This module examines the origins of spatial planning in Britain and explains how the current system has evolved. Particular attention is given to key themes in the emergence of British planning: its emergence as a local government activity; the impact of professionalisation and ‘visionary’ thinkers; changing political ideologies, and the shifting spatial scales of planning. Building on this historical foundation in the second half of the module, students will be introduced to the current structure of planning - its institutional, legal and political basis - with links being made to emerging debates about spatial planning at national, local and European scales. Students will be given a chance to observe planning decision-making processes in a planning committee meeting and examine the development of a new town, Cwmbran.

1. understand and explain the development of spatial planning practice and policy, by reference to social, economic and political and environmental events, to historical antecedents, and to the ideas of visionary figures
2. demonstrate working knowledge of the structure, instruments and key actors in contemporary planning
3. understand the significance of planning documents and other factors in making planning decisions
4. apply skills of critical thinking, and the critical reading of texts

The module will be delivered through a combination of lectures, reading seminars and workshops. There will be a two hour lecture every week, accompanied by Powerpoint slides that summarise key issues. These slides will form the basis of class handouts which, along with suggested additional reading, will be made available via Learning Central before each lecture commences. In some lectures, small-scale group work exercises will be conducted in which students report back to the class as a whole.

There will be five reading seminars during the module, in a separate timetable slot. Students will be issued with items of reading (usually a short chapter) one week prior to each seminar and be expected to read it and think about some key questions, which are also provided in advance. In the seminars, students work in small groups and with the lecturer to explore answers to the key questions. For the seminars, students are organised into smaller groups.

In an additional session, students observe a video streaming of a planning committee meeting into a controversial supermarket proposal. Based on their observations, there is then a follow-up workshop to explore how the planning committee works as a decision-making process. For the workshops, students are organised into smaller groups.

There will also be a half-day field study visit to Cwmbran, to examine the implementation of the original new two vision, and current planning challenges facing the town.

• Students will be required to interpret and critically evaluate key planning texts and contribute to group seminars.
• Students will be required to write well-structured and coherent analyses of the changing legislation, practices and ideologies of British town and country planning.
• Students will be required to demonstrate skills of writing reasoned arguments.
• Students will be able to contextualise and appreciate the changing attitudes and beliefs of planning practitioners and policy-makers, and the impact of core ideas like ‘the public interest’, ‘public participation’ and ‘sustainability’
• Students will develop skills in recognising and critically reflecting upon the democratic environment in which planning operates, and develop their ability to work effectively with systems of this nature
• Students will develop their personal and professional development skills in planning

The formal assessment of this module is through an unseen exam paper in which students must write three answers (essays) from a selection of seven questions within a three hour period. The final lecture of the semester discusses how to approach the exam and revision. Supporting the revision process are two multi-choice quizzes on Learning Central: one for the historical component of the module and one for the contemporary element. Students are not formally marked on their quiz scores but can use the quiz to assess how well they are learning the module material.

Type of assessment

%

Contribution

Title

Duration
(if applicable)

Approx. date of Assessment

Exam

100%

Exam

3 hours

Spring

The opportunity for reassessment in this module

Students are permitted to be reassessed in a module which they have failed, in line with the course regulations. The reassessment will usually take place during the summer.

This module examines the origins of spatial planning in Britain, and explains how the current system has evolved. The level is introductory and it does not assume any prior knowledge of planning. Particular attention is given to key themes in the emergence of British planning: its emergence as a local government activity; the impact of professionalisation and ‘visionary’ thinkers; changing political ideologies, and the shifting spatial scales of planning. Building on this historical foundation in the second half of the module, students will be introduced to the current structure of planning - its institutional, legal and political basis - with links being made to emerging debates about spatial planning at national, local and European scales. Students will be given a chance to observe planning decision-making processes in a planning committee meeting and examine the development of a new town, Cwmbran.

The main texts that we recommend for the the module are:

• Ward S (2004) Planning and Urban Change, 2^nd edition Chapman

• Cullingworth B et al (2014) Town and Country Planning in the UK, 15^th edition, Routledge.

Each week, additional and more-up-to-date readings will be issued to support the topic being discussed, and these lists will be placed on Learning Central.

On the historical component, students will also find it useful to delve into:

• Hall P (2002) Urban and Regional Planning, Routledge.
• Hall, P (2002) Cities of Tomorrow, Blackwell (chapters 2-5, 11)
• Rydin, Y. (2003) Urban and Environmental Planning in the UK, 2^nd edition, Palgrave
• Thornley A (1993) Urban Planning Under Thatcherism, 2^nd edition, Routledge, Chapters 2, 6-10

For the second half of the module we strongly advise that students keep up to date with what is happening to planning through Planning Magazine and Town and Country Planning.

Students will also find it useful to look at the following:

• Communities and Local Government (2012) National Planning Policy Framework, March 2012, London: Department for Communities and Local Government - https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/6077/2116950.pdf
• Cowell R 2013 ‘The Greenest government ever? Planning and sustainability after the May 2010 coalition government’, Planning Practice and Research 28(1), 27-44.
• Haughton G and Allmendinger P (eds.) (2014) Spatial Planning and the New Localism, London: Routledge