Participatory Planning Practice

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2009:

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

Negotiation, mediation and participatory planning practice are all parts of an effective planning practitioner’s skill set in the 21st century. Knowing how to identify appropriate techniques to engage the community throughout the decision-making process, and implement methods for collaborative and participatory planning, is becoming an increasingly important aspect of planning practice. This course will provide students with the foundations for bringing these skills into their practice as built environment professionals. Through the use of national and international best practice case studies, and through hands on, interactive exercises and group work, students will be exposed to the theory and practice of negotiation, mediation and participatory planning. You will also develop the skill of negotiating projects and desired outcomes, and in mediating conflict, both in the built environment and in the workplace. The applied work will be supplemented by class readings and presentations/lectures which stress the contemporary theoretical and practice-based evaluations of different techniques and approaches. Students will be expected to work in groups, and participate both in class and in the interactive exercises led by the lecturers and tutors. There will be a very strong focus on application and critical analysis, presentation, team work and discussion.

On completion of the subject, students should be able to:

• understand change and conflict, as seen by community members and other stakeholders
• design, implement and evaluate effective participation processes
• engage with those who traditionally have not been included in decisions that affect them
• understand change and conflict, as seen by community members and other stakeholders
• understand their role as a professional and how their personal attributes influence the way they work with people and communities
• tap into local community knowledge and use this knowledge effectively

• 70% of the assessment will be based on group work, of which 40% will involve a semester long group project, and 30% will comprise assessment on in-class exercises and workshops
• 30% of the assessment will be based on an individual reflective essay, due in week 4 of the semester and involving a self-evaluation of individual attributes that affect one’s role as a facilitator

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

On completion of the subject, the students should have developed the following generic skills

• the ability to both work in groups and manage group dynamics- the capacity for critical and independent thought and reflection
• an understanding of the principles and processes of alternative dispute resolution and how to apply these to their role as built environment professionals