Outline

Overview

This unit aims to prepare you for professional practice as a strategic or development assessment planner. It focuses on social, economic and environmental principles for contemporary planning practice; the systems for land use planning and environmental management in Australia, and the practice of statutory planning and development assessment in NSW. By the end of this unit of study you will: understand the social, economic, and environmental principles underpinning contemporary planning practice; appreciate key legal and institutional processes for environmental planning in Australia and internationally; be familiar with the various planning state, regional, and local planning instruments in NSW, and understand when and how they apply to planning proposals. You will also be able to assess the social, economic, and environmental impacts of basic planning proposals, and justify these recommendations in professional planning reports. In preparing for professional practice you will gain an understanding of the principles, techniques and requirements for public participation in environmental planning and assessment; and the ethical responsibilities of land use planners, including respect for diversity and the importance of social equity, in guiding decision making processes and assessing planning proposals.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Urban and Regional Planning and Policy
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	PLAN9020 or PLAN9044
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Nicole Gurran, nicole.gurran@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Strategic planning - comparative review of local planning instruments Critical appraisal	50%	Week 06	12 pages
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Development assessment - assessing a development application Report	50%	Week 12	10 pages
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Strategic planning – comparative review of local planning instruments: This assessment requires you to critically analyse and compare a NSW local environmental plan with a planning scheme or approach from another jurisdiction. The objective of the assessment is to familiarise the ways in which strategic planning objectives are translated into land use and development controls.
Development application assessment: This assessment requires you to assess a development proposal against state and local planning policies and development controls. You will write your assessment in the formal of a professional development assessment report. As part of this assignment you are also required to attend and observe a local planning panel meeting.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	Work of outstanding quality, demonstrating mastery of the learning outcomes assessed. The work shows significant innovation, experimentation, critical analysis, synthesis, insight, creativity, and/or exceptional skill.
Distinction	75 - 84	Work of excellent quality, demonstrating a sound grasp of the learning outcomes assessed. The work shows innovation, experimentation, critical analysis, synthesis, insight, creativity, and/or superior skill.
Credit	65 - 74	Work of good quality, demonstrating more than satisfactory achievement of the learning outcomes assessed, or work of excellent quality for a majority of the learning outcomes assessed.
Pass	50 - 64	Work demonstrating satisfactory achievement of the learning outcomes assessed.
Fail	0 - 49	Work that does not demonstrate satisfactory achievement of one or more of the learning outcomes assessed.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	1. Introduction and overview; 2. Principles for sustainable environmental governance; 3. Planning systems and processes; 4. Local environmental planning in NSW; 5. Planning in its statutory context	Lecture (7.5 hr)
Week 03	1. Environmental and land use planning legislation and policy in Australia and NSW; 2. Strategic planning in NSW; 3. Assessing development; 4. NSW Local Aboriginal Land Councils; 5. Plan reading and interpretation (elective)	Lecture (7.5 hr)
Week 05	1. Workshops and site visits to explore strategic planning and development assessment case studies; 2. Planning for COVID; 3. Bushfires and planning; 4. Planning for infrastructure	Lecture (7.5 hr)
Week 07	1. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) principles and practice; 2. Aboriginal Cultural Heritage; 3. Land and environment court; 4. Ethics in planning practice; 5. Conclusion - planning principles, systems and practice review	Lecture (7.5 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Please refer to the Resolutions of the University School: http://sydney.edu.au/handbooks/architecture/rules/faculty_resolutions.shtml

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Information regarding readings for this unit will be provided through Canvas.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. understand the social, economic, and environmental principles underpinning contemporary planning practice
LO2. appreciate key legal and institutional processes for environmental planning in Australia and internationally
LO3. demonstrate familiarity with the various state and local planning instruments in NSW, and understand when and how they apply to planning proposals
LO4. assess the social, economic, and environmental impacts of basic planning proposals, and identify appropriate processes to address these
LO5. justify these recommendations in professional planning reports
LO6. understand the principles, techniques and requirements for public participation in environmental planning and assessment
LO7. understand the ethical responsibilities of land use planners, including respect for diversity and the importance of social equity, in guiding decision making processes and assessing planning proposals.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

No changes have been made since this unit was last offered

Additional information

Canvas:

Additional costs

There may be some additional cost associated with travel within the Sydney metropolitan area, for site visits.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Additional costs

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

PLAN9061: Planning Principles, Systems and Practice

Semester 2a, 2022 [Block mode] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Additional costs

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect