Urban Governance

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2012:

140 hours

For the purposes of considering requests for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this course are articulated in the Course Description, Course Objectives and Generic Skills of this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

The study of governance helps to explain how cities work. Urban governance looks at the Constitution, roles and responsibilities of different levels of government, intergovernmental relations, fiscal transfers, municipal finance, models for financing and delivering municipal infrastructure and services, city negotiations with private sector and civil society – ultimately a city’s ability to get things done. The context for governance has a significant influence on the substance and processes of planning and decision‐making within cities. The teaching of the subject will focus on Victoria and Melbourne and will generally include case studies of private sector involvement in service delivery, participation of and negotiation with civil society in planning processes, and international comparative case studies.

On completion of the subject, students should:

• know the constitutional roles and responsibilities of different levels of government, focusing on cities;
• understand the role of cities (and in Australia the State), the private sector and civil society in delivering and financing infrastructure and services;
• understand how municipalities are financed;
• understand the nexus between the public and private sectors and civil society in planning for and managing cities, and related contestation and decision‐making processes;
• have insight into comparative governance contexts through case studies from other countries.

• Group research and presentations – 40% (due last two weeks of semester).
• Individual 3,500 word paper – 60% (due end of semester).

None specified

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

• Ability to analyse decision‐making processes within cities
• Ability to link planning practices and processes to different governance contexts
• Ability to engage with the private sector and civil society during the planning process