PLAN9049: Intensive October - November, 2025

Units PLAN9049 Intensive October - November 2025 [Block mode]

Unit outline_

PLAN9049: Foundations of Informal Urbanism

Intensive October - November, 2025 [Block mode] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

This unit is designed to fill a significant gap in the evolution of the urban and regional planning curriculum by focusing on the concept of informal urbanism in a developing and developed country context. This unit is designed for planners and urban designers who may wish to work in the field of international development and/or who have an interest in better understanding urbanisation, especially informal urbanism in the Asia and Pacific Region. The unit is run in both semesters, one as an overseas field trip and the other as an intensive in Sydney. The international field trip will be a collaboration with the highly esteemed Insititute of Technology Bandung (ITB), Indonesia, and is based around the theme of informal urbanism as expressed in a kampung (informal settlement). For the intensive in Sydney, students from ITB will participate in class activities. By the end of this unit of study you should have an understanding of the (i) key readings on the dimensions of informal urbanism, (ii) key policy themes of poverty, spatial justice, and environmental sustainability, (iii) tools to explore the nature of informal urbanism, including understanding patterns and types of urban form and structure and their adaptation and transformation at the local level, and (iv) cross-cultural considerations in planning and urban design. The unit reflects the increasing internationalisation of Australian planning practice in contributing to better managing urbanisation, especially within the Asia and Pacific Region. It caters to the needs of local and international students intending to work on urban and regional planning projects internationally and wishing to better understand how the city is made and shaped including understanding dimensions of urban complexity in the formal and informal city.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Urban and Regional Planning and Policy
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Dallas Rogers, dallas.rogers@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Deepti Prasad, deepti.prasad@sydney.edu.au

Assessment

The census date for this unit availability is 7 November 2025

Details
Criteria

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length	Use of AI
Written work	Assessment 2: Reflective Essay Write a reflective essay exploring individual insights into informality, co-planning, and comparative urban analysis.	0%	Mid-semester break Due date: 28 Nov 2025 at 23:59	1,000 to 1,500 words	AI allowed
Outcomes assessed:
Creative work	Assessment 1: Visual Report Synthesise Steps 1–4 into a clear and compelling visual report: Step 1: Focus areas. Step 2: Mapping. Step 3: Comparative analysis. Step 4: Possible ways forward.	0%	Mid-semester break Due date: 28 Nov 2025 at 23:59	8-15 pages	AI allowed
Outcomes assessed:
Attendance - accreditation or faculty requirement	Assessment 3: Participation This assessment will cover your attendance to the mandatory activities involved in the program (site visits, cultural tour, daily progress updates, etc).	0%	STUVAC Due date: 19 Nov 2025 at 08:00	Not applicable.	Not applicable
Outcomes assessed:
= hurdle task ? = group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Assessment 1 – Visual Report

Format: Group submission (3–4 students)

Length: 8-15 pages

Assessment 2 – Reflective essay

Format: Individual submission

Length: 1,000-1,500 words

Assessment 3 – Participation

This assessment will cover attendance to the mandatory activities involved in the program (site visits, cultural tour, daily progress updates, etc).

Assessment criteria

This unit is graded as Satisfy Requirements or Fail Requirements.

As a result, individual assessment tasks are not graded - rather, all assessment tasks are hurdle tasks, i.e.e students need to complete all of them in order to satisfy the requirements of the course.

For more information see guide to grades.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)

You can use generative AI tools for open assessments. Restrictions on AI use apply to secure, supervised assessments used to confirm if students have met specific learning outcomes.

Refer to the assessment table above to see if AI is allowed, for assessments in this unit and check Canvas for full instructions on assessment tasks and AI use.

If you use AI, you must always acknowledge it. Misusing AI may lead to a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy.

Visit the Current Students website for more information on AI in assessments, including details on how to acknowledge its use.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

Failure to complete the assessments on time will result in the student failing the unit.

Academic integrity

The University expects students to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

Our website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. This includes advice on how to avoid common breaches of academic integrity. Ensure that you have completed the Academic Honesty Education Module (AHEM) which is mandatory for all commencing coursework students

Penalties for serious breaches can significantly impact your studies and your career after graduation. It is important that you speak with your unit coordinator if you need help with completing assessments.

Visit the Current Students website for more information on AI in assessments, including details on how to acknowledge its use.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy reflects the University’s commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Pre-semester	Pre-departure session 1	Lecture (1 hr)
Pre-semester	Pre-departure session 2	Lecture (1 hr)
STUVAC	Final Presentation	Presentation (6 hr)
Week 14 (STUVAC)	1. Global Studio Opening. 2. Indonesia Language Introduction	Lecture and tutorial (6 hr)
Week 14 (STUVAC)	Fieldwork (Group Discussion - Questionnaire Conduct and Trial; Site analysis; Survey; Daily Progress Presentation)	Studio (64 hr)

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Key readings will be uploaded in Canvas.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. To better understand a societal context in the Global South, including its value systems, challenges, and opportunities.
LO2. To engage in cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary collaborations towards shared design goals.
LO3. To apply design methods in the problem solving of societal issues.
LO4. To assess the fitness of Western design methods and corresponding solutions when applied to the context of a developing country.
LO5. To critically reflect upon the design and learning process, identifying improvements.
LO6. To document, present and disseminate the design process and its outcomes.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Changes have been made to reduce the number of required lectures and increase the time students spend in the field.

Additional information

Lecture material will be shared with students at ITB University and vice versa.

Canvas:

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links