Handbook

In this course, you will explore contemporary issues facing planners in an increasingly diverse and complex society. You will critically engage with the social, economic, and cultural shifts which are continually reshaping the neoliberal city and consider questions of spatial disadvantage, social exclusion, equity, spatial justice and and ‘rights to the city’. Change in the built environment often impacts disadvantaged groups disproportionately; for example, redevelopment and gentrification may be accompanied by quickly changing community profiles, rising housing costs and displacement. As planners, we must steward the future direction of our cities in ways that foster diversity and recognise the needs of all groups, including culturally diverse communities, children, the aged, women, people with disabilities, LGBTIQ+ people, indigenous peoples and homeless people. In this course, you will gain an understanding of how to proactively incorporate elements that foster well-being into decisions related to the built environment. You will explore the capacity of current planning frameworks to achieve more equitable outcomes, including through the preparation of community strategic plans, the use of social impact assessment and more creative inter-disciplinary and bottom-up approaches.