Handbook : Unit informationEdith Cowan University

Faculty of Business and Law

School: Law and Justice

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

• Unit Title

  Principles of Urban Design

• Unit Code

  PLN2601

• Year

  2015

• Enrolment Period

  1

• Version

  1

• Credit Points

  15

• Full Year Unit

  N

• Mode of Delivery

  On Campus
  

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Description

This unit asks the questions what is urban design and why do we consider urban design. It provides an introduction to: the contribution of urban design knowledge and skills, through the history of civilisations; the development of urban design thought, its application and institutionalisation; and the influences of urban design and the outcomes for traditional and contemporary planning in Australia and Western Australia.

Equivalent Rule

Unit was previously coded PLN5603

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

1. Apply these fundamental urban design knowledge and skill principles to simple planning and development issues.
2. Explain the principles of urban design and why we refer to urban design, in historical and contemporary terms.
3. Interpret and communicate the foundations of urban design knowledge and skills and the use of these in contemporary development and redevelopment.
4. Understand introductory urban design principles from a variety of professional viewpoints.

Unit Content

1. Application of basic urban design principles to contemporary planning issues in Western Australia.
2. Contemporary issues for urban design ideas and concepts in planning and development in Western Australia.
3. Economic urban design influences - economic influences and their interaction.
4. Environmental and physical urban design influences - built forms, transport, places, landscapes and environments.
5. Government urban design - legislation and institutions for urban design, planning and development.
6. Introduction to urban design in planning and development.
7. Origins and purposes of urban design in a world context.
8. Social and cultural urban design influences - people and culture, community organisation and social structure.

Additional Learning Experience Information

This unit may be conducted in the on-campus and off-campus mode with particular unit materials for field work application. The on-campus mode will be supported by materials located on the ECU Blackboard website and electronic communication between instructor and students, individually and through contributions to an electronic class newsletter. On-campus students have a weekly 1-hour lecture and a 2-hour seminar. Lectures are used to introduce the central concepts of the unit and to guide students through development of the urban design principles and their conceptual applications. Off-campus students follow the same program through extensive on-line notes, case study exercises and web links, as well as the electronic newsletter and other web-based communication. Assessments will provide feedback on academic progress and learning outcomes to all students individually. A major project will require consolidation and integration of knowledge and skill principles learning, by requiring students to prepare a simple urban design strategy for a real location utilising principles and concepts developed in the unit. This activity will be developed to be conducted on-line and involving internal mode students (and external mode later) sharing information through an on-line project and progress log.

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant Board of Examiners.

Text References

• ^ Principles of Urban Design Unit Reader, selected articles and Unit Notes will be available on line.
• Hall, P. (1998). Cities in civilization. London: Weidenfeld and Nicholson.
• Spirn, A. (1984). The granite garden: Urban nature and human design. New York: Basic Books.
• Shelton, B. (1999). Learning from the Japanese city: West meets East in urban design. London and New York: E & F N Spon.
• Sanoff, H. (1990). Participatory design: Theory and techniques. Raleigh: Henry Sanoff.
• Property Council of Australia. (1999). The design dividend. Sydney: Property Council of Australia.
• OECD. (2001). Towards a new role for spatial planning. Paris: OECD.
• Newman, O. (1972). Defensible space. London: Architectural Press.
• New Zealand Ministry for the Environment. (2005). New Zealand urban design case studies. Wellington: Ministry for the Environment.
• New Zealand Ministry for the Environment. (2005). New Zealand urban design protocol. Wellington: Ministry for the Environment.
• Lynch, K. (1981). Theory of good city form. Cambridge: MIT Press.
• Lynch, K. (1960). Image of the city. Cambridge: MIT Press.
• Llewelyn-Davies. (2000). Urban design compendium. London: English Partnerships.
• Lang, J. (1994). Urban design the American experience. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.
• Alexander, C. (1987). A new theory of urban design. New York: Oxford University Press.
• Prime Minister's Urban Design Task Force. (1994). Urban design in Australia. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia.
• Bacon, E. (1967). Design of cities. New York: Viking.
• Barnett, J. (1982). An introduction to urban design. New York: Harper and Row.
• Bentley, I., Murrain, P., McGlynn, S. & Smith, G. (1985). Responsive environments. London: Architectural Press.
• Bentley, I. (1999). Urban transformations: People, power and urban design. London: Routledge.
• Bohl, C. (2001). Place making: Developing town centres, main streets and urban villages. Washington: Urban Land Institute.
• Carmona, M., de Magalhaes, C., Edwards, M., Awour, B., & Aminossche, S. (2001) The value of urban design. London: Thomas Telford.
• City of Gosnells. (2001). Safe city urban design strategy. Gosnells: City of Gosnells.
• City of Melbourne. (2004). Creating Melbourne. Melbourne: City of Melbourne.
• Florida, R. (2002). The rise of the creative class and how its transforming work, leisure, community and everyday life. New York: Basic Books.
• Gehl, J. (2000). New city spaces. Denmark: Skive, Arkitektens Forlag, The Danish Architectural Press.
• Gehl, J. (2001). Life between buildings: Using public space. Denmark: Skive, Arkitektens Forlag, The Danish Architectural Press.
• Williams, K., Burton, E., & Jencks, M. (2000). Achieving sustainable urban form. London: E & F N Spon.
• Thomas, R., & Fordham, M. (Eds). (2003). Sustainable urban design. London and New York: E & F N Spon.

Journal References

• Urban Design Forum
• Urban Design International
• Journal of Urban Design
• Journal of Architectural and Planning Research
• Environments by Design
• Cities
• Building and Environment

Website References

• International Downtown Association http://www.ida-downtown.org/
• Greenbelt Alliance http://www.greenbelt.org/
• Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions http://www.detr.gov.uk
• Center for Livable Communities http://www.lgc.org/center/
• American Society of Landscape Architects http://www.asla.org/
• American Planning Association http://www.planning.org/
• Urban Morphology Research Group (School of Geog, University of Birmingham http://www.gees.bham.ac.uk/research/umrg/
• National Trust for Historic Preservation http://www.nthp.org/
• Project for Public Spaces http://www.pps.org/
• Planning Institute of Australia PIA, Liveable Communities: How the Commonwealth can foster sustainable cities and regions http://www.planning.org.au/directory/liveable/
• RUDI url:http://www.rudi.net/
• Urban Design Group http://www.udg.org.uk/
• Urban Land Institute USA. Case Studies http://207.86.218.154/dcs_frameset_master.html
• Planning South Australia, The South Australia Urban Design Charter http://www.planning.sa.gov.au/

^ Mandatory reference

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