17921 Planning and Urban Design Professional Practice
Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a
particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source
of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.
Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 6 cp
Result type: Grade and marks
Requisite(s): 17908 Planning and Environmental Law in Australia
Note
Enrolling in this subject requires two steps:
1. To enrol in 17921 Planning and Urban Design Professional Practice, students must submit an eRequest application through MyStudentAdmin at least one session in advance of when they intend to take this subject.
Students are required to have secured a Planning- or Urban Design-related work placement or internship within Australia before enrolling in this subject. You must attach evidence of acceptance in the work placement/internship in your eRequest application. This evidence can be in the form of a formal acceptance letter or an email communication.
2. When your eRequest is approved, then you have to go through CareerHub (with your student ID number and password) and register your placement or internship. The Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building has its own specialised career hub in which you can find jobs and opportunities related to our industry and further information. The employment directory of the Planning Institute of Australia is also a great resource for finding a position.
More detailed information is provided on the Canvas program site “Urban Planning and Urban Design Home”
Description
This subject aims to provide students with the opportunity to apply the knowledge gained throughout their studies into planning or urban design workplace environments. Through real-life experiences of how planning and urban design skills are used on an everyday basis in a professional capacity, students learn first hand what is needed in industry to be effective planners and urban designers.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:
| 1. | Understand Ethics in Professional Practice |
|---|---|
| 2. | Work effectively in a workplace of the planning and urban design industry |
| 3. | Reflect on your own role as an urban planner and urban designer and its application in real-world scenarios. |
| 4. | Develop clear communication skills in professional environments. |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject also contributes to the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes:
- Enable reflective practice on one's personal views and values and interpret how they might affect one's professional judgement (A.1)
- Demonstrate ethical responsibilities of professional planners and urban designers and develop critical ethical thinking capability (A.2)
- Work effectively in teams of people with diverse professional and personal backgrounds (C.1)
- Communicate with people with a wide variety of cultural, social, economic, and political perspectives and interests using verbal, written, and visual media (C.2)
- Determine sources of conflict and apply conflict negotiation strategies appropriately (C.3)
- Articulate how and why the roles of planning and urban design have evolved in response to new social, cultural, economic, and political forces (P.2)
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
The term CAPRI is used for the five Design, Architecture and Building faculty graduate attribute categories where:
C = communication and groupwork
A = attitudes and values
P = practical and professional
R = research and critique
I = innovation and creativity.
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs) are linked to these categories using codes (e.g. C-1, A-3, P-4, etc.).
Teaching and learning strategies
This subject is taught fully online. This subject is curated to offer students a firsthand experience in integrating their academic knowledge into real-world Planning or Urban Design professional settings. Through tangible interactions with the daily tasks and responsibilities in the field, students gain valuable insights into the requirements and competencies essential for thriving as adept planners and urban designers. Enrolling in this subject follows a two-step process:
To register for 17921 Planning and Urban Design Professional Practice, students are required to send an eRequest application via MyStudentAdmin, preferably a session prior to the desired start date of the subject.
Prior to registration, it's essential for students to have confirmed a placement or internship related to Planning or Urban Design within Australia. This confirmation should accompany the eRequest in the form of either a formal acceptance letter or an authenticated email correspondence.
Once your eRequest gets the nod, proceed to CareerHub using your student credentials to log your placement or internship details. The Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building offers an exclusive career hub tailored to our sector, offering job listings and pertinent industry information. Additionally, the employment database of the Planning Institute of Australia serves as a valuable tool for those seeking relevant positions.
Content (topics)
- Basics in professional practice
- Professional ethics
- Registration with the Planning Institute of Australia
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Online Quiz
| Intent: | Evaluating the content of Module 1 – Basics in Professional Practice, Ethics. | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This task addresses the following subject learning objectives: 1 This task also addresses the following course intended learning outcomes that are linked with a code to indicate one of the five CAPRI graduate attribute categories (e.g. C.1, A.3, P.4, etc.): A.2 | ||||||||
| Type: | Quiz/test | ||||||||
| Groupwork: | Individual | ||||||||
| Weight: | 10% | ||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Assessment task 2: Employment Log
| Intent: | The student will keep a detailed log of the activities performed, including date, hours per day and activities performed. The activities log should shortly highlight the key learnings and experiences gained during the practice. | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This task addresses the following subject learning objectives: 3 and 4 This task also addresses the following course intended learning outcomes that are linked with a code to indicate one of the five CAPRI graduate attribute categories (e.g. C.1, A.3, P.4, etc.): C.1 and C.2 | ||||||||||||
| Type: | Report | ||||||||||||
| Groupwork: | Individual | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 35% | ||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Assessment task 3: Summary of professional experience
| Intent: | The intent of this assignment is to provide students with an opportunity to reflect on their experience during their work placement in a company or institution that specialises in urban planning or urban design. The task involves writing a report that highlights the skills learned during the placement, the application of knowledge gained from their Master's degree in urban planning or urban design to their workplace experience, the software used, the impact of planning law on their workspace experience, and their response to assigned expectations and responsibilities. | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This task addresses the following subject learning objectives: 2, 3 and 4 This task also addresses the following course intended learning outcomes that are linked with a code to indicate one of the five CAPRI graduate attribute categories (e.g. C.1, A.3, P.4, etc.): A.1, C.3 and P.2 | ||||||||||||||||
| Type: | Report | ||||||||||||||||
| Groupwork: | Individual | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 55% | ||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Minimum requirements
Students must achieve at least 50% of the subject’s total mark.