unrestrained market economy, the first part of the module covers the development of state machinery in the nineteenth century and the current structure of national, regional and local government. The central part of the module introduces the British planning system as an administrative tool and the final third of the module explores its application to matters of current concern including the accomodation of new housebuilding at the sub-regional scale, and urban conservation.

20 credits

Economics for Spatial Planning

This module provides an overview of both theoretical economics and the structure of the UK economy. The first part of the module will consider a number of perspectives on the way an economy operates. Particular attention will be given to market exchange, as modelled by orthodox economic analysis as well as looking at a number of alternative views of economic behaviour; for example, institutional economics and socioeconomics. The second part of the module will examine key characteristics of the UK economy, including issues such as economic cycles, unemployment, land markets and the role of the public and voluntary sectors. Where appropriate, geographical and social differences in economic opportunities and outcomes will be highlighted.

10 credits

Information and Communication Skills

The skills needed to be able to find, evaluate, summarise and critically evaluate information are all vital to success in an undergraduate degree programme, and are also key transferable skills. This module will provide training in a wide range of methods for information handling and communication. The teaching is largely in workshops, with students expected to take more responsibility for their own learning as the module progresses. Lectures provide basic tuition in skills, whilst workshops and a range of exercises are used to develop these skills.

10 credits

Planning Project

The aim of this module is to help you develop an understanding of what a planning problem looks like, and how to understand planning dilemmas in a real-life project context. The module will develop your skills of analysis for urban places and you will gain a basic knowledge of planning tools to address urban issues. You will also develop basic design and drawing skills.

20 credits

Professional Skills Development (L1)

This module seeks to deliver a range of study and employability skills through a series of sessions over the academic year, tailored to each student cohort. The module combines careers events, study skills workshops, library induction and other skills events and is designed as an opportunity for all undergraduate students in Town and Regional Planning to improve their student experience through enhanced skills development. Through a series of lectures from visiting practitioners, the careers service and academic staff along with seminars discussing key skills development, students will develop an understanding of the skills required to succeed both in academic life and in the workplace.

The Environmental Challenge

Environmental and ecological challenges are becoming increasingly important in socio-spatial regulation. This module introduces students to the main concepts and theories that underpin environmental policy-making with particular reference to the issues and examples at local, national and global scales. This module has four main aims: (1) to examine the key environmental challenges facing human societies; (2) to explore past, present and possible future responses to those challenges; (3) to provide students with a range of conceptual and analytical tools for analysing political and regulatory responses to environmental conflict and (4) to provide students with knowledge and understanding to assist in confronting environmental challenges.

10 credits

The Making of Urban Places

This module will introduce you to cities and urbanisation, from the very first settlements to contemporary metropolises, using examples from across the world. The module focuses on thinking about the role of cities within societies and civilisations throughout history. We will look at how various forces shape cities, the outcomes of urbanisation for cities and their populations and how urban governments and planners have sought to respond to the challenges of urbanisation. We will explore influential ideas which have changed our thinking about cities and examine some of the major global challenges facing cities today.

20 credits

Urban Analytics

This module will serve as an introduction to quantitative research methods, with a specific focus on data sources, analysis methods and presentation techniques for policy analysis in social science. It will expose students to a wide variety of substantive issues surrounding the use of data in practice and enhance their understanding of methods used in the real world policy settings. Students will access and use a range of different datasets, covering demographics, property, and land use. They will be required to demonstrate competence in accessing, analysing and presenting such data in order to gain a deeper understanding of key issues.

10 credits

Core modules:

Design and Development Project

The course explores the interrelationship between planning, design and development profitability. It considers the property market, property developers and the property development process. It also provides an introduction to the physical dimension of planning and to urban design. It considers the design process and proposals for the improvement of urban space; and factors that affect development profitability and the techniques used by developers to decide whether to pursue particular schemes. The course therefore includes coverage of: market analysis, development appraisal, development finance, the design process, the use of urban space and infrastructure design.

20 credits

Researching the city: applied skills for practice

Level Two study of urban design, urban management, social research methods and the distinctiveness of place is enhanced by the experience of field research in a European city. Students taking this module will consider various topics, such as the impact of planning policy, urban ethnicity and social segregation, housing developments, or issues in the use of public space, through field investigation. These projects will involve the use of a range of qualitative and quantitative research skills and techniques, as well as interpretative methods. The course will require students to undertake designated field excursions to contrasting districts, landmark sites, museums, galleries and key archives.

20 credits

Professional Skills Development (L2)

This module seeks to deliver a range of employability skills through a series of sessions over the academic year, tailored to each student cohort. The module combines careers eventsplacement preparation lectures and workshops and is designed as an opportunity for all undergraduate students in Urban Studies and Planning to improve their student experience through enhanced employabilityskills development. Through a series of lectures from visiting practitioners, the careers service and academic staff along with seminars discussing key skills development, students will develop an understanding of the skills required to make effective application and succeed in the workplace.

Profit, Planning and Context

The module explores the relationship between the activities of profit-seeking business, the use and development of land and the planning activity. It provides an elementary introduction to the economics of land and property development and explores how these pressures interact with lifestyle choices to shape the use of land and property and the implication for public planning. The first part provides a brief introduction to measuring the performance of businesses and investments. The remainder of the module looks at the use of land and property for housing, retail, leisure, employment and transport uses in `urban¿ contexts

20 credits

Spatial Analysis

The aims of the module are to provide students with a broad introduction to the basic concepts of GIS and how they can be used for the spatial analysis of a wide range of data for planning purposes. The assessments will (a) test students' individual understanding of key concepts and their ability to think about the potentials and limitations of using spatial analysis to solve planning related problems; and (b) assess students' skills in the practical application of GIS and spatial analysis to a contemporary planning-related problem.

20 credits

Urban Design and Place-Making

This module provides grounding in the theory and practice of urban design, focusing particularly on conceptual and practical issues in place-making. The module is arranged in three parts: (i) environmental issues in site planning, including energy, infrastructure, site servicing and sustainability; (ii) urban design theory and the relationship between architecture and urban design; (iii) local planning, including site planning, housing, commercial development and conservation.

20 credits

Urban Theory

The aims are (i) to develop knowledge and understanding of contemporary and historical urban theories and politics, (ii) to enhance critical thinking about urban issues and policy, (iii) to expand awareness of the assumptions, values and ideas underlying current theories and policies for cities, (iv) to engender awareness and critical thinking regarding equal opportunities (v) to develop knowledge regarding uban governance, urban economic change and contemporary urban social problems. The course is in two parts: Part 1 focuses on the development of urban theory, drawing on explanations of urban growth and change from the 19th C to the present; Part 2 considers the contemporary city economy, urban politics, urban social problems and equal opportunities issues.

20 credits

Core modules:

Dissertation

This module allows students to develop and manage an individual research project that investigates an agreed topic of interest related to Urban Studies and/or Planning. The module aims to develop students¿ knowledge of research methods; skills in identifying and scoping an appropriate research problem; and ability to design and undertake a feasible programme of research. The module will contribute to a deeper understanding of the role of research in relation to theoretical and practical dimensions of planning practice and will allow students to deepen their own knowledge in a chosen field of specialist planning concern.

40 credits

Environmental Policy and Governance

This unit aims to help students analyse environmental policy. It provides an overview of principal elements of contemporary environmental governance, and an introduction to the process of systematic policy evaluation in relation to a policy element of their choice. The module focuses on the contested and complex nature of the policy environment, and the role of the public and specific interests. Through individual investigation of a specific element of policy, students will explore the multi-level nature of environmental policy, contested and competing policy goals, and theories about how policy brings about change. Teaching involves a combination of lectures and interactive seminars.

20 credits

Housing Policy and Governance

The aims of this Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) accredited module are to build on substantive knowledge, theory and skills about housing. Emphasis is placed on policy, practice, strategy analysis and understanding the links between housing, planning, social policies and outcomes at national, regional and local levels. The module further aims to: increase understanding of contemporary issues and debates in housing and housing policy and strategies; understand the causes and manifestations of problems, dilemmas and conflicts in housing systems and policy processes; and to develop abilities to synthesise and apply knowledge by understanding and critically assessing potential policy approaches to addressing housing problems.

20 credits

Professional Skills Development (L3)

This module seeks to deliver a range of employability skills through a series of sessions over the academic year, tailored to each student cohort. The module combines careers events, placement preparation lectures and, study skills workshopsand is designed as an opportunity for all undergraduate students in Urban Studies and Planning to improve their student experience through enhanced employabilityskills development. Through a series of lectures from visiting practitioners, the careers service and academic staff along with seminars discussing key skills development, students will develop an understanding of the skills required to make effective applications and succeed in the workplace.

Transport and Infrastructure Planning

This module will provide students with an introduction to planning and policymaking in relation to the provision of transport and other types of infrastructure. The module develops students' ability to think critically about the framing of transport and infrastructure policy using an appreciation of historic developments, current practices and debates, transport and infrastructure planning examples from the UK and abroad. It will focus on how planners working at a range of spatial scales can give shape to effective transport and infrastructure strategies, which balance a range of environmental, social and economic objectives.

20 credits

Values, Theory and Ethics in Spatial Planning

This course explores the interrelationships between theoretical debates within spatial planning and everyday practice. The aim is to provide an introduction to the theoretical debates in planning with particular focus on the values and ethical dilemmas underlying spatial planning practice in Britain. It should be noted that the planning activity provides the focus for the course but that the issues and concerns are also linked to the work of other built environment professionals.

20 credits

Core modules:

Development Planning

This module examines evolving approaches to spatial regulation through the planning system. The module considers the mechanisms used to make decisions about development through planning control and development plans. The module explores the changing priorities for governments in the regulation of development and issues of power, control, influence and public engagement with the planning system. The module takes an international perspective that compares and contrasts the basis for spatial regulation in different national and urban contexts.

30 credits

Professional Skills Development (L4)

This module seeks to deliver a range of employability skills through a series of sessions over the academic year, tailored to each student cohort. The module combines careers events, study skills workshops, and other employability events and is designed as an opportunity for all undergraduate students in Urban Studies and Planning to improve their student experience through enhanced employability skills development. Through a series of lectures from visiting practitioners, the careers service and academic staff along with seminars discussing key skills development, students will develop an understanding of the skills required to make effective application and succeed in the workplace.

Urban Futures

For the first time in human history most people live in cities and it has been predicted that cities will continue to grow into the future, bringing new challenges and opportunities for urban living. How we plan for future urbanisation requires creative thinking and new ways of seeing cities today and in the future. Urban Futures challenges students to think critically and creatively about the future of urban living, focusing on the ways that cutting-edge theories, data and methods can help inform the practices employed by built environment professionals in responding to uncertain urban futures in a global context.

15 credits

Making Better Places

This year-long `capstone' module prepares students for professional practice and includes a real-world, client-based project. It represents the culmination of learning throughout the programme, focusing on problem-solving abilities and professional competencies. Semester 1 involves studying and reviewing planning-related topics and techniques (such as visioning workshops, community engagement, social and environmental impact assessment and policy analysis) and critical reflection upon professional skills in planning. Adopting a learning-by-doing approach, Semester 1 may also involve a number of `mock' simulation exercises and problem-solving activities. Subsequently, in Semester 2, students will be introduced to the identified client projects and will work in small groups to produce a report, culminating in a key end-of-year presentation.

30 credits

Planning Law

This course will provide a thorough introduction to the rationale, purposes and values that underpin the legal control of development, including the legal framework for the English planning system and the procedures for the control of development in the English planning system

15 credits

Optional modules:

Cities of Diversity

Acknowledging diversity within cities is increasingly regarded as central to successful planning and city making. But what do we mean by diversity and what theories exist to help us understand it? This module will focus on diversity in the form of differing social identities (such as race and gender) but also diversity in terms of interpretations of planning and city building, some of which may appear irrational to mainstream planning frameworks. The module will focus on cities in both the developing and developed world.

15 credits

Citizen Participation in Planning and Development

Since the close of the twentieth century, intentional plans to improve the quality of governance in the Global South have become a significant part of international development, and the subject of specific policy agendas around promoting `good governance', democratic decentralisation, and enhancing public participation. This unit will use a growing theoretical literature on governance and the everyday state within the Global South to look critically at these policy agendas and their underlying assumptions. The unit is taught through seminars and workshops which structure learning, and help students to research these policy agendas' effects within particular contexts through case studies.

15 credits

Health, Wellbeing and the Built Environment

This module explores the built environment as a determinant of health and well-being and examines how planning and urban design can contribute to improvements in health. Beginning with an exploration of the historic relationship between planning and public health, the module focuses on how the built environment supports or undermines health in relation to mental health, ageing, obesity, air quality and noise pollution. The module also introduces the notion of health impact assessment and further reflects on the contribution of planning to environmental justice and the reduction of inequalities in health.

15 credits

International Real Estate Market Analysis

This module will provide a comprehensive introduction to key concepts and approaches to the analysis of international real estate markets. This module makes a simple operational distinction between mature, emergent and transitional markets as a first step towards a systematic framework for analysis. It gives an introduction to specific real estate markets and the ways in which they function, and offers generalizable conclusions about the wider operation of global real estate markets. Students will develop knowledge and understanding of global political economy as a context for interpreting real estate markets.

15 credits

Mega Urban Projects

In many cities nowadays, mega urban projects such as mega events like the Olympic Games or Central Business Districts like Canary Wharf are seen as an effective means to boost the local economy and to promote the city on a global scale. However, many of them often fail to contribute to the local economy whilst having detrimental impacts on local residents and the wider society. This module offers an in-depth understanding of the development processes and outcomes of large-scale urban projects by exploring aspects of why such projects are developed, how they are governed and their socio-economic impacts.

15 credits

Planning for Informality

The overall aim of this module is to critically examine informality, with a particular but not exclusive focus on cities of the Global South. The module relies on a mixture of lectures, seminars and student-led group work, with the latter focusing on an in-depth case study of a selected city. It explores patterns and causes of informality and discusses the strengths and limitations of a range of theoretical approaches. It also analyses the success of different real-world urban planning responses (understood in broad terms), including government-led, donor-led and community-focused ones, in addressing key urban issues in the context of informality.

15 credits

Core modules:

Development Planning

This module examines evolving approaches to spatial regulation through the planning system. The module considers the mechanisms used to make decisions about development through planning control and development plans. The module explores the changing priorities for governments in the regulation of development and issues of power, control, influence and public engagement with the planning system. The module takes an international perspective that compares and contrasts the basis for spatial regulation in different national and urban contexts.

30 credits

Professional Skills Development (L4)

This module seeks to deliver a range of employability skills through a series of sessions over the academic year, tailored to each student cohort. The module combines careers events, study skills workshops, and other employability events and is designed as an opportunity for all undergraduate students in Urban Studies and Planning to improve their student experience through enhanced employability skills development. Through a series of lectures from visiting practitioners, the careers service and academic staff along with seminars discussing key skills development, students will develop an understanding of the skills required to make effective application and succeed in the workplace.

Urban Futures

For the first time in human history most people live in cities and it has been predicted that cities will continue to grow into the future, bringing new challenges and opportunities for urban living. How we plan for future urbanisation requires creative thinking and new ways of seeing cities today and in the future. Urban Futures challenges students to think critically and creatively about the future of urban living, focusing on the ways that cutting-edge theories, data and methods can help inform the practices employed by built environment professionals in responding to uncertain urban futures in a global context.

15 credits

Making Better Places (Outgoing ERASMUS)

This semester-long, `capstone' module prepares students for professional practice and represents the culmination of what the student has learnt during the MPlan programme to date. Specifically, the module involves students studying and reviewing a range of planning-related topics and techniques (such as visioning workshops, community engagement, social and environmental impact assessment and policy analysis) as well as critical reflection upon professional skills in planning. Adopting a learning-by-doing approach, the module may also involve some `mock' simulation exercises, role-play and problem-solving activities to give students the opportunity to practice some of the techniques covered in the module.

15 credits

Planning in Europe

This 60 credit triple module enables students to study for part of semester 2 in either Lyon, France; Aalborg, Denmark; or Milan, Italy under the EU's Socrates programme. The module is taken in a planning department at an overseas university which offers professional courses. The module consists of practical work under the supervision of staff at the host university and it is assessed at the University of Sheffield, by methods to be formulated in conjunction with the host institution. The aims of the module are to develop an extensive understanding of the process of developing sites, the nature of professional work and the importance of interdisciplinary working, within a particular European context and its culture of planning and development decision-making.

60 credits