This module aims at introducing students to issues surrounding the planning and design of cities, with a specific focus on the creation of public spaces able to effectively support public life. Students will start by reflecting about their own experience of public spaces and on how different cultures have developed their own particular forms of living together and how this has changed over time. Their previous knowledge will be used in class to scaffold learning about the principles of urban design we use in the UK and how we judge approaches to the design of the urban environment, as they apply to mixed areas in contemporary cities.  Students will then be asked to apply UK policy  to a particular site in South Wales in order to produce a design for a lively, mixed use development. The production of the design will entail competent and professional site analysis, the use of appropriate precedents, the exploration of alternative strategies and the crafting of an appropriate and ‘culturally fitting’ development or regeneration scheme. Working on their assignments will make students familiarise with the design process, make them aware of what elements of urban Design are relevant, and need to be probed, in the planning process as well as develop an understanding of policy as politically and culturally placed.

1. Understand the form and morphologies of cities in different cultural or development contexts
2. Complete and present a systematic analysis of an inner-city area using urban design principles and criteria
3. Understand the relevance of mixed-use concepts and various approaches to mixed-use planning and design, and its relevance to different contexts
4. Analyse and appraise a site and its context, including reference to physical, cultural, historical, social and economic and ecological characteristics
5. Develop alternative strategies for a new development and assess them in order to define a ‘preferred strategy’
6. Recognise and apply lessons from good practice in planning and design of a mixed inner-city area with reference to a range of real-world schemes
7. Design, justify and present a final urban design for a mixed-use inner-city area, to a professional standard and in an appropriate format

The module will be delivered through lectures and seminars, in-person and on campus unless mitigating circumstances arise. Seminars will enable small group discussion about key issues relevant to the module. Students are expected to engage with additional module content on Learning Central e.g. readings or other material, to prepare for lectures and seminars, and to supplement and deepen taught components.

1. An ability to analyse and discuss city form and land use with reference to matters of urban design theory, informed by aspects of culture, and other matters such as climate, affluence and stage of development;
2. Explore the values and attitudes that underpin current theory and practice of design and development as localised and socially constructed values;
3. Ability to understand, explain and engage with various cultures and their physical environments;
4. Advanced site appraisal, design, plan drawing and presentation techniques;
5. Designing quality spaces, fitting for people’s life;
6. Sketching, 2D and 3D drawing, layout preparation, printing and presentation, report writing;
7. Awareness of various cultural, professional and public values in relation to the design of the built environment, and the need for respect in discussions involving differences of values.

A blend of coursework and portfolio assessment

For groupwork, students are required to hand in a peer-review form alongside their group submission and to talk to the Module Leader if and when problems arise in teamwork so that a standard procedure will be followed leading potentially to splitting groupwork marks.

Formative Assessment

Formative assessment takes place throughout the module.  There are lectures and design studio sessions which support the assessments provide an opportunity for peer to peer and tutor feedback.

THE OPPORTUNITY FOR REASSESSMENT IN THIS MODULE:

Re-assessment

Students are permitted to be reassessed in a module which they have failed, in line with University regulations. https://intranet.cardiff.ac.uk/staff/teaching-and-supporting-students/teaching-support/academic-regulations. You will only be reassessed on the components of the module in which you have failed. The format of the reassessment will be the same as the original assessment and will take place in the Summer re-sit period.

Data Collection and Ethical Approval

For some assessments, students may be required to collect their own data. In such assessments ethical approval from the School Research Ethics Committee must be obtained before data collection can begin. The module leader will discuss the process for obtaining ethical approval if it is needed in this module. Ethical approval is not needed for students using existing, open data sets (e.g. anonymised secondary data). This does not include social media data (e.g., Twitter or Facebook posts), where ethical approval must be obtained. The ethical approval process will take time and you are strongly recommended to adhere to the timetable outlined by the module leader to ensure you are not delayed in your assessment.

• Space of culture and cultural space. 
• Quality of life/quality of space
• Planning cultures as they relate to mixed neighbourhood planning
• Cultural values and design principles
• Residential building types and urban blocks
• Urban Design Principles.
• Opportunities and constraints and developing a spatial strategy
• Movement, patterns of access and designing residential streets
• Security and finding your way around
• Social life in urban outdoor spaces
• Mixing and delivering uses
• Environmentally benign developments – landscape and ecology, biodiversity, water management and energy efficiency
• Learning from great precedents
• How to prepare a master plan
• Development phasing