MPlan Planning with Professional Placement

Environmental planning is concerned with society’s collective stewardship of the earth’s natural resources. It is a diverse activity that draws on multiple theoretical and practical approaches. Understanding environmental planning requires an appreciation of interdisciplinarity, and an awareness of relationships between different spatial scales, sectors and stakeholders. This course explores various environmental planning concepts, principles and approaches in the context of a range of contemporary environmental challenges. The course is designed to provide students with a broad understanding of environmental planning themes and methods currently used in practice, with a particular focus on urban areas. The course begins with an introduction to environmental planning from a broad perspective, exploring links to sustainable development and resilience concepts. Within this course, specific attention is paid to spatial planning, which concerns the development and use of land and has an important role to play in environmental planning in practice. Climate change mitigation and adaptation, and urban ecosystems and greenspaces, are specific themes that are explored in detail. The course concludes by reflecting upon environmental assessment as an element of environmental planning. Here, particular attention is paid to the development, utility and practice of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). EIA is an example of a specific environmental planning approach used by environmental planners globally to support the conservation and enhancement of environmental quality.
 

The unit aims to:

1. Introduce environmental planning’s  conceptual foundations .
2. Stimulate thinking on the role of environmental planning in the delivery of sustainable and resilient development at multiple scales, with a particular focus on climate change mitigation and adaptation.
3. Develop an understanding of the role and effectiveness of environmental planning in the management of urban ecosystems and greenspaces. 
4. Develop knowledge of different forms of environmental assessment, with a particular focus on understanding the broad principles and core stages of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). 
5. Support students to reflect critically on the EIA process and its contribution to the management of environmental impacts associated with major projects.

A significant area of employment for graduates of the BSc (Hons) Environmental Management is in environmental planning and environmental impact assessment (EIA). Ensuring our undergraduates have a solid grounding in these core areas is very important for student outcomes. This includes understanding the foundational principles of environmental planning, some of the challenges and opportunities linked to  practical implementation, and embedding knowledge of the procedural aspects of environmental assessment, particularly EIA.

Lecture-based sessions:
Each week has a lecture, including interactive components  and discussions on different aspects of environmental planning and assessment.

Workshops:
Seminars run to allow students to explore some of the core concepts and practical applications in greater depth, and to build their own knowledge through debate, as well as to provide an opportunity to discuss the assignments. Most of the workshop sessions draw directly from the lecture content and directed reading.

Field Visit:
One full day field visit will provide an opportunity for students to experience the practical implementation of environmental planning approaches over a range of sites across Greater Manchester, with reference to one specific theme studied within the course unit.

Directed reading:
Each week, suggested readings are provided, with additional material provided on the VLE as a range of mixed-media content.
 

• Define environmental planning and discuss the rationale for related interventions
• Identify and critique contemporary environmental planning issues and approaches

• Evaluate and discuss established and emerging concepts in environmental planning and assessment
• Evaluate and discuss  practical approaches linked to environmental planning and assessment

• Identify appropriate environmental planning approaches to address specific environmental challenges
• Synthesise and analyse multiple sources of information and research outputs to produce written reports and essays

• Communicate environmental planning concepts and ideas through written reports and essays

Through Turnitin within 15 working days of submission

Bulkeley, H. 2012. Cities and Climate Change, Taylor & Francis Ltd.

Davoudi, S., Crawford, J. and Mahmood, A. 2009. Planning for Climate Change: Strategies for Mitigation and Adaptation for Spatial Planners, Routledge, London.

Davoudi, S., Cowell, R., White, I., and Blanco, H (eds). 2023. The Routledge Companion to Environmental Planning. Routledge, Abingdon.

Glasson, J., and Thérivel, R. 2019. Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment, 5th edition. UCL Press, London.

Norman, B. 2023. Urban Planning for Climate Change. Routledge, Abingdon.

Roberts, J. 2011. Environmental Policy  2nd edition, Routledge, London.

Rydin, Y. 2010. Governing for Sustainable Urban Development, Earthscan, London.

Rydin, Y. 2011. The Purpose of Planning: Creating Sustainable Towns and Cities, Policy Press, Bristol.

Therivel, R., and Wood, G (eds). 2017. Methods of Environmental and Social Impact Assessment 4th Edition. Routledge, Abingdon.

Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA). 2023. The Climate Crisis – A Guide for Local Authorities on Planning for Climate Change. TCPA, London.

Walker, B., and Salt, D. Resilience Thinking: Sustaining Ecosystems and People in a Changing World. Island Press, London.

Wheeler, S and Beatley, T. 2009. The Sustainable Development Reader 2nd Edition. Routledge, Abingdon.

Wood, C. 2014. Environmental Impact Assessment: A Comparative Review 2nd edition, Routledge, Abingdon.