Introduction Spatial Planning

Course manual 2020/2021

Course content

Cities are formed by social, spatial, political, economic and environmental dynamics, but also by planning interventions. The style, method, and tradition of planning interventions have changed over time. In this course, students gain insight into the change from modernist top-down and design-oriented planning approaches to the more bottom-up, society-oriented approaches of today. Second, students are introduced to the field of work of planning and the role of planners in policy-making from a broader urban governance perspective. Third, students learn about contemporary planning approaches and theories, in particular in regard to planning for sustainable and just cities. The following questions are central to this course:

1) What is planning?

2) Who are planners?

3) What do planners do?

Study materials

Literature

• Each lecture has two articles (or book chapters) as required reading. They can be accessed online via the university library.

   

  Lecture 1: Introduction to the planning discipline

  Alexander, E. R. (2016). There is no planning—only planning practices: Notes for spatial planning theories. Planning Theory, 15(1), 91-103.

  Nadin, V., & Stead, D. (2008). European spatial planning systems, social models and learning. disP - The Planning Review, 44(172), 35-47.

   

  Lecture 2 Roles of planners

  Klosterman, R. E. (1985). Arguments for and against planning. The Town Planning Review, 5-20.

  Marcuse, P. (2011). The three historic currents of city planning. Chapter 6 in: Fainstein, S. S., & DeFilippis, J. (Eds.). (2015). Readings in Planning Theory. John Wiley & Sons. [book online available via the university library]

   

  Lecture 3: Historic development

  Fishman, R. (1982). Urban utopias in the twentieth Century: Ebenezer Howard, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Le Corbusier. Chapter 1 in: Fainstein, S. S., & DeFilippis, J. (Eds.). (2015). Readings in Planning Theory. John Wiley & Sons. [book online available via the university library]

  Needham, B. (2005). The New Dutch spatial planning act: Continuity and change in the way in which the Dutch regulate the practice of spatial planning. Planning Practice & Research, 20(03), 327-340.

   

  Lecture 4: Governance and participation

  Healey, P. (2011) The Planning Project. Chapter 7 in: Fainstein, S. S., & DeFilippis, J. (Eds.). (2015). Readings in Planning Theory. John Wiley & Sons. [book online available via the university library]

  Sandercock, L. (2000). When strangers become neighbours: Managing cities of difference. Planning Theory & Practice, 1(1), 13-30.

   

  Lecture 5: Planning for sustainable cities

  Campbell, S. (1996). Green cities, growing cities, just cities?: Urban planning and the contradictions of sustainable development. Journal of the American Planning Association, 62(3), 296-312.

  Wilkinson, C. (2012). Social-ecological resilience: Insights and issues for planning theory. Planning Theory, 11(2), 148-169.

   

  Lecture 6: Planning for uncertainty

  Abbott, J. (2005). Understanding and managing the unknown: The nature of uncertainty in planning. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 24(3), 237-251.

  Van Buuren, A., Driessen, P. P., van Rijswick, M., Rietveld, P., Salet, W., Spit, T., & Teisman, G. (2013). Towards adaptive spatial planning for climate change: Balancing between robustness and flexibility. Journal for European Environmental & Planning Law, 10(1), 29-53.

Syllabus

• Please see the full course outline published at the Canvas page

Objectives

• Students will be able to explain the discipline of planning, in particular the role and location of the planner and the central conceptual apparatus of the planner.
• Students will be able to understand the historical development of the planning discipline in relation to related scientific fields.
• Students will be able to understand the spatial institutional aspects of policy and planning.

Teaching methods

• Lecture
• Seminar

Learning activities

Attendance

Programme's requirements concerning attendance (OER-B):

• In case of practical sessions, the student is obliged to attend at least of 90% of the sessions and to prepare himself adequately, unless indicated otherwise in the course manual. In case the student attends less than 90%, the practical sessions should be redone entirely.
• In case of tutorials/seminars with assignments, the student is obliged to attend at least 90% of the tutorials/seminars and to prepare himself adequately, unless indicated otherwise in the course manual. In case the student attends less than 90%, the course cannot be finished

Assessment

The exam will be a take-home, open book exam with open questions covering the the lectures, the assigned readings, and the working groups.

Assignments

Part of the three working groups are small assignments (both individual and group) that help to familiarize students with the course content and reading materials. Some of them need to prepared in advance; others can be executed during the working group. This will be communicated via Canvas. The assignments will not be graded, but active participation is expected.

Fraud and plagiarism

The 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' applies to this course. This will be monitored carefully. Upon suspicion of fraud or plagiarism the Examinations Board of the programme will be informed. For the 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' see: www.student.uva.nl

Course structure

Timetable

The schedule for this course is published on DataNose.

Additional information

The lectures and working groups will take place online. The lectures will consist of a combination of live lectures and pre-recorded video clips. Please note that the live lectures will not be recorded and will not be made available on Canvas. The pre-recorded video clips will be posted on Canvas and will be only available for a week.

Last year's course evaluation

Contact information

Coordinator

• dr. Jannes Willems

Staff

• Joris van der Klei
• Ruben Weesie