Urban Design and Planning

Core modules:

Planning Place and Design Studio

An introduction to the essential design components, principles and theories that inform urban design practice today. The module covers key theoretical, analytical, applied, and technical aspects of urban design to develop core skills and knowledge in design and spatial planning. This module examines the core components that make up urban spaces and how they can be analysed. The key objectives that inform many urban design practices are also explored, including legibility, diversity, safety and sustainable design. The ethics of professional practice in urban design are explored, including through consideration of equity and inclusivity in design practice. Teaching will draw on practical examples, using student teaching, lectures, design panel presentations, student site visits and virtual reality to develop skills in analysis and evaluation of urban spaces and their design.

30 credits

Perspectives on Spatial Planning and Development

This module is seen as core in developing initial knowledge and understanding of planning and urban development. It critically explores the role of spatial ideas in planning policy and practice and plays a key part in developing critical skills and understanding of different contexts and environments relevant to that practice. The module covers urbanisation in a range of contexts and examines how spatial planning seeks to respond to key economic, environmental and social challenges.

15 credits

Employability and Professional Skills

This module aims to provide a range of supporting skills for home and international students, which will help you get the most out of your learning in Sheffield, and to prepare you for professional employment and career development at the end of your studies. The module has two elements: 1. Cultures of Learning and Professional Skills - understanding how we teach at Sheffield, how to get the most out of your study and how to develop key generic professional/soft skills 2. Employability Skills - preparing you for careers within planning, design, real estate, GIS and related professional areas.

Optional modules - one from:

Urban Development in the Global South

This module explores the challenges of urban planning and development in the global South: how are conflicting imperatives of ecological sustainability, social inclusion and economic competitiveness being balanced by practitioners, and what implications does this have for those living there? The module will develop understanding of how urban planning systems are constructed and mediated by different actors. The unit will use a series of scenarios; representing some of the diversity of conditions that exist in the global South, to develop understandings of how planning systems shape and are shaped by the contexts in which they operate.

15 credits

Globalising Cities

Understanding how cities function is central to the role of planners, urban policy advisers, and other built environment professionals. Drawing on cities from different national contexts, this unit provides an introduction to the administrative, legal and political contexts in which decisions are made about planning, regeneration and development and the role different groups play in mediating and affecting development. The module explores how practitioners approach urban development challenges, define problems and frame policy interventions. Conceptual and practice-based perspectives are employed to encourage students to think critically about the tensions and trade-offs that confront those involved in planning and managing cities.

15 credits

Spatial Planning Systems

This module provides an introduction to state-led planning and the key principles that underpin how spatial planning systems seek to shape the built environment. It considers the administrative, legal and political contexts in which planning decisions are made and the role of different groups in mediating land-use development. The module will focus around work to understand how spatial planning systems are constructed and contested by different actors. It will use practical scenarios to explore action surrounding development, the ways in which the state is talked about and organised, as well as the means by which the state makes and implements planning policies.

15 credits

Core modules:

Masterplanning Studio

This course module aims to introduce students to the process of masterplanning, providing skills in analysis and design at strategic scales; design option development and testing; working to a brief; and detailing a masterplan project design in 2D and illustrative 3D. The studio module will provide students with an understanding of the masterplanning process and introduce a range of international best practice examples to complement the applied learning within the unit. The module will equip students with knowledge on contemporary planning/design policy including the production of design codes and design-led planning policy. Teaching will draw on practical examples via studio workshops, context-based study, student-led site visits and external speakers/practitioners. Studio workshops will involve the setting and undertaking of a number of exercises to provide students with the necessary skills in analysing at a large scale urban area (+15ha), considering and testing potential design options, designing to a brief, and communicating the final masterplan vision. These workshops are designed to engage students with the core techniques required to produce successful masterplans and understand their links to design coding and contemporary design/planning policy. External speakers/practitioners at set intervals will provide real-world professional experience and expertise on masterplanning,design codes and their relation to planning processes.

15 credits

Planning and the Development Process

This module explores the development process and the various influences on the feasibility of successful development projects, including the planning process. It is designed to introduce planning and design students to core knowledge and skills, enabling them to understand how the development process shapes built environment outcomes. The module examines the structure of real estate development markets, the roles and objectives of the various stakeholders involved in development and planning, the main aspects of real estate development appraisal and the ways in which planning, design and risk influence profitability. Students will work towards recommending a course of action that offers the greatest likelihood of a successful outcome and in doing so, learn to balance the competing demands of planning, design and development.

15 credits

Optional modules - students will take one module from this group:

Citizen Participation in Planning and Development

Recent decades have seen a proliferation of initiatives to involve citizens in policy-making, planning and urban governance. There is widespread agreement that 'citizen engagement' can play a positive role in democratizing urban development. However, public participation raises a range of significant challenges for urban professional practice. This module will draw on critical debates about the roles citizens and publics can and should play in shaping the city to reflect on the theory and practice of participation. The module is taught through seminars which structure learning, and help students to research case studies of participatory initiatives.

15 credits

Transport Planning

This module will provide students with an introduction to transport planning and policy. The module develops students' ability to think critically about the framing of transport policy using UK transport planning as an example. It will focus on how planners in localities give shape to effective transport strategies, which balance a range of environmental, social and economic objectives.

15 credits

Issues in Housing

The aims of the module are twofold: to build both on substantive knowledge, theory and skills about housing gained in earlier parts of both the UG and PG courses, with an emphasis on policy analysis; and to look more closely at the links between housing and planning (in its widest sense) at the local and regional level.

15 credits

Urban 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

Planning Law

The course is intended to develop students' expertise in the legal framework for the planning system and to set that legal framework within the wider context of law in the United Kingdom. It considers the origins of planning law and seeks to provide explanations for the powers that the law confers on decision makers. The course focuses particularly on the development control aspects of planning law and looks at the rights and duties of applicants, local authorities and the Secretary of State in making and determining planning applications. It considers the criteria for decision making and the possibilities for the redress of grievance. It considers planning law in the light of wider discussions about human rights and planning gain.

15 credits

Health, Wellbeing and the City

This module explores the urban 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 urban environments support or undermine 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

Optional modules - students will also take one module from this group:

Behaviour in the Built Environment

The urban/built environment influences the behaviour of people; equally, people’s behaviour can shape the environment. Understanding the interaction between people and their environment promotes the design of spaces and buildings that meet the needs of the people who occupy them. This module will discuss principles of behavioural and environmental psychology in the context of the design and management of indoor and outdoor spaces, including the application and interpretation of behavioural research methods. A key objective is for students to be better equipped to deliver a sustainable environment that meets user requirements.

15 credits

Conservation and Regeneration Principles and Approaches

This module introduces a range of theoretical and practical approaches to architectural design interventions in the historic built environment. It will explore conceptual and philosophical debates within architectural conservation and heritage studies, addressing the conflicting and complementary approaches that have historically been employed. You will be encouraged to develop a critical understanding of conservation and built heritage issues and to evaluate the role of architectural conservation in historical rural and urban regeneration.

15 credits

Trajectories in Urban Design Practice

This unit focuses on exploring the emergent and potential roles of Urban Design practitioners, and on relating them to students' own Urban Design experience, both within practice and within the School of Architecture. The unit will be broad ranging, looking at the unprecedented scale and complexity of conditions that are shaping the urban environment globally, creating the need for a critical evaluation of the methods, tools, and design culture that surrounds the practice of Urban Design. The module will discuss the consequences of these conditions on the practice of Urban Design, and will invite students to speculate about the potential trajectories that they could take in the future as Urban Design practitioners. Assessments will be based on a reflection on student's individual experiences and future aspirations. This unit is also suitable for students taking a part-time route whilst continuing to work in practice. It is also suitable as an optional module for the MArch course. It will also be offered as a CPD module.

15 credits

PropTech and Real Estate Innovations (PGT)

This module introduces innovations in real estate with an emphasis on PropTech tools and platforms. It provides students with an understanding of the evolution of real estate digital systems and platforms through computing, internet, cloud, IoT, blockchain, virtual reality, AI, drones etc. The module will develop students' foundational knowledge and understanding of the theory and application of data science and analytics and how these can be applied to a variety of real estate operations and practice areas. The module will also enable students to appreciate and develop other soft skills such as creativity, communication, strategic thinking, ethics, entrepreneurship, and problem solving which have underpinned PropTech and other contemporary real estate innovations. The module will be delivered through a combination of problem-oriented, collaborative and project-based learning approaches and students will be encouraged to critically analyse existing real estate operations and practice enablers. The ultimate aim of the module is to enable students to develop innovative systems to further enhance the economic, physical, environmental and social efficiency of real estate operations and practice. Students will gain perspectives on different digital tools in commercial, residential and operational real estate and across the core real estate practice areas and sectors such as land management, development, construction, finance, investment, valuation, portfolio management, asset and property management, agency and brokerage. Students will also gain insight on other real estate innovative systems such as flexible, shared and third spaces, and the role of technology as enablers of these advancements.

15 credits

Immersive and Inclusive Urban Design

The module with the use of virtual and augmented reality investigates opportunities for new democratic models of design and development, aided by an understanding of practices that are transforming growth of cities; such as cognitive cities, smart cities, immersive data visualisation and responsive technologies. The module engages with new and innovative areas of inclusive design and industry practice; and focuses on the uses and limits of technology in the development of urban design responses to contemporary urban challenges. This specialist module will provide students with the opportunity to develop their skills and knowledge of key 2D, 3D and immersive technology (Virtual reality and augmented reality) design software packages which are increasingly required to visually communicate development proposals and ideas within the urban design and planning professions. The module will equip students with a critical appreciation of the strengths and weaknesses of a variety of design software packages enabling the effective selection and utilisation of appropriate software in order to perform a range of different urban design tasks.

15 credits

Citizen Participation in Planning and Development

Recent decades have seen a proliferation of initiatives to involve citizens in policy-making, planning and urban governance. There is widespread agreement that 'citizen engagement' can play a positive role in democratizing urban development. However, public participation raises a range of significant challenges for urban professional practice. This module will draw on critical debates about the roles citizens and publics can and should play in shaping the city to reflect on the theory and practice of participation. The module is taught through seminars which structure learning, and help students to research case studies of participatory initiatives.

15 credits

The Urban Climate Emergency (PGT)

Climate change is one of the most significant and urgent challenges of the 21st century. Cities generate over 70% of the world's CO2 and consume 60% of global energy, they will therefore play an important part in mitigating the extent of climate change and in adapting to the effects of the climate crisis and its impacts on societies and the global environment. This unit will explore the drivers of climate change and their implications for urban systems, critically considering how urban professionals can respond to these challenges in ways that promote just and sustainable transitions.

15 credits

Urban Regeneration (PGT)

Urban regeneration is common practice in the governance of urban change worldwide. Proponents make positive claims about its impacts on the urban economy, society and landscape, critics point to its negative outcomes. Drawing on Global experiences, we will consider the role of the state and other actors in the formulation and implementation of urban regeneration policy in its multi-scalar governance context, and the extent to which communities are engaged in and benefit from these processes. Through critical review of 'real world' cases, we identify the tensions, vulnerabilities and varied impacts of such approaches and consider alternative governance and policy responses.

15 credits

Transport Planning

This module will provide students with an introduction to transport planning and policy. The module develops students' ability to think critically about the framing of transport policy using UK transport planning as an example. It will focus on how planners in localities give shape to effective transport strategies, which balance a range of environmental, social and economic objectives.

15 credits

Issues in Housing

The aims of the module are twofold: to build both on substantive knowledge, theory and skills about housing gained in earlier parts of both the UG and PG courses, with an emphasis on policy analysis; and to look more closely at the links between housing and planning (in its widest sense) at the local and regional level.

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

GIS for Built Environment Professionals

This module aims to introduce key Geographical Information Systems (GIS) principles and techniques to students in fields where GIS is becoming an increasingly relevant tool. The focus is on enabling students to develop an understanding of the potential of GIS and some fundamental GIS skills, through a series of workshops using a range of common software. Assessment is through a written report incorporating visualisations and analysis.

15 credits

Urban 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

Planning Law

The course is intended to develop students' expertise in the legal framework for the planning system and to set that legal framework within the wider context of law in the United Kingdom. It considers the origins of planning law and seeks to provide explanations for the powers that the law confers on decision makers. The course focuses particularly on the development control aspects of planning law and looks at the rights and duties of applicants, local authorities and the Secretary of State in making and determining planning applications. It considers the criteria for decision making and the possibilities for the redress of grievance. It considers planning law in the light of wider discussions about human rights and planning gain.

15 credits

Health, Wellbeing and the City

This module explores the urban 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 urban environments support or undermine 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

Students will take one of these two dissertation modules:

Dissertation

This is a core module which allows students to develop and manage an individual research project. The module aims to help students to develop and apply research skills and an appreciation of the issues involved in managing a research project; to develop an understanding of the role of research in relation to theoretical and practical dimensions of the chosen discipline; and to further and deepen knowledge in their chosen field of planning, real estate, urban design, development, or related interests.

60 credits

Design Dissertation

This module is a major research project that offers the opportunity for students to develop and manage an individual research informed site-based urban design project. The module aims to help students develop and apply research design skills, site analysis and development skills, and visual communication skills. Students will gain an appreciation of the issues involved in managing a research project; an understanding of the role of research in gaining a detailed understanding of a site and developing contextually appropriate site design solutions; to further and deepen knowledge and experience in a chosen field of urban design or planning.

60 credits