Critical Planning: Theory, Processes and Applications
PostgraduateTAS-KGA5112027
Course information for 2027 intake
Critical planning links theory, institutions and practical methods. Connect planning theory with practice, institutions and methods, then develop practical skills in fieldwork, analysis, evaluation and project work.
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Enrol by
- 14 Feb 2027
- Entry requirements
- Part of a degree
- Duration
- 12 weeks
- Start dates
- 22 Feb 2027
- Price from
- $6,764
- Upfront cost
- $0
- Loan available
- HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP available
Critical Planning: Theory, Processes and Applications
About this subject
On successful completion of this subject, students will be able to:
- Compare and Contrast historical and contemporary planning practices by describing interactions between planning theory, wider social theory and the evolution of planning as a practice.
- Explain the influence of Markets and Governance on planning as a profession using a systems thinking perspective.
- Formulate a response to contemporary planning issues using key social, environmental and economic data to inform your recommendations.
- Convey planning proposals to specialist and non-specialist audiences in accordance with academic and professional standards and frameworks.
- What is planning? The what, why, who and how
- Why do we plan? Planning history.
- Planning applications: environmental, social and economic dimensions
- How do we plan? Stakeholders, governance, institutions, rationalities, approaches, processes
- Strategic planning: regional strategies, metropolitan planning, national strategies.
- Statutory planning: specialised instruments, sector perspectives, unresolved challenges
- Who is included and how?: Participatory approaches and processes, inclusive planning
- Plan monitoring and evaluation
- Plan failure: now what?
- Pragmatic planning and adaptive planning and management – getting on with the job
- Should planners be advocates? What about activism?
- The future: climate change, sustainability, Indigenous perspectives, informality, more than human cities, regenerative futures
This subject provides a theoretical and conceptual foundation for advanced studies in urban and environmental planning. The subject covers the diverse functions and purposes of planning. You will have the opportunity to think critically about the philosophical and historical underpinnings of planning as a discipline, and the interactions between planning theory, wider social theory, and planning practice.
Different approaches to planning and their relative merits are considered, especially their importance for informing planning practice. We will examine the roles and responsibilities of planners in various capacities and contexts, including government, non-government and private sectors. Diverse planning methods such as strategic planning, adaptive planning, and community engagement are considered. Australian planning institutions are also reviewed – across federal, state, regional and local planning scales – and we examine relevant policies, processes and legislation.
You will participate in practical activities to develop your skills in planning, including fieldwork, data analysis, communication, plan evaluation, site assessment, risk management and project management. Upon successfully completing the subject, you will understand what planners do, why we plan, how we plan, who is involved in planning, various planning tools and processes, and how we can tell if planning has achieved its goals.
Students should be aware that a time-dependent assurance of learning task will be implemented in this subject. You will need access to a computer with microphone, video, and reliable internet connection with sufficient data to complete this task.
- The foundations of Western planning (25%)
- Advancing built environment solutions for social problems (25%)
- The rise of design thinking in planning reforms (25%)
- From theory to practice: strategic interventions for sustainable cities. This is a hurdle task. Upon completion of this final assignment, you will be asked a question that you will answer via a short recorded video in MyLO. (25%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
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Entry requirements
Part of a degree
To enrol in this subject you must be accepted into one of the following degrees:
Elective
- TAS-URP-GCE-2027 - Graduate Certificate in Urban Planning
Others
Please be advised that this is a 25 credit point postgraduate subject, requiring an average of 18-20 hours per week of commitment between lectures, workshops, readings, and assessment tasks.
Please contact the unit coordinator to discuss any concerns related to these requirements (Jason.Byrne@utas.edu.au).
Additional requirements
- Other requirements - Teaching Arrangements: The subject is offered in person and online during the 12 weeks of semester. You need to listen to the online lectures each week via MyLO before attending the two-hour workshops. The workshops are discussion-based and online students can attend via Zoom synchronously or complete the work in their own time. All workshops are recorded. Attending the workshops synchronously will give you the benefit of meeting and interacting with other students in the subject. This shared experience of learning can make your learning more enjoyable and rewarding. Once a semester there will be a 4-hour field trip in place of the usual class, shared with KGA512. There are assessment tasks related to the fieldwork. Online resources will be provided to support the online students. In our weekly workshops, there are regular discussions relating to the field experience and assessment tasks and content that will give both online and in-person students formative feedback (real time observations and conversation) before you submit your assessment tasks. This is a chance to ask questions, to seek clarity, and to learn from each other. Four times across the semester you will undertake a time-travel field trip either in person or online, as specified in MyLO and described in the assessment activities. The final task has an assurance of learning recorded video component where students will respond to a question about their learning in the subject.
Study load
- 0.25 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 20 to 24 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.
Related degrees
Once you’ve completed this subject it can be credited towards one of the following courses
Graduate Certificate in Urban Planning
PostgraduateTAS-URP-GCE