Geography and Planning BA (Hons)

The aim of this module is to extend your understanding of the form and operation of planning systems at the local level;
To provide practical experience of surveying, analysis and policy relevance for planning purposes;
To develop skills ingroup working, written and graphic presentation.

The aim of the module is to introduce key areas of human geography through the lens of Liverpool and Merseyside. The module has a strong practical and field element and focuses on four aspects of the discipline: Population Geographies; Health and Economic Geographies; Social and Cultural Geographies; and Historical and Political Geographies. These aspects are explored through thematic blocks, each posing a research question about Liverpool and Merseyside. The module also aims to develop skills of data collection, analysis and interpretation and to enable you to link conceptual ideas with real word examples.​ ​

This module introduces new aspects of geographical thought to the First Year students which are unlikely to have been encountered via an A level geography syllabus. It also aims to enhance students’ understanding and awareness of complex global issues, focusing on two sub-disciplinary themes in human geography. Exact content will vary each year to reflect changes in the discipline, but broadly, one area will focus on understanding human population changes and geographical data (e.g. health or population geographies), whilst another will explore social, cultural and political approaches to geography (e.g. geopolitics, borders and nation-states).

Contemporary Human Geography is a diverse discipline which offers unique insights into many of the most pressing challenges facing the world in the 21st Century. Many of the issues that reach the headlines on a daily basis are inherently geographical and research within human geography makes important contributions to knowledge of a broad range of social, cultural, political, economic, environmental and development challenges. This module provides an introduction to cutting edge debates within contemporary human geography, highlighting the ways in which the discipline contributes to interdisciplinary knowledge production across the humanities and social sciences. Each week, module lectures will provide an introduction to a different sub-disciplinary field, which will be explored with the aid of specific worked examples which encourage students to apply the theoretical issues discussed to ‘real world’ issues. Assessment is by coursework (mid-term essay) and a written exam (end-of-term).

​The module prepares students with a grounding of contemporary planning issues as they pertain to urban and environmental economics.  The module is assessed by 50% coursework and 50% examination.

Town and Country Planning: An Introduction provides an overview of the history of the town planning movement in Britain, an overview of the current workings of the planning system, and the practical applications of planning thinking.

This year-long module is delivered through a mixture of lectures, seminars, practical exercises and tutorials. It provides students with the insight and skills to understand how places are planned through academic papers, policy reports and planning proposals. The module provides some of the core academic skills needed to write essays and reports for other modules. It also introduces the students to the documents used in planning practice. The module includes a field activity.

Planning is about providing good quality places for people to live in. This is an issue at different scales, from the global through the national to the local, and the community level. This module focuses on the latter; it investigates the factors which affect the quality of places at the neighbourhood scale and the role played by communities. The module features a mixture of interactive learning styles, including lectures, seminars and workshops. In the second half of the module, a real-life project is introduced, building on the skills developed in this and other modules.

This module examines a number of global scale challenges facing humans on the planet earth related to climate and environmental change.

This module has been crafted to appeal to students who would like to live in a better world and are interested in exploring and discussing critical approaches to inequality. It is designed to assist students in understanding the multiple and contested ways in which "global challenges" and "international development" are defined and studied. Indeed, a degree in either the environmental or social sciences is arguably incomplete if it has not paid critical attention to uneven processes of "development" over time and space, particularly if one is concerned with challenges related to global environmental change, inequality, and health. Similarly, a solid foundation in any field found within the environmental or social sciences must include a fulsome and nuanced analysis of the historical, political, and economic forces related to globalisation, not to mention be critically informed about what globalisation produces for differing communities, cultures, and ecosystems. This module provides precisely those two things: a comprehensive and critical understanding of challenges and inequalities related to "development" and the discourses surrounding it; and a breadth and depth of critical analyses related to the driving forces, processes, and products of globalisation. Students will also gain insight into how varying communities in different places are responding to development, globalisation, environmental injustices, and inequality through both resistance and building alternatives.

The zone of life on earth, or the ‘biosphere’, is a highly dynamic system responding to external pressures including changing human activities. The biosphere obeys a numbers of simple natural principles, but these often interact to create complex and sometimes unexpected responses. Using a wide range of examples we will explore these interactions between organisms and the environment. We will examine how species organise into communities, and how energy and other resources flow through ecosystems. We will explore how ecosystems respond to change, including gradual environmental shifts, sudden disturbance events and the effects of human activities. We will also learn how the key principles of ecology can be applied to conservation. We will assess the current state of the biosphere, and evaluate the major current threats. We will also look towards the future of ecosystems, including whether we can restore degraded habitats, and recreate “natural” landscapes.

This module aims to introduce students to the key methodological debates, and the main qualitative and quantitative methodological techniques that are used in the Social Sciences. In doing so, the module aims to deliver the methods research skills training that will enable students to successfully complete their field classes and dissertations.

The course aims to introduce students to current and historical debates about the nature, purpose and practice of geography. It compliments Research Skills (ENVS203) and provides a background for all modules in Geography. Particular emphasis will be placed upon the philosophical and conceptual developments within Geography as a discipline and the role of ‘spatial thinking’ in the production of geographical knowledge.

The module will develop students’ knowledge of careers and employability with a focus on enhancing employability through tutorial-based exercises. In addition, the module provides a range of research skills required for the planning, implementation, analysis and reporting (written and oral) of independent research projects. Practical training will be provided in a range of qualitative and quantitative techniques across a broad range of geographical and environmental science themes. From this, students should develop a critical awareness as to the advantages and disadvantages of research methodologies in particular contexts.

This module provides an introduction to the methods and techniques that are used in the preparation and implementation of strategic plans and policies.

​The aim of this module is to introduce the history, theories and practice of urban design as the principal means of creating and protecting the quality of ‘place’ in the urban fabric. It teaches the basic techniques and skills required to achieve an understanding the character and quality of places, including the key components of urban form and the main theories behind place making.

Cities and regions have undergone tremendous changes over the past decades. The world is undergoing an unprecedented wave of urbanisation, particularly in the developing world. In this module students will explore the process of urban restructuring from a social, economic and environmental perspective and its spatial manifestations. The module teaches students to analyse change, and discuss and reflect on current policy responses. This module will be delivered through lectures, each highlighting a specific theme of urban and regional change and through self-directed learning. The assessment is based on two seminar papers (each 50%).

Environmental concerns have become increasingly pressing over the last few decades, especially the global challenge of climate change. Environmental sustainability directs our attention to finding new approaches and methods for many of our activities and is an increasingly accepted principle that many professions are seeking to work out in practice.

This module explores the notion of environmental sustainability particularly within the context of urban planning. In this context, it can help us to develop the places where we live in a way that makes them cleaner, more energy efficient and better adapted to climate change, and that provides more biodiversity and a better quality of life. Planners, geographers and environmental scientists can all contribute to achieving a more sustainable world around us.

This module, focused around a virtual field class in Ireland, provides practical experience and training in designing, executing, analysing, writing-up and presenting a field research project. For much of the module you will work as part of a group, providing you in addition with the opportunity to develop team-working and communication skills.

This module, focuses around a field class in Scotland, provides practical experience and training in designing, executing, analysing, writing-up and presenting a field research project. For much of the module you will work as part of a group, providing you in addition with the opportunity to develop team-working and communication skills. The field class will be in Edinburgh but adapted for virtual teaching if public health conditions do not allow for a physical trip.

This module, focused around a five-day field class in Scotland’s largest city, provides practical experience and training in designing, executing, analysing, writing-up and presenting a field research project. For much of the module you will work as part of a group, providing you in addition with the opportunity to develop team-working and communication skills.

This module explores the need to carefully think about the planning, development and change that affects our rural areas, particularly in terms of the goods and services they provide to a predominantly urban population. The module is taught through lectures and workshops and includes a compulsory residential field class to rural Britain.

The module introduces the principles of geographical information systems and science with a focus on human geography. Examples will be drawn from population geography with components linked to data sources, analysis and visualisation. Students will learn how to use GIS to map population data, to explore social deprivation, geographic inequalities, and commuting patterns, amongst other themes.

This module introduces students to the study of globalisation in the early 21st century. In the 19th and 20th centuries there were big debates between those who think things work best when people are left to decide how they want to live and get what they need by trading with each other, and those who wanted a communist society where people get what they need and contribute what they can to the common good. Of course it did not work out that way, and now for many people free markets, or neoliberalism is the only serious game in town. The course examines those debates before moving on to examine case studies of how they have worked out in practice.

Social and Cultural Geographies are two diverse, interlinked fields within contemporary human geography. Social geography is, broadly, interested in the relationships between social identities, power and space, and cultural geography examines the ways in which meaning is produced through ‘culture’ – social ideas, discourse, performances, objects, art, entertainment, images, music etc. This module will introduce you to these broad themes through a focus on the interrelations between identity, space and power and the ways in which these are produced through cultural forms. This includes exploring a range of social differences and identities such as gender, class, disability, sexuality, body size, race and ethnicity, and exploring representations and modes of engaging with the world including online/virtual space, mobilities, music, TV, and material culture.

The dissertation is a key part of your studies during this final year. It is the equivalent of two standard modules and spans two semesters. It is also the part of your studies that demands the most in terms of personal initiative and organisation. Students will select their own topic and work through an individual research project that culminates in the dissertation itself. It is also the part of your studies that allows you to develop a personal specialism to the fullest extent which you can highlight in your CV and which can therefore be a very rewarding and fulfilling exercise.

This module provides students with the opportunity to undertake an independent research project into a topic of their choosing, under the supervision of an allocated member of academic staff. The work-based dissertation additionally involves students in working collaboratively with an external organisation on a mutually agreed research topic, thereby providing students with valuable work-related experience.

This Field Class module gives students experience of designing, collecting and analysing field data based on the analysis of a current issue related to city in the UK, usually somewhere in the North West of England such as Liverpool or Manchester.

The learning outcomes of the module provide students with further experience in the design and undertaking of research. The module acts as a further development of students’ analytical skills begun in Levels 4 and 5, and during the dissertation module at level 6.

The module has been designed to allow students who may not wish to travel or undertake residential fieldwork in Human Geography to continue to develop their fieldwork skills. Students will conduct a grou-based short-duration fieldwork project, collecting data using a variety of methods (using both primary and secondary data). Assessment is via both group proposals and presentations, plus individual write-ups of aspects of the projects findings.

Planning has long been characterised by the cross-national exchange of ideas, models and approaches. The emergence of modern planning in the 19th and early 20th centuries, for example, was shaped by similar perceptions of the problems of urbanisation in different national settings and geopolitical processes such as colonialism. Today globalisation and the rise of global challenges such as climate change and policy agendas which seek to address these, have focussed attention on how planning addresses particular ecological, social, economic and cultural questions in different parts of the world. Informed by this context, this module explores the international dimension of planning including: how planning systems can be characterised; the purposes of comparative planning study; how ‘learning from other countries’ might be approached; the context for spatial planning in Europe and other global regions; and, approaches to key planning challenges in different places.

Over the last decade the environment, and perhaps more importantly the concept of sustainable development, is claimed to have become a critical dimension that underpins decision making at a variety of different spatial scales, more particularly international, European, national, regional and local arenas. In this module we explore the extent to which environmental concerns are taken into account in various decision-making processes within the public, private and third sectors. The module will be assessed by an essay (50%) and an open book exam (50%) which provides students with significant choice to explore those parts of the module they find most interesting.

Whilst for many people, colonialism has ended, we live in a world where the effects of colonialism are still visible. Many academics have taken a critical perspective on these continued legacies, and this field of thought is now broadly known as ‘postcolonialism’. This module explores the social, political and cultural effects and legacies of colonialism as they occur in particular contexts.

The module is divided into two sections, one exploring the theoretical ideas of postcolonialism, the other looking at how thinking postcolonially helps us to understand the world.

You will be assessed through two pieces of coursework, one a theoretically driven essay on a student-chosen topic, and one, focused on authentic assessment, which analyses the postcolonial aspects of contemporary culture (e.g. a film, book or museum).

This module aims to give students a sustained and critical understanding of the relationship between bodies, space and power, with a particular focus on critical approaches to public health. Building on ENVS275 Social and Cultural Geographies, the module will provide students with an in-depth engagement with critical theory (particularly feminist and poststructural theory) as applied to contemporary and historical examples surrounding public health.

This module will introduce students to the nascent field of Geographic Data Science (GDS), a discipline established at the intersection between Geographic Information Science (GIS) and Data Science. The course covers how the modern GIS toolkit can be integrated with Data Science tools to solve practical real-world problems. Core to the set of employable skills to be taught in this course is an introduction to programming tools for GDS – specifically the programming language ‘Python’, which is the only scripting language officially supported by the industry-leading GIS packages ‘Arc/GIS’ and ‘QGIS’. The programme of lectures, guided practical classes and  independent study  illustrate how and why GDS is useful for social science applications.

​This course explores contemporary population dynamics across Europe. Students will explore fertility, mortality and migration dynamics across selected countries in Europe; review explanations for population change; and examine the policy challenges posed by such population change. Students will also explore these debates in a local context through a field-walk in Liverpool.

This module introduces students to specific geographical developments in Poland since 1939. The course will be structured around three key time periods: second world war, socialism, post-socialism. Within these, shifts in the control and use of space will be explored. The second world war theme will consider the impact of war on population and territory in Poland, and the subsequent contestations surrounding wartime memory within the country, focusing especially on museums and memorial sites as contested sites of memory. The second section of the course will consider the spatial dimensions of everyday life under socialism, including: political uses of public and private space, queuing and the shortage economy, imagined geographies of the west, and resistances. The final section will investigate changes in Poland since 1989: to what extent the country has ‘returned to Europe’, the impact of shock therapy on social geographies, and how Poland is still working through socialist legacies. Special attention will also be given to Polish migration, before and after EU accession. Ultimately this module enables students to develop an in-depth empirical knowledge of a key site of change in contemporary Europe, while encouraging deep engagement with a range of historical, political, social, cultural and post-socialist geographical readings.

This module examines climate change impacts on humans and ecosystems. The module is designed to give the student a good overview of the strength and weaknesses of climate modelling approaches. Elements of the global carbon cycle are discussed.

This module explores key aspects of a sustainable, people-oriented environment. What makes a successful ‘place’? Can safety be ‘designed in’? What is a ‘walkable’ neighbourhood? Students will gain in-depth knowledge through lectures and hands-on design exercises on topics including master planning, public realm and open space design.

Environmental Assessment is applied throughout the world in the preparation of policies, plans, programmes and projects several 10s of 1,000s of times each year. Whilst specific requirements differ between different countries, underlying conceptual and procedural ideas are similar in all contexts. This module introduces the environmental assessment process and applied methods and techniques as practiced both, nationally and internationally. The module forms part of IEMA (Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment) accreditation. IEMA accreditation is a key requirement for those aiming at working in an environmental assessment consultancy. Obtaining it through this and the associated ENVS360 modules means a future employer will save a considerable amount of money and time they would otherwise need to spend to ensure there is accreditation. This gives graduates a competitive advantage.

​The module will discuss a broad range of urban planning issues related to regeneration to equip students with a more in depth understanding of the theory and practice of urban development and the ability of planners (and the planning system) to generate effective policy responses to areas of decline. 

Marine planning is a recent endeavour, taking shape internationally as a new approach to the management of the seas and oceans, in the interests of marine nature conservation and the sustainable use of the seas for shipping, energy, fishing, minerals extraction, tourism, etc. It is developing as a means of organising the use of national sea space in a growing number of countries around the world. This module provides an introduction to the theoretical and practical foundation in marine planning for students with interests in spatial planning or marine science and management. Assessment is by two assignments: presentation and essay.

Understanding how the different parts of the planning system relate to each other and to the legal and constitutional framework which underpins that system is a critical part of planning education. This module aims to provide that understanding from both theoretical and practical perspectives, by bringing in practitioners to deliver different sessions and by asking students to research different aspects of planning law and governance in theory and practice.

​The module provides an in-depth analysis of how planning and economic developmenrt are intertwinned. It covers a range of assessment and evaluation methodologies to illustarte the complexity of urban economic and property development. 

The module aims to introduce the field of Green Infrastructure and green space planning by addressing its principles, values and utility within urban planning. By examining the relationship between the landscape, planning policy and human interactions, the module highlights opportunities to implement positive green infrastructure at a number of scales. The module also draws links between the role of Green Infrastructure planning in supporting sustainability objectives and the process of management and monitoring. This is achieved by assessing what methods are appropriate in the evaluation of urban and landscape development. By writing an independent essay through performing literature review and critical analysis, students will gain an understanding of the planning mechanisms in place that govern the development of Green Infrastructure resources. The assessment also requires students to independently complete a project poster. Throughout completing the project poster, students will undertake tasks that mirror real-world professional practices, which helps students to be well-prepared in advance to becoming professionals. The module will also enable students to learn and practically use the skills they may require to evaluate the role and added value of Green Infrastructure in real-world planning scenarios.

This module provides insight into social and spatial inequalities, and their inter-relations. The module will consider how and why inequalities might have persisted over time, how social inequalities have specific geographies, and the implications of this unevenness for those who are marginalised. The module is structured through four major themes: for example, inequalities and the labour market; ethnicity and inequalities; spatial understandings of poverty; amd theories about inequality. The difficulties in defining and measuring social and spatial inequalities, and how such definitions may relate to broader theories, perspectives or frameworks of relevance are issues covered in the module, as well as how these terms are interpreted and (mis-)represented. The module draws on empirical evidence, theoretical approaches and policy responses. The module provides insight into government responses that aim to combat social and spatial inequalities and related issues in the UK, at the regional and sub-regional level.

​The design project offers students the opportunity to explore urban design issues in more depth. Sites to be designed include a choice of mixed use urban infill and residential extensions. During the module students move from site appraisal and area framework to designing a smaller plot to explore the relationship of buildings and their ‘interface’ with the street. 

This is a client-led module, which is based upon the execution of a mini-project that is carried out in groups by students. The project allows the students to apply their knowledge of Environmental Assessment and Management (EAM) in practice and gain experience of being engaged with a real life client. This module essentially delivers authentic assessment. The project experience offered within the module helps in developing skills of analysis, interpretation and policy prescription within the context of EAM. They are well grounded in the Department’s own research activities and draw upon established links with a number of local authorities and other public bodies. This module along with ENVS529 is IEMA (Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment) accredited.

​This module provides students with the opportunity to undertake an independent research project into a topic of the choosing, under the supervision of an allocated member of staff.

​This module is a fieldwork-based comparative study of Liverpool and Barcelona, based around a 5 day period of field work in Barcelona, alongside research activity in Liverpool throughout the semester. Students will be introduced to the ideas of urban comparative research, and will undertake a group fieldwork project on a project that is feasible in both cities.

Humans have constructed visions of a better world throughout history: in fact, social movement scholars argue that the history of humanity is the history of this struggle. Certain forms of protest have existed throughout time: taking up arms to fight for what you believe in, or to defend a way of life. Some forms of resistance date back centuries: the revolt, the uprising, the rebellion, the strike, the march, the petition, sabotage, etc. More recently, social movements have used social networks and media to create what some argue are new forms of protest. This course surveys how geographers and others have theorised protest, resistance and other strategies for change though a range of approaches and case studies.

We live in a youthful world: 41% of the world’s population are under 25. Young people’s experiences of growing up are deeply shaped by dynamics that span the globe and have particular local effects: economic restructuring, environmental change, political conflict, cultural currents. Yet young people are not just passive subjects, rather, their actions are on the frontline of how societies and places are remade for good or ill. This module explores young lives in a variety of global settings. It considers how geographers and others have theorised childhood and youth, and explores the real-world challenges young people face in particular contexts. In doing so, the module aims to enable students to engage with a range of conceptual debates in the social sciences, and to ‘think from’ youth in order to critically examine how power relations are being reproduced or contested around the world. The module will be taught primarily through lectures (broken up with in-class discussions), and one interactive workshop. Assessment will consist of two pieces of coursework: one academic essay, and one web article or podcast script written for a non-academic audience. The module builds on foundations from ‘Social and Cultural Geography’.