Urban Planning

Develop and embed an understanding and insight into the origins, status, and objectives of planning in the UK and internationally, along with the formal mechanisms and thought processes that drive it forward at a time of constant change. Students will be asked to consider the importance of sustainable development as a strategic aim of planning, and how this is interpreted in different ways by the range of stakeholders in different countries who engage in the planning system.

Explore the evolution of urban planning thought and integrates systems thinking as a key framework for understanding the interconnectedness and complexity of urban environments. By the end of the module, students will have a deep understanding of the theoretical foundations of urban planning and the ability to apply systems thinking to address contemporary challenges, such as sustainability, equity, and resilience.

Understand the need for valuations, the valuation process for a range of property types and the principal valuation approaches required for market valuations and compensation claims in cases of compulsory purchase. That knowledge, combined with an understanding of the RICS Valuation – Global Standards, the RICS Rules of Conduct and Valuer Registration, will enable you to understand how valuers are obliged to act ethically and professionally in providing valuation advice. Various methods of valuation are reviewed and a critical reflection of these methods is also developed to understand the limitations of the valuations that may be reviewed.

This module introduces students to planning policy in England, through a critical review of the prescribed stages of plan-making and decision-taking at a full range of strategic levels and spatial contexts. A central focus here will be the role of Strategic Development Strategies, Statutory Development Plans (SDPs), and their integral components, Local and Neighbourhood Plans. Consideration will be given to how a full range of cross-sector stakeholders come to define an agreed spatial vision for their areas and determine individual development proposals in relation to that vision, as well as the practical and ethical qualities required of the different players in the planning process. Students will be encouraged to recognise conflicts that arise in the delivery of sustainable development and how effective leadership can help to ameliorate the process.

Examine the motivations of primarily private-sector developers and the public-sector obligations of local planning authorities. It explores how, through early liaison, these can be balanced and a middle ground for development agreed.  The module tracks the early stages of the development process from the client briefing, consideration of planning policy and guidance, information analysis and initial development design. This continues through to the financial appraisal and viability considerations and culminates in a pre-application agreement of an acceptable scheme that meets the requirements of both the developer and the public sector. Students will be asked to consider the risks involved in development process and the range of consequences emanating from success and failure as perceived from different perspectives.

This module introduces students to the transformative role of digital technologies, data, and artificial intelligence in the planning and delivery of the built environment. Students gain a conceptual and practical grounding in key digital tools and AI concepts, including geospatial platforms, digital twins, and machine learning. The module explores how these tools are beginning to reshape planning decision-making, infrastructure systems, and professional roles, while critically examining the regulatory and ethical frameworks that guide their use. Emphasis is placed on building students’ confidence in digital thinking, spatial data analysis, and understanding real-world urban challenges such as sustainability, mobility, and housing.

This module will enable students to develop the research skills required to navigate the ever-changing flow of socio-political planning discourse from academia, practice and the public, whilst informing their own approach to research. Operational practices around how others undertake research and its dissemination, alternative approaches, drivers and motivations, along with sources used for supportive evidence, data types and methods of data collection and analysis will be discussed.

Essential to the module will be understanding how to recognise assumptions, theoretical underpinnings, bias and what is and is not being privileged in various publication types. The fundamental assumptions upon which social science is founded will be outlined and debated. An understanding of levels of analysis, micro, meso and macro will be explained. This will help students develop their critical thinking along with understanding the perspectives that make most sense to them.

It is considered advisory to complete this module prior to undertaking the Independent Research Project (PRJ7IRP).

This applied module builds on foundational knowledge of Introduction to Digital Planning and AI module, enabling students to critically evaluate, use, and implement digital tools in complex planning and infrastructure contexts. Through a series of real-world challenges, students apply methods such as predictive analytics, digital twins, scenario modelling, and collaborative digital platforms to plan-making and infrastructure management. The module examines emerging technologies and regulatory frameworks, focusing on ethical and resilient digital practice across housing, transport, water, and energy systems. By the end, students will be confident digital practitioners equipped to deliver inclusive, data-informed, and technologically enabled urban solutions.

This module provides students with a focused introduction to placemaking, both as a concept and the outcome of collaborative working. They will explore the mix of regulations, delivery methods and techniques that inform the design and delivery of a consensus-based spatial strategy for a new town, urban extension, or a master planned community.

Conduct a self-directed, independent research project reflecting the culmination of your studies on a topic that reflects the current and critical areas that concern planning matters within the built environment.