02.541 Urban Planning and Socio-Spatial Thinking

This course introduces the historical and contemporary bases of urban planning as a process and practice, with a focus on developing a socio-spatial mind in approaching urban interventions critically and practically. It is designed to equip students to understand the scope of urban planning in the development of cities and regions, and how urban planners think and make decisions about land use and design of public places to meet social, economic, political, and environmental goals. 

A core pedagogic aim of the course is the emphasis of how theories and histories of planning translate in practice. For this purpose, the course is interspersed with opportunities to get you out of the comfort of the armchair and into the city as a live laboratory in which you will observe, document, and analyze the actual dynamics of city making, vis-à-vis what has been theorized and written about urban planning.   

As part of the integrative MUSPP programme curation, this course will help students learn about how the urban realm is scientifically studied and investigated and forms a part of planning research that informs urban planning and policy decisions. In addition, the course introduces students to emerging digital and AI-enabled tools that support urban analysis, planning research, and decision-making, while encouraging critical reflection on their implications for governance, ethics, and socio-spatial outcomes. 

Instructor: Dr Jennifer Yunjing Li
Time: Tuesday (9.30AM-12.30PM)
Venue: TBC

Week 1 Introduction: Planning Education
Week 2 Setting the Context: What is Urban, Urbanization, and Urbanism?
Week 3 Rise and Evolution of Planning Profession
Week 4 Theoretical Landscape of Urban Planning
Week 5 Urban Planning in Singapore 1
Week 6 Urban Planning in Singapore 2
Week 7 Recess Week
Week 8 Socio-spatial Thoughts and Implications for Urban Planning
Week 9 Emerging Digital Tools in Urban Planning
Week 10 Urban Planning Practice 1: Values, Politics, Institutions
Week 11 Urban Planning Practice 2: Negotiation
Week 12 Planning in an Era of Climate Change
Week 13 Urban Planning from a Comparative Perspective
Week 14 Final Project Group Presentation