Bachelor of City Planning Honours Degree:
one year degree
Semester 1
Planning Theory and Practice: The evolution of planning-changing role, concerns and products of planners in response to contextual and epistemological changes.
Aspects of City Design: focusing on historically contextualised concepts of urban structure design and performance at the local scale.
Natural Systems: focusing on natural processes and planning informants at the local scale.
Urban Infrastructure: Role of infrastructure in the ongoing evolution of cities. In-depth case study to explore cross-cutting themes such as livelihoods and infrastructure failure, community innovation and sustainable urban transitions.
Planning Project A: focuses on urban planning at the local and metropolitan scales and involves the development of descriptive, explanatory and evaluative skills at both these scales. An introduction to visual and verbal communication techniques forms part of the course. Fieldwork is an integral requirement of the course.
Planning Techniques 1: Map work and cartographic interpretation; graphic techniques in planning communication; GIS, data acquisition and analysis in planning.
Semester 2
Urban Economic Development Processes: The economic (formal and informal) drivers of contemporary urban development processes; relevant actors and institutions; the role of planning in urban economic growth and change. Land/property-related factors shaping urban development.
Planning and Governmental Systems: Systems of representation and administration, local government finance and budgeting, negotiation and public participation, plan monitoring and evaluation.
Regulatory and Legal Framework: Planning law, integrated development planning, land management systems, environmental law, law of professional practice.
Planning Project B: focuses on urban planning intervention at both local and metropolitan scales and on plan implementation. Fieldwork is an integral requirement of the course.
Planning Techniques 2: Introduction to statistical methods; introduction to research methods.
Masters of City and Regional Planning Degree
one year degree
(entry to this degree only on completion of the Bachelor of City Planning Honours Degree)
Semester 1
Regional Planning Theory: 20th century experience of regional planning and development and theoretical exploration of settlements and services; local economic development and landscape.
Regional Planning Project: studiowork project focussing on the preparation of a spatial development framework in the context of an IDP for a non-metropolitan municipality.
Semester 2
Planning Techniques 3: Environmental impact assessment and management.
MCRP dissertation (starting in first semester)
Dissertations involve the undertaking of an approved research exercise in an arena of the student’s choice. This could be:
• Spatial frameworks at local, metropolitan or regional scale
• Planning frameworks and policies with an emphasis on housing, transport, economic development or environmental resource planning.
• Planning processes (within institutions or in relation to communities)
• Policies with spatial implications for settlement.
For faculty information, credits and course codes see the Faculty Handbook