Units

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Sample subject outline - Semester 2 2013

Note: Subject outlines often change before the semester begins. Below is a sample outline.

Rationale

Relevant and effective regional and metropolitan policy needs to integrate a wide range of knowledge and skills derived from demography, economics, regionalism, activity and organization studies, central place theory, regional resource analysis and public administration. This generic and broad scale information must be synthesised and applied within specific regions, and the unit is designed to focus material from this wide range of subjects and places on current regional and metropolitan policy issues in Australia and worldwide.

Aims

The unit aims to develop your understanding and skills of regional and metropolitan policy and processes.

Objectives

On completion of this unit, you will have developed:

1. Knowledge of regional and metropolitan planning issues at state, national and international scales.
2. Understanding of regional and metropolitan planning processes and their application.
3. Familiarity with techniques to analyse regional and metropolitan boundaries, resources and activity systems (including housing, employment, transport, and governance).
4. Capacity to understand and evaluate different systems of regional and metropolitan administration.

Content

Major topics to be covered include the principles and theories of regional and metropolitan planning, the methods of regional analysis and policy development, and the policy implementation and governance issues related to metropolitan and regional planning. Lectures will be given by the teaching staff and a range of visiting lecturers who are directly engaged in regional planning. Minor changes in sequence may be necessary dependent upon the professional commitments of these visiting lecturers.

Approaches to Teaching and Learning

Teaching Mode: 3 hours per week
Lecture: 1.5
Tutorial: 1.5

This unit develops, applies and tests in practice policy principles drawn from comparative international studies. For this purpose, a number of the tutorial sessions focus partly on the region in which students are undertaking their studies in UDB474 Regional Planning Practice while others concentrate on exploring the more general implications of international experience.

The sequence of lectures and discussions is arranged with this in mind. Weeks 1-6 introduce general concepts of global change, regional definition, recent growth of metropolitan regions, and leading planning practice. Weeks 7-10 are devoted to substantive theories and analytical techniques for different major human activities and weeks 11-13 consider policy implementation and issues of administration and governance.

Tutorial workshops, occupying the second half of each 3 hour session, also explore this regional planning context, relating lecture topics to wider interests, research paper themes and your current work in regional planning practice.

This unit will be taught concurrently with UDN558 Regional and Metropolitan Policy.

Assessment

Assessment for this unit involves both independent and collaborative work. Assessment will be based on a mid-term exam, a research project and a reflective journal.Formative and summative feedback will be offered by teaching staff during the course of lectures and tutorial session to assist with assessment items. Formative feedback will occur in the form of face-to-face dialogues and electronic exchanges amongst and between students and teaching staff.

Assessment name: Examination (written)
Description: The Mid Semester Exam indicates students' understanding of the ideas, information and techniques communicated in the first half of the unit, including global and national issues of regionalism and metropolitan and regional planning.
Relates to objectives: 1, 2, 3
Weight: 40%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Week 8

Assessment name: Reflective Journal
Description: The reflective journal will evaluate your critical and analytical reflection on issues and topics covered in lectures, readings and workshops, as they relate to practical regional and metropolitan situations. This journal, based on weekly entries, requires your active participation in lectures and workshops throughout the semester.
Relates to objectives: 1, 2, 3, 4
Weight: 20%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Week 12

Assessment name: Research Paper
Description: The Regional Research Paper of 2,500 -3,000 words draws upon information from lectures, readings, and regional and metropolitan Internet sites, which provide information on current international leading practice. The paper presents opportunities for you to compare regional planning in Queensland and other Australian states with experience and arrangements in other countries. Issues relating to spatial, socio-economic, and governance systems need to be considered. The research paper will also be expected to demonstrate evidence of technical knowledge, critical thinking and awareness of the ethical and community issues surrounding regional decision-making.
Relates to objectives: 1, 2, 3, 4
Weight: 40%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Week 14

Academic Honesty

QUT is committed to maintaining high academic standards to protect the value of its qualifications. To assist you in assuring the academic integrity of your assessment you are encouraged to make use of the support materials and services available to help you consider and check your assessment items. Important information about the university's approach to academic integrity of assessment is on your unit Blackboard site.

A breach of academic integrity is regarded as Student Misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties.

Resource materials

Relevant case studies are available on the websites of the many significant regional and metropolitan authorities in North America, Europe and Asia as well as Queensland and other parts of Australasia. Google searches will produce useful information, for instance, on Greater Toronto and Greater Vancouver, Metro Portland, the Puget Sound Regional Council (Seattle), Dade County (Miami), Greater London Authority and Mayor of London, Regional Assemblies throughout UK, Edinburgh City Council (Edinburgh & Lothians Structure Plan), Regional Organism of Amsterdam, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, Barcelona City and the newly autonomous Region of Catalonia, Greater Auckland Region, Melbourne and Sydney Metropolitan Plans and Perth Metropolitan Regional Planning Authority. With a little persistence, metropolitan and regional planning information can be traced for any major world region or metropolitan city.

Relevant readings are available from the QUT Library. See Blackboard for a detailed list.

Risk assessment statement

There are no out of the ordinary risks associated with this unit. You will undertake lectures and tutorials in the traditional classrooms and lecture theatres. As such, there are no extraordinary workplace health and safety issues associated with these components of the unit.

There are no exceptional costs involved in this unit.

Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of semester.

Last modified: 20-Jun-2012