Course syllabus for Urban planning: Theory and application

Course syllabus adopted 2023-02-17 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).

Overview

  • Swedish nameSamhällsplanering: grunder och tillämpning
  • CodeACE180
  • Credits9 Credits
  • OwnerTISAM
  • Education cycleFirst-cycle
  • Main field of studyCivil and Environmental Engineering
  • ThemeEnvironment 1 c
  • DepartmentARCHITECTURE AND CIVIL ENGINEERING
  • GradingTH - Pass with distinction (5), Pass with credit (4), Pass (3), Fail

Course round 1

  • Teaching language Swedish
  • Application code 61112
  • Open for exchange studentsNo
  • Only students with the course round in the programme overview.

Credit distribution

0119 Project 4.5 c
Grading: TH		 4.5 c
0219 Project 1.5 c
Grading: UG		 1.5 c
0319 Project 3 c
Grading: UG		 3 c

In programmes

Examiner

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Eligibility

General entry requirements for bachelor's level (first cycle)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Specific entry requirements

The same as for the programme that owns the course.
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Course specific prerequisites

BOM210 Urban space and functions
ENM165 Environmental and resource analysis for a sustainable built environment

Aim

The aim of the course is to give students fundamental knowledge about urban development and urban design, and a basic understanding of the Swedish planning process concerning laws, regulations and established practice. The course addresses different aspects of sustainable urban development and offers training in sustainability analyses in a project area. The course gives knowledge about how digital tools such as GIS and BIM can be used in urban development, concerning modelling, visualisation, and analyses of the project area.

Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to)

  • Describe sustainable urban development from the perspective of how rules, regulations and current practice form the built environment.
  • Recount for basic concepts and processes within the Swedish legal planning system and be able to read and interpret a legal Detail plan (DP).
  • Explain and use different principles of urban morphology and with good judgement use measures, dimensions and dimensioning conditions for design of streetscapes, public spaces, neighbourhoods, parks and traffic infrastructure.
  • Analyse and describe different sorts of value in urban settings and identify both deficiencies and assets in buildings and the built environment.
  • Visualise and communicate ideas on how urban planning can influence urban life qualities concerning housing, social and economic interaction, recreation, mobility and accessibility.
  • Use GIS and BIM to model, describe and analyse the project area and issues connected to the project.
  • Reflect upon their own professional role and show insights concerning collaborations between different disciplines within a project and between different stakeholders and actors in urban development. 

Content

The course is about urban planning and design for sustainable development. In a practice-based project different issues are investigated both as part of the specific project and as part of a bigger societal discourse. 

Several themes are brought up and investigated: urban design and development; planning processes and their driving forces; urban desing principles; digital tools for modelling, analyses and visualisation. The point of departure is that design of buildings and infrastructure has no one right answer but always need to rely on good judgement and balance between conflicting values. The students train to discuss and reflect upon the built environment and also to consider their own professional contribution to sustainable urban development.  

Organisation

The course is based on investigations of real urban environments and the studies are supported by lectures, excercises, laborations and study visits. The work is guided by supervisors from academia and practice. Discussions between students and with teachers are an important part of the pedagogy in the course; the complex issues of urban planning can unfold and deepen in conversations, therefore the supervision sessions and crits are mandatory. A project is carried out as a group work, based on a real urban development case.  

Literature

Mandatory literature
Forsberg, Gunnel (red). Samhällsplaneringens teori och praktik. Stockholm, 2019: chapters 4, 6, 7, 8, 14, 16, 19, 30, 31 och 34.

Reference literature

Boverkets Byggregler, BBR, 2011
Forsberg, Gunnel (red). Samhällsplaneringens teori och praktik. Stockholm, 2019, remaining chapters
PBL Kunskapsbanken PlaneringLinks to an external site.Plan- och bygglagen, 2010
Trafik för en attraktiv stad. TRAST utgåva 3. Trafikverket m.fl. 2015

Examination including compulsory elements

The course is examined in three parts; all must be approved to get the credits for the course as a whole. Insights into sustainable urban development is individually graded based on seminars and papers (P/F); GIS/BIM is examined based on hand-ins (graded P/F); The project is presented at a seminar and in a written and illustrated report (graded 5/4/3/F). Active participation during seminars, exercises and supervision will be part of the assessment. 

The course examiner may assess individual students in other ways than what is stated above if there are special reasons for doing so, for example if a student has a decision from Chalmers on educational support due to disability.