Environment and Planning BA (Hons): XJTLU 2+2 programme

Environmental concerns have become increasingly pressing over the last few decades, especially the global challenge of climate change. Environmental sustainability directs our attention to finding new approaches and methods for many of our activities and is an increasingly accepted principle that many professions are seeking to work out in practice.

This module explores the notion of environmental sustainability particularly within the context of urban planning. In this context, it can help us to develop the places where we live in a way that makes them cleaner, more energy efficient and better adapted to climate change, and that provides more biodiversity and a better quality of life. Planners, geographers and environmental scientists can all contribute to achieving a more sustainable world around us.

This module explores the need to carefully think about the planning, development and change that affects our rural areas, particularly in terms of the goods and services they provide to a predominantly urban population. The module is taught through lectures and workshops and includes a compulsory residential field class to rural Britain.

Through this module you will gain competence in the use of GIS for applications related to Planning. You will develop skills in the use of cutting edge software and analytical techniques through the exploration of real world case study applications. The module is delivered through guided practical classes and independent study, supported by programme of lectures and illustrative material.

This year-long module focuses on the relationships between people and the places they live, work, study and relax in. Through reflecting upon these relationships, students continue to develop the skills they need to study and practice planning, including the ability to carry out independent research. Much of this work is done through exploring real-life issues in the city of Liverpool, its wider city region and neighbouring counties.

Plans and policies are key instruments of the planner’s toolkit. This module provides an introduction to the methods and techniques that are used in the preparation and implementation of strategic plans and policies and how these have evolved in time. The module will be delivered through interactive lectures focussing on the theory of plan making drawing on practical examples. The module is assessed through a more theory-focused short essay and a plan review reflecting on the practice of strategic plan making.

​In Urban Morphology & Place-Making various approaches to place-making are discussed in the light of social, aesthetic, functional and environmental aspects. The module introduces urban history and design theories, and you will be assessed on your working knowledge of these throughout the semester via mini quizzes. In hands-on lab and seminar-style sessions you will acquire basic urban design appraisal techniques as well as modelling and presentation skills, used by planners, urban designers and architects today. In small groups, you will undertake an appraisal of an area in central Liverpool. Independent site visits will allow you to evaluate the various qualities of the area. You will express your findings through professional-style plans, 3D models and site photographs and present these in seminar-style sessions.

Cities and regions have undergone tremendous changes over the past decades. In this module students will explore the process of urban restructuring from a social, economic and environmental perspective and its spatial manifestations, looking at the drivers, consequences and policy implications of urban and regional change. The module teaches students the concepts and methods to analyse change and current policy responses. This module will be delivered through lectures, each highlighting a specific theme of urban and regional change and through self-directed learning. The assessment is based on two seminar papers allowing students to explore specific aspects of cities and regions.

Environmental Assessment is applied throughout the world in the preparation of policies, plans, programmes and projects several 10s of 1,000s of times each year. Whilst specific requirements differ between different countries, underlying conceptual and procedural ideas are similar in all contexts. This module introduces the environmental assessment process and applied methods and techniques as practiced both, nationally and internationally. The module forms part of IEMA (Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment) accreditation. IEMA accreditation is a key requirement for those aiming at working in an environmental assessment consultancy. Obtaining it through this and the associated ENVS360 modules means a future employer will save a considerable amount of money and time they would otherwise need to spend to ensure there is accreditation. This gives graduates a competitive advantage.

This is a client-led module, which is based upon the execution of a mini-project that is carried out in groups by students. The project allows the students to apply their knowledge of Environmental Assessment and Management (EAM) in practice and gain experience of being engaged with a real life client. This module essentially delivers authentic assessment. The project experience offered within the module helps in developing skills of analysis, interpretation and policy prescription within the context of EAM. They are well grounded in the Department’s own research activities and draw upon established links with a number of local authorities and other public bodies. This module along with ENVS529 is IEMA (Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment) accredited.

Planning has long been characterised by the cross-national exchange of ideas, models and approaches. The emergence of modern planning in the 19th and early 20th centuries, for example, was shaped by similar perceptions of the problems of urbanisation in different national settings and geopolitical processes such as colonialism. Today globalisation and the rise of global challenges such as climate change and policy agendas which seek to address these, have focussed attention on how planning addresses particular ecological, social, economic and cultural questions in different parts of the world. Informed by this context, this module explores the international dimension of planning including: how planning systems can be characterised; the purposes of comparative planning study; how ‘learning from other countries’ might be approached; the context for spatial planning in Europe and other global regions; and, approaches to key planning challenges in different places.

The dissertation is a key part of your studies during this final year. It is the equivalent of two standard modules and spans two semesters. It is also the part of your studies that demands the most in terms of personal initiative and organisation. Students will select their own topic and work through an individual research project that culminates in the dissertation itself. It is also the part of your studies that allows you to develop a personal specialism to the fullest extent which you can highlight in your CV and which can therefore be a very rewarding and fulfilling exercise.

This is a student-led, innovative module. It gives students the chance to examine a topic or an approach in their area of specialism which is new to them. Students can choose between a number of different topics that relate to both the two specialisms offered and the research interests of staff. Students are expected to identify and formulate a topic, piece together different pieces of information independently, and to synthesise a wide range of data critically.

The module aims to introduce the field of Green Infrastructure and green space planning by addressing its principles, values and utility within urban planning. By examining the relationship between the landscape, planning policy and human interactions, the module highlights opportunities to implement positive green infrastructure at a number of scales. The module also draws links between the role of Green Infrastructure planning in supporting sustainability objectives and the process of management and monitoring. This is achieved by assessing what methods are appropriate in the evaluation of urban and landscape development. By writing an independent essay through performing literature review and critical analysis, students will gain an understanding of the planning mechanisms in place that govern the development of Green Infrastructure resources. The assessment also requires students to independently complete a project poster. Throughout completing the project poster, students will undertake tasks that mirror real-world professional practices, which helps students to be well-prepared in advance to becoming professionals. The module will also enable students to learn and practically use the skills they may require to evaluate the role and added value of Green Infrastructure in real-world planning scenarios.

Marine planning is a recent endeavour, taking shape internationally as a new approach to the management of the seas and oceans, in the interests of marine nature conservation and the sustainable use of the seas for shipping, energy, fishing, minerals extraction, tourism, etc. It is developing as a means of organising the use of national sea space in a growing number of countries around the world. This module provides an introduction to the theoretical and practical foundation in marine planning for students with interests in spatial planning or marine science and management. Assessment is by two assignments: presentation and essay.

The module provides students with an introduction to the principles of real estate valuation before going on to pose and answer a series of questions about how the state might regulate built environment outcomes. Having completed this module students will have acquired an in-depth understanding of how real estate developers evaluate site viability and how government’s work with developers to ensure consented development is accompanied by the requisite infrastructure. The module is evaluated by a piece of coursework centred around the evaluation of development proposal and an unseen written examination.

Understanding how the different parts of the planning system relate to each other and to the legal and constitutional framework which underpins that system is a critical part of planning education. This module aims to provide that understanding from both theoretical and practical perspectives, by bringing in practitioners to deliver different sessions and by asking students to research different aspects of planning law and governance in theory and practice.

Increasingly recognition of the environmental threats that we all face means that responding to this crisis affects the decisions we all make at a variety of different scales. This module explores the extent to which environmental concerns are taken into account in various decision-making processes involving the public (government), private and third sectors at a variety of different scales, global, European, national and local. The module is assessed by an essay and an open-book exam, which provides students with significant choice to explore those parts of the module they find most interesting.

Problem solving, critical thinking and creativity are at the heart of this module. You will be provided with an opportunity to take part in a client-based design project and to engage first hand with local communities. The aim of this studio-based module is to lead you through the process of analysing a large site, carrying out necessary contextual studies and preparing an urban design framework and a physical model by means of a realistic design brief. With the help of design professionals, you will learn to understand the inter-relationship of economic feasibility and the urban design development potential of a site. You will work in small teams and on your own to explore a range of design scales. Lectures on specific design aspects and skills will be given at key project stages. Weekly tutorials will give you the guidance and support needed to successfully complete this module, which will be concluded by an exhibition day.

This module is designed as a follow-on to ENVS256 ‘Urban Morphology & Place-Making’. Here you will explore some of the themes of urban design and place-making in further depth. Topics covered in this context include health, site planning, inclusive design, sustainability and public realm design. You will develop your design skills and will learn about concepts such as ‘social’ and ‘healthy’ places. You will learn to develop positive design responses and acquire a range of analytical, design and presentational skills required for urban design projects. Assessments are based on, and closely linked to, the knowledge and skills developed in the classroom. You will prepare a contextual study in a small group. Also, as an individual piece of work you will prepare an indicative masterplan for a smaller part of the area. This interactive module is delivered through illustrated lectures, guest talks, design workshops, IT lab sessions, tutorials and a design crit.

This module examines climate change impacts on humans and ecosystems. The module is designed to give the student a good overview of the strength and weaknesses of climate modelling approaches. Elements of the global carbon cycle are discussed.

This course explores contemporary population dynamics across Europe. Students will explore fertility, mortality and migration dynamics across selected countries in Europe; review explanations for population change; and examine the policy challenges posed by such population change. Students will also explore these debates in a local context through a digital field walk in Liverpool, blending traditional approaches with expanded potentials via technology.

This module will introduce students to the nascent field of Geographic Data Science (GDS), a discipline established at the intersection between Geographic Information Science (GIS) and Data Science. The course covers how the modern GIS toolkit can be integrated with Data Science tools to solve practical real-world problems. Core to the set of employable skills to be taught in this course is an introduction to programming tools for GDS in R and Python. The programme of lectures, guided practical classes and independent study illustrate how and why GDS is useful for social science applications.

This module provides insight into social and spatial inequalities, and their inter-relations. The module will consider how and why inequalities might have persisted over time, how social inequalities have specific geographies, and the implications of this unevenness for those who are marginalised. The module is structured through four major themes: for example, inequalities and the labour market; ethnicity and inequalities; spatial understandings of poverty; and theories about inequality. The difficulties in defining and measuring social and spatial inequalities, and how such definitions may relate to broader theories, perspectives or frameworks of relevance are issues covered in the module, as well as how these terms are interpreted and (mis-)represented. The module draws on empirical evidence, theoretical approaches and policy responses. The module provides insight into government responses that aim to combat social and spatial inequalities and related issues in the UK, at the regional and sub-regional level.