15602 Social Planning and Community Development

Description

This subject is an elective in the Graduate Diploma in Local Government Management (C06033), the Master of Local Government (C04257), the Graduate Certificate in Development Assessment (C11204) and the Graduate Certificate in Local Government Leadership (C11215). It can also be taken as a Professional Development (PD) subject.

Social planning brings together social, economic, environmental and cultural perspectives to effectively manage change – changing populations; changing expectations; how change is resisted or embraced. It considers ways to harness teams, units and departments across local government to ensure that all the activities of the organisation are directed towards achieving the best outcomes for communities. Students analyse how social planning, often combined with land-use planning, can support councils work through building relationships amongst teams within the organisation, across communities, with other levels of government and with non-government organisations.

Planning for social infrastructure to deliver agreed outcomes is analysed and linked to councils' service delivery and asset management plans.

This subject explores the theory and practice of social planning and community development as applied to local government. Councils have a responsibility to their communities to continually synthesise the broad socioeconomic and political arenas and are uniquely placed to respond appropriately and efficiently to the social issues affecting local communities. Tools and techniques that support practitioners to identify and respond to opportunities and challenges in their communities are explored. Students are encouraged to harness scholarship, creativity and innovation, firmly grounded in the social justice principles of equity, access, participation and rights, to deliver positive outcomes for communities.

Community development supports social planning to deliver outcomes that build a community's capacity to respond to identified issues and enhance social connectedness. Local government is the tier of government most concerned with the wellbeing of its citizens. It promotes participation and empowerment in local democracy for the achievement of better decisions and mobilises resources to deliver more effective services. Students evaluate and apply ways of working with communities that positively contribute to the quality of life across local government areas and promote the collective ownership and sustainability of programs agreed upon in Community Strategic Plans.

Typical availability

Spring session, City campus