Course Overview


MODULE 1 | A WORLD OF CITIES, A CITY OF WORLDS


WEEK 1: PLANNERS WITHOUT BORDERS

The digital era has aided and ushered the unencumbered flow of planning techniques and policies across geographical boundaries, enabling “faraway” ideas and inspiration to influence planning practice and development programs. What is driving the transfer of planning knowledge from one place to another? Moreover, what happens during the process of transfer and how might it challenge the positionality of (as well as taken-for-granted assumptions by) the planner?

WEEK 2: PLANNING IN THE AGE OF ‘PLANETARY URBANIZATION’

The “city” is a construct of humanity — its concept has stood the test of time and persists as one of the dominant narratives in our understanding of the world from a developmental perspective. With urbanization intensifying at a rapid pace, cities are becoming ever more interconnected and these linkages are altering the landscape on a planetary scale. The (un/planned) impact of cities, therefore, can have a reach far greater than the extent of the cities themselves. As such, in what ways might the “city” planner or “urban” planner effect change, intentionally or unintentionally, beyond their immediate jurisdiction?

WEEK 3: PLANNING FOR/WITH PLURALITY

The city as a microcosm of society is a view towards recognizing the manifold social dynamics that are expressed within / represented by / emerging from the urban built environment. Why is the notion of ‘multiple publics’ especially relevant at this global turning point? In what ways can planners advance the prospect of plurality, and to what ends would it serve?

 


MODULE 2 | URBAN TRANSFORMATION & TRANSITION – CASE STUDIES


WEEK 4: INTERNATIONALIZATION AND ICONICITY

Case Studies that have been explored — Adelaide, Dubai, Medellín, Melbourne, Shanghai

WEEK 5: DIVERSITY AND DIFFERENCE

Case Studies that have been explored — Copenhagen, Dubai, Geelong, San José, Tokyo

WEEK 6: INTERSTITIALITY AND INFORMALITY

Case Studies that have been explored — Dhaka, Hong Kong, Jodipan, Lagos, Norton, Singapore, Taipei

 


MODULE 3 | PLANNING AT THE NEXUS OF LOCAL AND GLOBAL


WEEK 7: THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY?

“Global citizenship” is an ethos and a call-to-action for agents of change, whose awareness of the wider world (and relation to it) helps ignite their sense of responsibility and role towards a just and sustainable future. In returning full circle to Week 1: Planners Without Borders, we will examine the fundamental arguments for “thinking globally, acting locally” while considering the complex duality of being both a place-based planner and a global citizen.

WEEK 8: PLANNING LESSONS FROM NEAR AND FAR

Planning lessons and recommended future directions for planning — i.e. “best practices” (a term critically used in this course) — are illuminated through group project presentations on these global themes:

  • Promoting Aging-in-Place for Community Cohesion
  • Animating Public Space for Social Conviviality
  • Supporting Entrepreneurship for Local Economic Vitality
  • Cultivating Environmental Attitudes for Urban Sustainability