Urban Planning BA (Hons): XJTLU 2+2 programme

Cities and regions have undergone tremendous changes over the past decades. In this module students will explore the process of urban restructuring from a social, economic and environmental perspective and its spatial manifestations, looking at the drivers, consequences and policy implications of urban and regional change. The module teaches students the concepts and methods to analyse change and 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 allowing students to explore specific aspects of cities and regions.

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 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.

Through this module you will gain competence in the use of GIS for applications related to Planning. You will develop skills in the use of cutting edge software and analytical techniques through the exploration of real world case study applications. The module is delivered through guided practical classes and independent study, supported by programme of lectures and illustrative material.

This year-long module focuses on the relationships between people and the places they live, work, study and relax in. Through reflecting upon these relationships, students continue to develop the skills they need to study and practice planning, including the ability to carry out independent research. Much of this work is done through exploring real-life issues in the city of Liverpool, its wider city region and neighbouring counties.

Plans and policies are key instruments of the planner’s toolkit. This module provides an introduction to the methods and techniques that are used in the preparation and implementation of strategic plans and policies and how these have evolved in time. The module will be delivered through interactive lectures focussing on the theory of plan making drawing on practical examples. The module is assessed through a more theory-focused short essay and a plan review reflecting on the practice of strategic plan making.

​In Urban Morphology & Place-Making various approaches to place-making are discussed in the light of social, aesthetic, functional and environmental aspects. The module introduces urban history and design theories, and you will be assessed on your working knowledge of these throughout the semester via mini quizzes. In hands-on lab and seminar-style sessions you will acquire basic urban design appraisal techniques as well as modelling and presentation skills, used by planners, urban designers and architects today. In small groups, you will undertake an appraisal of an area in central Liverpool. Independent site visits will allow you to evaluate the various qualities of the area. You will express your findings through professional-style plans, 3D models and site photographs and present these in seminar-style sessions.

This module explores the course of human history, examining the interaction of people with the environment, moving through the different stages of human development, from early agrarian based developments in the Neolithic 9000 years ago, through to modern agricultural practices and landscape management. The following topics and concepts are introduced and examined:

Landscape geography, cultural ecology and environmental history.

Philosophical insights into environmental history, how have societies viewed and understood the environment.

Agriculture and the environment, long term perspectives and present day issues i.e. the environmental impact of hunting and gathering societies.

The agricultural revolution of the Neolithic and its impact, the impact of pre-industrial agriculture and some environmental issues raised by contemporary agriculture.

An ecological history of industrialisation and population growth, i.e. population resources and environment in an industrialised world.

Perils of a restless planet: an introduction to hazard research.

The module uses wide ranging literature and case studies to explore a range of human-environment interactions (fuel, food, water, culture and space), exploring how human activities have modified, and been modified, by their environments, and how sudden changes whether natural or human induced have changed this relationship.  

This module has proven popular over the years and is of relevance and interest to both social scienceand physical science based students.

Based on Esping-Andersen’s classic analysis of the ‘three worlds of welfare capitalism’, this module provides a framework for comparing welfare states, i.e. ‘the mixed economy of welfare’ in different ‘welfare regimes’: including the ‘liberal’ regime in America, the ‘conservative’ regime in Germany and the ‘social democratic’ regime in Sweden. It examines the ways in which these different regimes emerged historically, how they organise and deliver welfare, the social, political and economic priorities they embody, the outcomes they have for different social groups, including their role in the production of inequalities, and their prospects for the future.

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.

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.

​This module aims to provide a general introduction to the field of population geography, in which a basic demographic understanding of population change is placed within a spatial framework, allowing exploration of the nature and causes of national, societal and cultural differences in these changes. This module is also designed to serve as the foundation block for those interested in pursuing a population geography or GIS/Spatial Analysis ‘pathway’.

What should planners do when things go wrong? What happens to places that have experienced decline? Who is responsible for responding to this decline? The module discusses a broad range of urban issues related to regeneration (e.g. housing, community, health, economies) and equips students with an in-depth understanding of the theory and international case studies of urban regeneration and the ability of planners to generate effective policy responses to areas of decline.

You will work on a real-world urban regeneration site, responding to the needs of a client organisation (e.g. local authority or developer) to create a plan that responds to decline and the needs of local residents. The module builds on the previous Urban Regeneration modules to provide a reflective and hands on experience of project work. Your group will identify evidence of regeneration need, consider international best practice examples of regeneration and undertake a planning exercise to design a regeneration plan or policy.

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 is a student-led, innovative module. It gives students the chance to examine a topic or an approach in their area of specialism which is new to them. Students can choose between a number of different topics that relate to both the two specialisms offered and the research interests of staff. Students are expected to identify and formulate a topic, piece together different pieces of information independently, and to synthesise a wide range of data critically.

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.

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 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 digital field walk in Liverpool, blending traditional approaches with expanded potentials via technology.

This module considers the links between the rise of urban forms of living, economic change, and the place of ‘culture’ within society. It asks questions such as why cities are at the heart of cultural development, why culture is seen by some as having a role to play in dealing with urban social problems, how the nature of cultural expression changes as dominant economic forms change, whether cultural and economic values are really opposed, what the role of culture is in a ‘new economy’, and how governments seek to intervene in this area.

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 in R and Python. The programme of lectures, guided practical classes and independent study illustrate how and why GDS is useful for social science applications.

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.

The module provides students with an introduction to the principles of real estate valuation before going on to pose and answer a series of questions about how the state might regulate built environment outcomes. Having completed this module students will have acquired an in-depth understanding of how real estate developers evaluate site viability and how government’s work with developers to ensure consented development is accompanied by the requisite infrastructure. The module is evaluated by a piece of coursework centred around the evaluation of development proposal and an unseen written examination.

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.

Increasingly recognition of the environmental threats that we all face means that responding to this crisis affects the decisions we all make at a variety of different scales. This module explores the extent to which environmental concerns are taken into account in various decision-making processes involving the public (government), private and third sectors at a variety of different scales, global, European, national and local. The module is assessed by an essay and an open-book exam, which provides students with significant choice to explore those parts of the module they find most interesting.

Problem solving, critical thinking and creativity are at the heart of this module. You will be provided with an opportunity to take part in a client-based design project and to engage first hand with local communities. The aim of this studio-based module is to lead you through the process of analysing a large site, carrying out necessary contextual studies and preparing an urban design framework and a physical model by means of a realistic design brief. With the help of design professionals, you will learn to understand the inter-relationship of economic feasibility and the urban design development potential of a site. You will work in small teams and on your own to explore a range of design scales. Lectures on specific design aspects and skills will be given at key project stages. Weekly tutorials will give you the guidance and support needed to successfully complete this module, which will be concluded by an exhibition day.

This module is designed as a follow-on to ENVS256 ‘Urban Morphology & Place-Making’. Here you will explore some of the themes of urban design and place-making in further depth. Topics covered in this context include health, site planning, inclusive design, sustainability and public realm design. You will develop your design skills and will learn about concepts such as ‘social’ and ‘healthy’ places. You will learn to develop positive design responses and acquire a range of analytical, design and presentational skills required for urban design projects. Assessments are based on, and closely linked to, the knowledge and skills developed in the classroom. You will prepare a contextual study in a small group. Also, as an individual piece of work you will prepare an indicative masterplan for a smaller part of the area. This interactive module is delivered through illustrated lectures, guest talks, design workshops, IT lab sessions, tutorials and a design crit.