URBN301 Assessment 1: Urban Sustainability and Planning Essay

Assessment 1: Essay (30%)

Word limit: 2,000 words (excluding the reference list)

Due date: end of week 4 (11:59 pm Sunday, 26th of March 2023)

The possible essay questions that you may choose for Assignment 1 are listed below. These are also listed in the study topics at the end of each topic. You may select any of these questions covered in the unit for your essay - even if the topic still needs to be covered in the lectures. If the topic hasnt yet been covered, check with your tutor or Unit coordinator first. The aim is to explore one of these questions through your reading and research, but the readings for each week are a good place to start. The essay should be approximately 2000 words in length.

Format of the essay

Introduction

The introduction of the essay should engage the reader. It will cover the global context around the importance and relevance of the chosen question and an outline of what the essay will cover.

Main Body of Report

This section will outline your response to the essay question, engaging with relevant theories, concepts, principles and examples. Depending on the essay question, you may structure this section how you wish; however, you must engage with relevant literature and make recommendations on policy options. You may explore a number of themes relating to the question, a case study application or recommendations for changes to occur within the context outlined in the introduction.

Conclusion

This section will draw together the main points and reiterate the response to the essay question in light of the literature and context presented throughout.

References

The students must use APA 7 Style referencing in the report. All source material must be acknowledged using referencing style and by the academic integrity (plagiarism) policy of Curtin University.

Submission Details

You must submit your assessment via the Turnitin link under the Assessments tab in Blackboard (not through email or in person).

All standard academic integrity conventions and policies (including late penalties) cited in the Unit Outline apply. Students work must be referenced correctly and according to the nominated style (APA 7). All assessments submitted are checked for academic integrity (i.e., plagiarism), and any such instances will be dealt with according to policy. Please visit the Curtin Library website and select the referencing link for more information.

Essay Questions:

Topic 1: Unit introduction, conceptual overview, and metabolic city.

Is the global sustainability agenda a new force that will radically alter cities' planning, development and management or just common-sense urban management?

How is sustainability to be addressed in cities of the developed world compared to cities of the developing or rapidly industrialising world?

Can cities become regenerative?

What role can net-zero precincts play in regenerative cities?

Topic 2: Urban fabric, transport, and metabolism

How can city planners and managers deal with cities in the rapidly changing conditions of contemporary cities, which have primarily grown out of the twentieth-century modernist certainties about automobile urban fabrics, which are now losing their appeal?

How do cities vary in their metabolism and liveability due to varying amounts of urban fabrics? How can these be changed?

What are the potential changes to slum developments that could enable them to become more liveable whilst retaining their low metabolism?

How can understanding urban fabrics help us plan and manage the renewal and shaping of cities?

Topic 3: The Future City Four stages in the history and future of infrastructure and planning paradigms

Perths history as being well planned has become problematic as it has achieved such strong car dependence. What is the planning vision needed for the city to be transformed into a sustainability model? (Choose another town if this is preferred)

Why are public transport and walking becoming more important in cities? What can communities do? Choose your preferred city and discuss how this has happened there.

What are the stages in infrastructure provision and the planning paradigm behind them? How do they apply to a city of your choice?

What approaches are needed to make the most out of autonomous transport systems from a sustainability perspective?

Topic 4: Economics of urban development

How does urban form affect infrastructure costs? Discuss some specific infrastructure costs that might vary under different urban development conditions.

How does effective public transport enable more robust economic performance in cities?

Discuss, with examples, some alternative ways to fund public transport.

Topic 5: Regenerative Urbanism

What are the resiliency features of the neighbourhood where you live? Discuss how your local government makes your area more liveable and sustainable.

Regenerative urbanism can help solve issues at local levels in our cities. Make specific reference to the resiliency of cities and, if possible, use examples of cities that have been redeveloped starting from local interventions. How do you think such a strategy will affect the city on a broader scale?

In addition to the discussed strategies that make cities more resilient at the local level, discuss other ideas from your experience.

Topic 6: High-performance buildings

What are the significant barriers to the mass adoption of high-performance housing in Australia? Provide suggestions on how these may be overcome, referring to practical examples where possible.

What are the key design considerations in delivering a high-performance house in Perths climate (choose another climate if preferred)? In your response, consider energy and water consumption for a specific housing typology and how usage can be reduced concerning particular benchmarks.

What is the role of beyond compliance sustainability frameworks and rating tools in improving sustainability outcomes in urban developments? Refer to at least two working examples where relevant frameworks/tools have been applied to support your response.

Topic 7: History of planning cities and potential futures

Throughout human history, cities have been built with little regard for the nature they displace. Why do you think this has occurred and continues?

What are the barriers to biophilic urbanism, and what are some examples of policies that support biophilic urbanism initiatives that we can have from past experiences?

Topic 8: Climate-resilient cities

What is the link between a climate-resilient city and these issues: social inequality, discrimination, and environmental sustainability?

What must a city consider in urban development to be considered a climate-resilient city?

Topic 9: Disruptive Technologies and Renewable Energy in Smart/Connected Cities

Can you think of three examples of disruptive innovation from the past decade and how they have changed how we live in our cities?

Discuss the social implications of disruptive innovations like the internet of things and data collection.

Cities around the world collect data on their inhabitants habits. How can a city of the future make use of artificial intelligence?

Topic 10: Circular economy cities

How did the linear economy solve the economic breakdown? And why a circular economy is now needed?Provide examples of planned obsolescence and suggest ways to avoid material overconsumption.

Why is recycling not enough? And what is better than recycling? For different materials, different strategies are more appropriate; in answering, provide examples (e.g., plastic recycling versus glass reuse).

Choose a product used in your daily life. What are the main barriers that hinder a circular economy that produces? Justify the answer using two or more strategies that can be applied to foster a truly circular economy.

Topic 11: Cities foresighting and futures

How can solar be shared in cities?

What kind of start-up companies will likely exceed in future cities?

What issues must be remembered when using new technologies for future cities?

Marking rubric

Score Comments

Introduction to the topic, context described, and objective of the essay clearly stated (10%) Main body: evidence of research on the topic, critique and combination of supporting evidence, examples and evaluation. (40%) Conclusion: structured conclusions that support the arguments and context outlined (20%) Structure and presentation of the essay (10%) Clarity of written expression, sentence structure and grammar (10%)

Quality and use of referenced sources, reference list, include all in-text references (10%)

Total out of 100

General Comments