Master of Landscape Architecture/Master of Urban Design
Course code: MC-LARCHUD
March
Commonwealth Supported Places (CSPs) available
Access Melbourne is available
March
AUD $56,992 (2026 indicative first year fee)
IELTS 6.5: with no band less than 6.0
Course structure
Overview
The Master of Landscape Architecture combined with the Master of Urban Design puts theory into practice via our suite of studios. Our studios develop strong interdisciplinary understanding, excellent communication skills, critical thinking and the ability to use resources, materials and technologies to develop responsible and ecologically sound and novel design solutions.
Professional and community involvement play an integral role in our studio experiences. Studio topics draw on the current projects of our research staff, while also involving landscape architects, designers, engineers, policy makers, urban designers and planners from nearly 50 organisations. The collaborative nature of studio classes mirrors the way you will work in industry.
Our researchers, teaching staff and students are actively engaged with some of the pressing issues of our time, including dealing with the impact of climate changes, sustainable resourcing challenges, and the pressures of increased urbanisation.
Explore the subjects you could choose as part of this degree in the University handbook.
Profile
Girvan Tenggono
“With climate change, there is a need to shift our way of living. In my opinion, there is a need to design so people can be an integral part of nature, instead of our current tendency to dictate nature to fit our needs. I believe heading into the Master of Landscape Architecture is a step in this direction.”
— Girvan Tenggono. Master of Landscape Architecture student.
Sample course plan
View some sample course plans to help you select subjects that will meet the requirements for this coursework.
Students entering the Master of Landscape Architecture/Master of Urban Design from a non-Landscape Design discipline will undertake the 400 point program
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
Year 1100 pts |
|
| Semester 1 · 50 pts | |
| Semester 2 · 50 pts | |
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
Year 2100 pts |
|
| Semester 1 · 50 pts | |
| Semester 2 · 50 pts | |
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
Year 3100 pts |
|
| Semester 1 · 50 pts | |
| Semester 2 · 50 pts | |
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
Year 4100 pts |
|
| Semester 1 · 50 pts | |
| Semester 2 · 50 pts | |
Students entering the Master of Landscape Architecture/Master of Urban Design from a Landscape Architecture discipline will undertake the 300 point program
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
Year 1100 pts |
|
| Semester 1 · 50 pts | |
| Semester 2 · 50 pts | |
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
Year 2100 pts |
|
| Semester 1 · 50 pts | |
| Semester 2 · 50 pts | |
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
Year 3100 pts |
|
| Semester 1 · 50 pts | |
| Semester 2 · 50 pts | |
Explore this course
Explore the subjects you could choose as part of this degree.
400 point program
Students entering the Master of Landscape Architecture/Master of Urban Design from a non-Landscape Design discipline will undertake the 400 point program
Landscape Architecture foundation
Students must complete 87.5 points of core subjects
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
| Landscape Studio 1: Design Techniques · 25 pts |
This subject introduces fundamental approaches for thinking about, exploring and generating design within the realm of landscape architecture. It aims to equip students with a range of representational techniques for exploring processes of design. Lectures and readings introduce key theoretical premises that underpin contemporary landscape architecture design practices. Incidental costs: Students will be required to purchase modelling and drawing materials for the course; cost approx. $200 per person. Prescribed software programs with a cost |
| Plants in the Landscape · 12.5 pts |
This subject explores the identification, selection and design use of plants in urban landscapes. The content includes an introduction to botanical nomenclature, plant selection, sources of information, planting design, planting plans, the design use of major plant groups, and recognition and identification of representative plants. Case studies of plant use and management in urban landscapes and relevant site visits are also discussed. |
| Shaping the Landscape · 12.5 pts |
Landscape grading and its representation has an intense and rich history. Within this subject we explore the relationship between digital modelling, geological processes and design with landform. We will be investigating and testing methods for representing conceptual, structural, aesthetic and engineering design decisions. The subject is structured in two parts: The first part develops skills in traditional hand drawn landscape design tools while the second part develops skills in evolving software to represent complex intersections between the landform of existing sites and proposals for built form. The importance of landform modelling to the design vocabulary of landscape architecture will be introduced, alongside fundamental principles of drainage, levels, surveying and representation techniques. Prescribed software programs with no cost Details of software availability and pricing are captured at: https://msd.unimelb.edu.au/current-students/student-experience/it-support |
| Landscape Studio 2: Site and Design · 25 pts |
This studio follows a multi-objective approach in exploring the interrelation between site and design in landscape architectural practice. Site exploration and conceptual design aspects of site transformation are introduced, alongside 3D representation techniques. Emphasis will be given to a process-based approach in the idea generation to formulate creative, integrative and cohesive design responses to a set design brief. Prescribed software programs with no cost Prescribed software programs with a cost Prescribed software tools |
| Ecology for Design · 12.5 pts |
This subject explores the principles of ecological systems. It will introduce basic ecological concepts and fundamental ecological systems, and their applications in landscape design. It will include plants and biomes, soils and water, spatial geometries, emergence, resilience, and the ecological performance of designs in relation to design speculations. |
Electives
Students must complete 12.5 points of Architecture or Landscape Architecture electives
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
| Urban and Landscape Heritage · 12.5 pts |
The development of landscape design in Australia. The influence and work of Australian landscape designers. Concepts of natural and cultural heritage. Types of landscape heritage: Australian indigenous landscapes, public and private parks and gardens, institutional and industrial landscapes, symbolic and commemorative landscapes. Heritage legislation and organisations. Techniques for the assessment of landscape heritage. Case studies are used to illustrate the theory and practice of planning and managing sites that have cultural significance. |
| Construction History · 12.5 pts |
Students will gain the ability to analyse the use of materials and the means of constructing buildings from antiquity on, but with particular reference to the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Class activities will focus on the comparison of equivalent materials and trades between different cultures, and explore the transmission of skills, building processes and techniques from one to another. |
| Environmental Systems · 12.5 pts |
This subject provides a coverage of the different systems significant in the design of buildings, which are described in terms of 3 interlocking systems: human, mechanical and natural systems. |
| Australian Architecture · 12.5 pts |
In this subject, students will investigate the evolution of Australian environments, cities and architecture. The Subject introduces indigenous as well as colonial, post-colonial, modern, postmodern and regional architecture cultures from the late eighteenth through the early twenty-first century. Topics encompass the geographic, cultural, social, political, economic and material factors shaping environments and architecture in Australia, as well as the ways in which they have been conceptualised and at times contested in scholarship and professional practice. While working across Australia broadly, the subject focuses on Melbourne as a case study to more closely explore the dynamics of localised urban conditions, cultures and design responses. Students will learn to contextualise and to apply the knowledge gained through this subject from leading academics in Australian architectural history, historiography and heritage, and will undertake research in the field using primary and archival collections. |
| Computational Design and Optimisation · 12.5 pts |
This subject explores computational design and optimisation as methods for generating, evaluating, and refining architectural design proposals. Students engage with parametric modelling, rule-based systems, and algorithmic thinking to develop computational workflows that are both iterative and performance-oriented. Topics include pseudo-randomness and parametric logic, structural and environmental optimisation, and the use of optimisation algorithms to explore design variations and support informed decision-making. Emphasis is placed on integrating computational techniques into architectural design processes, bridging conceptual thinking with technical execution. While little to no prior experience with computational design is assumed, students are expected to independently learn the required tools and platforms (e.g., Rhinoceros 3D and Grasshopper). The subject moves at a fast pace, and active engagement with the technical content is essential for success. Students will learn core computational design techniques, frame design problems computationally, apply optimisation and machine learning methods, and critically examine the interplay between design thinking and design computing. Prescribed software programs with a cost Prescribed software tools |
| Architectural Conservation in Asia · 12.5 pts |
This subject offers an overview of architectural conservation in Asia from an international perspective. Through case studies and comparative analysis, the subject explores how heritage principles and policies play out across a range of cultural and geographic contexts, influenced by various Asian building traditions and cultural histories. The subject also interrogates how different cultural contexts have shaped heritage theory and practice across Asia. Using case studies from China, Japan, India, Malaysia, Singapore, and Australia this subject will explore:
|
| Design Futures · 12.5 pts |
Commercial firms, governments, and nongovernmental organisations compete for graduates who can innovate in response to the major changes in global societies and environments. Independent entrepreneurship is another career path that requires strategic foresight. In response to these challenges, this subject studies phenomena, ideas, research, and technologies that will define emerging trends. To do this, the subject forecasts the future of design in a variety of disciplines, including design and architecture. It identifies significant innovations, outlines necessary changes, and provides guidance for an in-depth investigation. The seminar reconsiders relationship between humans, nonhuman organisms and machines within emerging systems engaging with:
The teaching method combines reading with visual presentations by prominent guests and case-study analysis. In the second half of the subject, students define their own creative assignments and develop expertise that will be relevant to their professional goals. The subject can support in-depth research for design studios, theses, and research degrees. It is also useful as evidence of skills in design innovation for future employers. Beyond this, past iterations of the subject supported design/art projects, contributed to research within design practices, and laid foundations for innovative career paths and business models. |
| Contemporary Digital Practice · 12.5 pts |
This subject focuses on impacts of digital technologies on professional practice and services. It explores issues such as emerging forms of professional practice, status of professional knowledge and skills, use and value of digital information in design, and digital fabrication and assembly of contemporary buildings. The subject involves guest lectures by practicing designers and case studies of real projects. |
| Bower Studio - Community Development · 12.5 pts |
This subject will introduce the principles for designing and constructing community based infrastructure. It addresses the effects of both sociological and technical issues and discusses affordability, liveability, environmental impacts, sociality and relationships between community networks and space. The first part of the subject addresses these issues on both a theoretical and case study basis while the second part takes this background material ‘into the field’ to address real life problems via the design studio (and where possible design and construct studios) in Southeast Asia, Papua New Guinea or Australia. Approximate costs to students: This subject has fieldwork components that includes travel and accommodation when visiting host communities. Students will be required to cover these costs in addition to purchasing the appropriate safety equipment (work boots, hearing and eye protection, etc.) and presentation materials estimated at $200 per person. |
| Complex Building Energy Modelling · 12.5 pts |
The subject teaches how to use two modelling approaches to investigate and communicate complex and innovative environmental solutions for energy efficient building design. Led by experienced software users from industry and from software manufactures, this course will allow students to specialise in a software tool which they may already be using at their work. Based on a case study approach students will assess an existing or new building project and prepare the documentation arguing for the innovative approaches to energy efficiency that are proposed. Focus will not only be on learning how to model these complex scenarios, but also how to interpret their practicality and develop risk profiles allowing end users to be able to choose between innovation and benefit. |
| Advanced Planting Design · 12.5 pts |
This is a studio-based elective subject that enables students to develop an advanced planting design methodology. Plant characteristics are examined as a material for their uses and effects as an integral component of landscape architecture design. A site-specific design response is formed by addressing environmental, social, cultural and ecological criteria. Strategic approaches are explored through a series of lectures, practice-based case studies, and workshops. A field trip and site visits are included to promote critical reflection and evaluation of planting in built and natural landscapes. Design exercises are staged to develop a whole life-cycle approach to the planting design process, included: collection and exchange of information; development of a plant selection matrix; generation and testing of concepts; production of a detail design proposition; and, devising feedbacking mechanisms. The subject aims to provide students with skills and appreciation for ongoing learning and working with plants as a lively, evolving material in landscape architecture design practice. This subject may have a full day field trip. Prescribed software programs with no cost Prescribed software programs with a cost Prescribed software tools |
| F_Lab: Bespoke Furnitures · 12.5 pts |
F_ Lab: Bespoke Furnitures is part of a suite of electives, the Digital Design and Fabrication Electives. In these electives students have the opportunity to build and demonstrate expertise and competence in the understanding and application of contemporary design tools that inform and shape design process and thinking. A Digital Design and Fabrication Electives are based on a culture of experimenting and making – applying contemporary design and making tools to create advanced physical and digital artefacts and environments. For more detailed information concerning the respective tutors, design approaches and previous examples as well as other offerings in the Digital Design and Fabrication Electives suite please check on the ADD+F Research Hub website under teaching and learning: https://msd.unimelb.edu.au/addf F_Lab introduces students to consideration of materiality, anthropometrics and fabrication techniques. Students will be exposed to and demonstrate the capability to use a wide range of making techniques, including e.g. skills in hand-tool usage and modern woodworking equipment. F_Lab students will demonstrate their capability to design and fabricate a bespoke furniture piece that is highly individual and of novel aesthetic and material qualities. A resulting final piece will highlight students’ experimentation process, demonstrate exemplary craft, and creating a novel furniture piece, e.g for one person to rest on. Costs to Students: In combination with prototyping and fabrication students should allow for a minimum of 100-200 AUD to cover material costs; costs often depend on students’ choice of material. NOTE: This subject has a quota of 16. See “Additional delivery details” under “Dates and Times” for more information. |
| Representing Heritage · 12.5 pts |
Representing Heritage examines how designers and professionals in the built environment and heritage fields observe, record, document, interpret and act upon sites of interest and significance. Discussions will range from the highly theoretical to the creative and the practical, with exposure to cutting edge digital practices and techniques. Over the semester students will assemble a toolkit of theoretical and practical ways of thinking about spaces, places and buildings across time, and techniques for site representation, documentation and interpretation. The subject available to students from all Melbourne School of Design (MSD) majors with an interest in the heritage, history, memory and conservation of places. The subject will include content from academic and professional guests delivered through on campus seminars and online additional material. Assessments will include an individual reflective journal, an experimental group project which documents and interprets a site of the group’s choosing in Melbourne, and an individual critical reflection of this project. This subject will allow students to build on the core subjects in the M.UCH degree, and to augment design, history and theory-based subjects in the MSD programs. |
| Urban and Landscape Heritage · 12.5 pts |
The development of landscape design in Australia. The influence and work of Australian landscape designers. Concepts of natural and cultural heritage. Types of landscape heritage: Australian indigenous landscapes, public and private parks and gardens, institutional and industrial landscapes, symbolic and commemorative landscapes. Heritage legislation and organisations. Techniques for the assessment of landscape heritage. Case studies are used to illustrate the theory and practice of planning and managing sites that have cultural significance. |
| Construction History · 12.5 pts |
Students will gain the ability to analyse the use of materials and the means of constructing buildings from antiquity on, but with particular reference to the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Class activities will focus on the comparison of equivalent materials and trades between different cultures, and explore the transmission of skills, building processes and techniques from one to another. |
| Environmental Systems · 12.5 pts |
This subject provides a coverage of the different systems significant in the design of buildings, which are described in terms of 3 interlocking systems: human, mechanical and natural systems. |
| Australian Architecture · 12.5 pts |
In this subject, students will investigate the evolution of Australian environments, cities and architecture. The Subject introduces indigenous as well as colonial, post-colonial, modern, postmodern and regional architecture cultures from the late eighteenth through the early twenty-first century. Topics encompass the geographic, cultural, social, political, economic and material factors shaping environments and architecture in Australia, as well as the ways in which they have been conceptualised and at times contested in scholarship and professional practice. While working across Australia broadly, the subject focuses on Melbourne as a case study to more closely explore the dynamics of localised urban conditions, cultures and design responses. Students will learn to contextualise and to apply the knowledge gained through this subject from leading academics in Australian architectural history, historiography and heritage, and will undertake research in the field using primary and archival collections. |
| Computational Design and Optimisation · 12.5 pts |
This subject explores computational design and optimisation as methods for generating, evaluating, and refining architectural design proposals. Students engage with parametric modelling, rule-based systems, and algorithmic thinking to develop computational workflows that are both iterative and performance-oriented. Topics include pseudo-randomness and parametric logic, structural and environmental optimisation, and the use of optimisation algorithms to explore design variations and support informed decision-making. Emphasis is placed on integrating computational techniques into architectural design processes, bridging conceptual thinking with technical execution. While little to no prior experience with computational design is assumed, students are expected to independently learn the required tools and platforms (e.g., Rhinoceros 3D and Grasshopper). The subject moves at a fast pace, and active engagement with the technical content is essential for success. Students will learn core computational design techniques, frame design problems computationally, apply optimisation and machine learning methods, and critically examine the interplay between design thinking and design computing. Prescribed software programs with a cost Prescribed software tools |
| Architectural Conservation in Asia · 12.5 pts |
This subject offers an overview of architectural conservation in Asia from an international perspective. Through case studies and comparative analysis, the subject explores how heritage principles and policies play out across a range of cultural and geographic contexts, influenced by various Asian building traditions and cultural histories. The subject also interrogates how different cultural contexts have shaped heritage theory and practice across Asia. Using case studies from China, Japan, India, Malaysia, Singapore, and Australia this subject will explore:
|
| Design Futures · 12.5 pts |
Commercial firms, governments, and nongovernmental organisations compete for graduates who can innovate in response to the major changes in global societies and environments. Independent entrepreneurship is another career path that requires strategic foresight. In response to these challenges, this subject studies phenomena, ideas, research, and technologies that will define emerging trends. To do this, the subject forecasts the future of design in a variety of disciplines, including design and architecture. It identifies significant innovations, outlines necessary changes, and provides guidance for an in-depth investigation. The seminar reconsiders relationship between humans, nonhuman organisms and machines within emerging systems engaging with:
The teaching method combines reading with visual presentations by prominent guests and case-study analysis. In the second half of the subject, students define their own creative assignments and develop expertise that will be relevant to their professional goals. The subject can support in-depth research for design studios, theses, and research degrees. It is also useful as evidence of skills in design innovation for future employers. Beyond this, past iterations of the subject supported design/art projects, contributed to research within design practices, and laid foundations for innovative career paths and business models. |
| Contemporary Digital Practice · 12.5 pts |
This subject focuses on impacts of digital technologies on professional practice and services. It explores issues such as emerging forms of professional practice, status of professional knowledge and skills, use and value of digital information in design, and digital fabrication and assembly of contemporary buildings. The subject involves guest lectures by practicing designers and case studies of real projects. |
| Bower Studio - Community Development · 12.5 pts |
This subject will introduce the principles for designing and constructing community based infrastructure. It addresses the effects of both sociological and technical issues and discusses affordability, liveability, environmental impacts, sociality and relationships between community networks and space. The first part of the subject addresses these issues on both a theoretical and case study basis while the second part takes this background material ‘into the field’ to address real life problems via the design studio (and where possible design and construct studios) in Southeast Asia, Papua New Guinea or Australia. Approximate costs to students: This subject has fieldwork components that includes travel and accommodation when visiting host communities. Students will be required to cover these costs in addition to purchasing the appropriate safety equipment (work boots, hearing and eye protection, etc.) and presentation materials estimated at $200 per person. |
| Complex Building Energy Modelling · 12.5 pts |
The subject teaches how to use two modelling approaches to investigate and communicate complex and innovative environmental solutions for energy efficient building design. Led by experienced software users from industry and from software manufactures, this course will allow students to specialise in a software tool which they may already be using at their work. Based on a case study approach students will assess an existing or new building project and prepare the documentation arguing for the innovative approaches to energy efficiency that are proposed. Focus will not only be on learning how to model these complex scenarios, but also how to interpret their practicality and develop risk profiles allowing end users to be able to choose between innovation and benefit. |
| Advanced Planting Design · 12.5 pts |
This is a studio-based elective subject that enables students to develop an advanced planting design methodology. Plant characteristics are examined as a material for their uses and effects as an integral component of landscape architecture design. A site-specific design response is formed by addressing environmental, social, cultural and ecological criteria. Strategic approaches are explored through a series of lectures, practice-based case studies, and workshops. A field trip and site visits are included to promote critical reflection and evaluation of planting in built and natural landscapes. Design exercises are staged to develop a whole life-cycle approach to the planting design process, included: collection and exchange of information; development of a plant selection matrix; generation and testing of concepts; production of a detail design proposition; and, devising feedbacking mechanisms. The subject aims to provide students with skills and appreciation for ongoing learning and working with plants as a lively, evolving material in landscape architecture design practice. This subject may have a full day field trip. Prescribed software programs with no cost Prescribed software programs with a cost Prescribed software tools |
| Urban and Landscape Heritage · 12.5 pts |
The development of landscape design in Australia. The influence and work of Australian landscape designers. Concepts of natural and cultural heritage. Types of landscape heritage: Australian indigenous landscapes, public and private parks and gardens, institutional and industrial landscapes, symbolic and commemorative landscapes. Heritage legislation and organisations. Techniques for the assessment of landscape heritage. Case studies are used to illustrate the theory and practice of planning and managing sites that have cultural significance. |
| Construction History · 12.5 pts |
Students will gain the ability to analyse the use of materials and the means of constructing buildings from antiquity on, but with particular reference to the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Class activities will focus on the comparison of equivalent materials and trades between different cultures, and explore the transmission of skills, building processes and techniques from one to another. |
| Environmental Systems · 12.5 pts |
This subject provides a coverage of the different systems significant in the design of buildings, which are described in terms of 3 interlocking systems: human, mechanical and natural systems. |
| Australian Architecture · 12.5 pts |
In this subject, students will investigate the evolution of Australian environments, cities and architecture. The Subject introduces indigenous as well as colonial, post-colonial, modern, postmodern and regional architecture cultures from the late eighteenth through the early twenty-first century. Topics encompass the geographic, cultural, social, political, economic and material factors shaping environments and architecture in Australia, as well as the ways in which they have been conceptualised and at times contested in scholarship and professional practice. While working across Australia broadly, the subject focuses on Melbourne as a case study to more closely explore the dynamics of localised urban conditions, cultures and design responses. Students will learn to contextualise and to apply the knowledge gained through this subject from leading academics in Australian architectural history, historiography and heritage, and will undertake research in the field using primary and archival collections. |
| Computational Design and Optimisation · 12.5 pts |
This subject explores computational design and optimisation as methods for generating, evaluating, and refining architectural design proposals. Students engage with parametric modelling, rule-based systems, and algorithmic thinking to develop computational workflows that are both iterative and performance-oriented. Topics include pseudo-randomness and parametric logic, structural and environmental optimisation, and the use of optimisation algorithms to explore design variations and support informed decision-making. Emphasis is placed on integrating computational techniques into architectural design processes, bridging conceptual thinking with technical execution. While little to no prior experience with computational design is assumed, students are expected to independently learn the required tools and platforms (e.g., Rhinoceros 3D and Grasshopper). The subject moves at a fast pace, and active engagement with the technical content is essential for success. Students will learn core computational design techniques, frame design problems computationally, apply optimisation and machine learning methods, and critically examine the interplay between design thinking and design computing. Prescribed software programs with a cost Prescribed software tools |
| Architectural Conservation in Asia · 12.5 pts |
This subject offers an overview of architectural conservation in Asia from an international perspective. Through case studies and comparative analysis, the subject explores how heritage principles and policies play out across a range of cultural and geographic contexts, influenced by various Asian building traditions and cultural histories. The subject also interrogates how different cultural contexts have shaped heritage theory and practice across Asia. Using case studies from China, Japan, India, Malaysia, Singapore, and Australia this subject will explore:
|
| Design Futures · 12.5 pts |
Commercial firms, governments, and nongovernmental organisations compete for graduates who can innovate in response to the major changes in global societies and environments. Independent entrepreneurship is another career path that requires strategic foresight. In response to these challenges, this subject studies phenomena, ideas, research, and technologies that will define emerging trends. To do this, the subject forecasts the future of design in a variety of disciplines, including design and architecture. It identifies significant innovations, outlines necessary changes, and provides guidance for an in-depth investigation. The seminar reconsiders relationship between humans, nonhuman organisms and machines within emerging systems engaging with:
The teaching method combines reading with visual presentations by prominent guests and case-study analysis. In the second half of the subject, students define their own creative assignments and develop expertise that will be relevant to their professional goals. The subject can support in-depth research for design studios, theses, and research degrees. It is also useful as evidence of skills in design innovation for future employers. Beyond this, past iterations of the subject supported design/art projects, contributed to research within design practices, and laid foundations for innovative career paths and business models. |
| Contemporary Digital Practice · 12.5 pts |
This subject focuses on impacts of digital technologies on professional practice and services. It explores issues such as emerging forms of professional practice, status of professional knowledge and skills, use and value of digital information in design, and digital fabrication and assembly of contemporary buildings. The subject involves guest lectures by practicing designers and case studies of real projects. |
| Applied Heritage Conservation Techniques · 12.5 pts |
Students will gain a theoretical and practical overview of heritage conservation techniques. The subject will introduce students to the main conservation issues affecting built heritage in relation to both structural issues, as well as those impacting interior and exterior decorative finishes. Students will learn how to diagnose common conservation issues and explore the various treatment options available. Starting with a general discussion of built heritage conservation, students will then focus on specific issues associated with individual construction materials, including stone, metal, brick, wood, glass, and concrete. Lectures will be backed by laboratory sessions and fieldwork at heritage places across Melbourne to observe conservation issues in situ. |
| AA Visiting School Graduate · 12.5 pts |
This subject is a two week intensive design studio held typically on the first two weeks of July. The workshop will be run by visiting staff from the Architectural Association, School of Architecture, UK as well as teaching staff from MSD. The subject introduces students to contemporary digital design techniques, toolset and workflow, striving for innovation in design resolution. Design briefs are wide ranging from urbanism intervention to 1:1 material systems, refer to subject’s website www.projecttoria.com, usually published 1st week of April. The studio runs a unique vertical system where students develop project with their peers and is supported by a public program of seminars, lectures, design reviews and exhibition of outcome. All projects are conducted in group work. This subject is run concurrently with AA Visiting School (Graduate) subject. This subject provides opportunity for undergraduate student to develop design skills in a graduate school design studio environment. Pre- teaching: Students will be required to undertake online learning modules or attend a workshop for specific software used during the subject. This usually take place one week prior to the start of the subject. Incidental costs: Students will be required to purchase modelling and exhibition materials for the course excluding software; cost approx. $250 to $350 per person. Subject may have off campus activities with incidental cost for travel and accommodation - detail will be published on the subject’s website www.projecttoria.com, usually published the first week of April. Prescribed software programs with a cost Subject has a quota of 45 (this quota applies to the combined enrolments in ABPL30063 and ABPL90386) |
| ZEMCH Sustainable Design Workshop · 12.5 pts |
This subject is an intensive 5-day workshop that encompasses a series of lectures on zero energy mass custom home (ZEMCH) design and function analysis techniques, as well as hands-on trainings of energy and environmental design simulation tools for implementation during the workshop.
The workshop will be carried out on the University campus. Victorian homebuilder/housing manufacturer will be invited to the workshop whose learning outcomes will be presented in the form of four group oral presentations and one A0 size group poster submission. Prior to the workshop, students are requested to read a textbook that packages ZEMCH engineering design knowledge related to: (1) Sustainable development; (2) Mass housing; (3) Prefabrication; (4) Mass customisation; (5) Mass personalisation; (6) Inclusive design; (7) Energy use in housing; (8) Passive design; (9) Active technologies; (10) Zero energy homes; (11) Building performance and simulation; and (12) Business operation. Along with the workshop experience, the knowledge gained through the pre-teaching ZEMCH textbook reading will be tested by means of a 2h examination. Prescribed software programs with no cost |
| Visions and Agendas in Architecture · 12.5 pts |
This subject introduces students to a body of theories and polemics for architectural design and spatial practice formulated from the post-war period to the present. Figures such as Le Corbusier, Minnette de Silva, Reyner Banham, Denise Scott Brown, Robert Venturi, Atelier Bow Wow, Bernard Tschumi, Beatriz Colomina, Diller and Scofidio, Yasmeen Lari, Jane Rendell, Robin Evans, Greg Lynn, Katie Lloyd Thomas, Muf, Teddy Cruz, Eyal Weizman and Sasha Costanza Chock are introduced and examined. This subject covers a history of efforts to theorise a progressive spatial and design agenda in modern society. It explores urgent topics that have been central to discussion in the long 20th Century and are still open to debate today: how to define architecture and practice; the demands of the environment, the Anthropocene and sustainability; the role of media and technology; the place of the body, the senses and subjectivity; changing understandings of materiality; and design for social justice. This subject provides an academic basis for critiques in design practice – in the teaching and learning spaces of design studios and beyond. Based on critical and historical reading, it invites students to speculate on new agendas of design and spatial thinking for our time and to understand the complexities of these topic areas. |
| Place Making for The Built Environment · 12.5 pts |
Placemaking is a worldwide movement focusing on the process, development and design of public or shared semi-private places through the active participation of the citizens. The aim of placemaking is to achieve place attachment which is linked to positive citizenship, health and safety. This subject outlines and critiques the placemaking process in relation to the long-term benefits of place. The subject is based on case-studies, and provides lectures and practical exercises on the critical steps of placemaking. Topics include: governance and community engagement strategies, negotiation processes, place evaluation, integrating nature into place and the economics of place. Different models for placemaking will be explored such as tactical urbanism, guerrilla urbanism, creative placemaking and regenerative placemaking. The subject has been written by the Place Agency Consortium, a group of five universities working towards enhancing place co-creation capacity in students and industry. |
| Energy & Carbon in the Built Environment · 12.5 pts |
Cities are responsible for more than 70% of energy use and associated greenhouse gas emissions. The operation of buildings alone represents around 40% of energy use in many developed economies. Reducing energy use and transitioning towards zero greenhouse emissions in the built environment is therefore critical to sustain the Earth’s ecosystems and the general environmental equilibrium of the planet. This is further recognised by the UN sustainability goals, namely Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. With a growing world population, most of which going to live in cities, addressing this current and upcoming challenge is paramount. The aim of this subject is to equip students with the skills and knowledge required to analyse, quantify, visualise and improve the energy performance of buildings, neighbourhoods and cities, at different scales of the built environment, towards zero greenhouse gas emissions. This subject is designed to capitalise on the multi-disciplinary nature of participants. As such, it uses active discussions, interactive problem solving, peer review and group work, among other teaching and learning activities. In addition, the major assessment task is designed to allow for a significant amount of flexibility as you will be able to determine the focus of your own assignment. You will also be able to vote to determine subject content towards the end of the semester. |
| R_Lab: Made by Robots · 12.5 pts |
R_Lab: Made by Robots is part of the Digital Design and Fabrication Electives, which offer students the opportunity to build and demonstrate expertise and competence in the understanding and application of contemporary design tools that inform and shape students’ design process and thinking. Digital Design and Fabrication Electives are based on a culture of experimenting and making – applying contemporary design and making tools to create advanced physical and digital artefacts and environments. For more detailed information concerning the respective tutors, design approaches and previous examples as well as other offerings in the Digital Design and Fabrication Electives suite please check on the ADD+F Research Hub website under teaching and learning: https://msd.unimelb.edu.au/addf R_Lab introduces students to the use of robots in the design and construction of buildings and structures, which provides a new set of opportunities for architects, engineers, and designers. Robots and the processes developed, enable the design of architectures and constructions while controlling uncertainties of complex systems in ways that humans cannot. Allowing students to develop non-standard objects and structures of infinite variability creates novel design possibilities. R_Lab students learn robotic related skills and an understanding of the fabrication process to produce prototypes while developing an understanding of an established robotic fabrication workflow. Students demonstrate the capability to design structures for robotic fabrication, program robots to construct, and apply the workflow to an architectural application. The process will include iterative prototyping through fabrication. In their final project students will demonstrate an understanding of the robotic fabrication process and its architectural application, while creating an aesthetic object with a high level of formal complexity – generated through the use of parametric design principles. NOTE : This subject has a quota of 16. See “Additional delivery details” under “Dates and Times” for more information. |
| Environment Behaviour Methods for Design · 12.5 pts |
Environment/Behaviour Methods for Design examines a range of research methods and methodologies that designers can use to inform their design thinking. This subject is geared to planning and design students who want to learn E/B research field methods and their application for use in their studies (e.g. site analysis, thesis research) and later professional work. Students studying landscape architecture, urban design and planning will benefit from the tool box of evidence-based environment behaviour (EB) methods covered in this subject in which they learn how to use the various methods to study how people, and groups of people, use, perceive and think about built urban spaces to inform their design and planning decision-making. Methods covered in this subject are primary those derived from environmental psychological, which have been developed over many years for addressing a range of environment behaviour research questions. Students will develop a working knowledge of these various research methods and their applications, with a focus on urban environments and their users’ needs and preferences. The subject encompasses lectures, case studies, readings and individual projects and includes, but is not limited to, exploring methods for behavioural mapping and systematic observation of spaces, measuring responses to visual stimuli, user surveys and interviews and a wide range of other useful methods, both qualitative and quantitively, that can be used to explore human/environment interactions within the context of real-world urban environments. Methods for collection and analysis of data, representing the findings and their translation into design decision-making are also covered. |
| Asian Built Environments Design Legacies · 12.5 pts |
The subject offers an overview of the issues facing design professionals in Asia from the mid- to late twentieth century when modernism had the greatest impact. Asian cities and lifestyles were transformed by design cultures of western origin, and architects became mediators of aesthetic influences, which they encouraged, adapted or resisted to varying degrees. In doing so, they engaged with questions of related to urbanisation and cultural change such as tradition, colonisation, nationalism, contested or dissonant heritage, war memory, and environmental consciousness that most impacted their societies. They responded through architecture to key concerns of their time. Focusing on the lives and careers of the first generation of modern practitioners in South Asia, Southeast Asia and East Asia, this subject provides a critical historical understanding of their design foci and inspirations, many of which continue to be relevant for architecture, urban design and planning and heritage practice. Students are asked to follow individual careers as they evolved in response to political and cultural changes such as decolonisation, nation building, consumerism and multiculturalism, and associated conflicts. How did design professionals like, architects, planners and urban and landscape designers negotiate their westernised professional education, the demands of specific localities, the pressure to maintain traditional forms of cultural heritage and their more personal approaches and perspectives? How did they apply visual, textual and pedagogical methods in disseminating their world views? What can we learn from their design strategies? |
| Contemporary Architectural Archives · 12.5 pts |
The subject will focus on data related to all activities of a firm including design, documentation, contract administration and management.
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| Interactive Architecture · 12.5 pts |
This subject focuses on the interaction between users and the built environment and explores how technology changes the ways we create and use space. The emphasis is on the correlation between architectural design, computational techniques and mechatronics. Students will be thought innovative ways of studying the built environment (acquiring data to inform the design process) and will be introduced to automated procedures of creating spatial change (using sensor/actuator technologies). In addition to well-known and visually based techniques traditionally used by designers, the subject focuses on the creative potential of information invisible to a human eye. A vast amount of environmental and behavioural data is collected by sensory devices distributed in buildings and public spaces in cities around the world. In the future, even more, real-time data on how the built environment is used and how climatic conditions influence their use will be available. Some of the exciting creative research indicates that there is a high potential for such data to turn into design intelligence and tap into dynamic architectural projects. Throughout the semester, students will be developing a project employing design strategies based on the information obtainable by sensory devices. |
| Design - Philosophy - Architecture · 12.5 pts |
This subject explores an array of philosophical perspectives on design and architecture to enable students to develop a deeper appreciation of pressing contemporary concerns where these impact on creative design practice and on the role of design understood as a world shaping activity. Theories and concepts predominantly drawn from the work of 20th and 21st Century philosophers and theorists will be critically discussed and subsequently applied to contemporary problems relevant to the design disciplines. The course will emphasise the impact of the design disciplines on environmental, material and social concerns including a consideration of gender diversity and intersectionality. Questions concerning the interrelation of design, architecture and philosophy as different ways of thinking and fashioning environments and subjectivities will be raised: What are the ways in which humans are designed by their designs? What might the design disciplines learn from the posthumanities? What could design be, or what might it become, to make the world more hospitable for both human and more-than-human entities? |
| SI_Lab: Spatial Information · 12.5 pts |
SI_ Lab: Spatial Information is part of the Digital Design and Fabrication Electives, which offer students the opportunity to build and demonstrate expertise and competence in the understanding and application of contemporary design tools that inform and shape students’ design process and thinking. Digital Design and Fabrication Electives are based on a culture of experimenting and making – applying contemporary design and making tools to create advanced physical and digital artefacts and environments. For more detailed information concerning the respective tutors, design approaches and previous examples as well as other offerings in the Digital Design and Fabrication Electives suite please check on the ADD+F Research Hub website under teaching and learning: https://msd.unimelb.edu.au/addf SI_Lab introduces students to critical engagement with 3D scanning and virtual reality technologies for the creation, reproduction and representation of spatial environments and novel artefacts. Students gain knowledge and develop skills in immersive digital technologies, geometry, media and theory. In SI_Lab students are introduced to various image making technologies, ranging from 3D-scanning, photography and film, to the use of real-time render engines and Virtual Reality systems, exploring questions of architectural reproduction and representation. While applying new representational technologies students demonstrate a critical understanding and reflection as well as the ability to apply these technologies in a conceptual and designerly manner. Key architectural sites, situations and events will be chosen to scan, analyse and represent using high resolution 3D point cloud data. Specific training will be provided to develop skills in the analysis and representation of the digital data, with student projects culminating in projects that range from the design of novel representations to virtual reality experiences, generated using real-time rendering engines, to generate innovative tectonic, aesthetic and spatial configurations. |
| Bushfire Urban Planning · 12.5 pts |
This subject sets out the key mechanisms by which land use planning can reduce the risks associated with human settlements located in bushfire prone areas. It begins with an overview of bushfire as a natural hazard that occurs in particular landscapes, and the ways that human settlements interact with these to result in spatial and locally particular risk outcomes. The ways that urban planning mechanisms can influence risk levels in bushfire prone areas are explored. First principles of planning intervention techniques are set out, followed by a detailed explanation of relevant elements of Victorian planning processes. Current regulatory approaches suitable for the treatment of bushfire risk in Victoria are a core learning outcome for the subject, in parallel with developing understandings of the inter-relations between building, planning, response and land management agencies related to bushfire risk reduction. |
| Building Behaviour in Bushfires · 12.5 pts |
This subject covers the fundamentals of how domestic buildings respond to bushfire in a planned environment context and explores how land use planning can help mitigate associated risks. Students work from the science fundamentals through to the policy and legislation frameworks that tackle bushfire risk mitigation through to building design and planning. The course covers essential planning intervention techniques, along with developing understandings of the inter-relations between building, planning, response and land management agencies related to bushfire risk reduction. With successful completion of the course, students will be well equipped to judge and implement design solutions within the scope of building and planning regulations relating to bushfire risk management. |
| International Planning · 12.5 pts |
This subject will introduce students to the range of perspectives on urban planning systems and cultures offered by different disciplines. In a first half, political science, geography, history, business and urban planning disciplinary approaches to the aims and methods of comparison of urban planning systems will be examined. In the second half of the subject, a series of case studies of the main features and legal basis of different national planning systems and cultures of particular nations will be presented depending on staff availability and expertise. These national case studies are intended to illustrate the contrasts that exist in planning systems and cultures across the global north and south. The subject is intended as the basis from which to explore the other subjects available in this specialization. |
Students must complete 287.5 points of core subjects
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| Contemporary Landscape Theory · 12.5 pts |
This subject was formerly called Contemporary Theory & Australian Landscape. This subject explores contemporary theories and modes of critique relating to the modern designed landscape. The lectures and readings introduce and examine significant 20th and early 21st century theoretical writings and design treatises. This will include the contextualization of landscape architecture against theoretical developments in allied design fields including urban design, architecture and the visual arts. Assignments and class papers require students to critically engage with a broad range of theoretical positions, and relate them to built works. |
Electives
Students must complete 12.5 points of Architecture or Landscape Architecture electives
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| Urban Design Studio A · 25 pts |
Students will undertake introductory abstract design exercises in the first half of semester providing the foundation for a major urban design proposition and the development of that proposition for end of semester assessment. This subject covers an introduction to a broad range of urban design issues and design approaches which may include: the scope, opportunities, complexities and responsibilities of urban design; urban design issues, elements and systems: analytical and design skills for generating and testing alternative approaches to the urban design development of specific sites; the role of urban design within a given spatial, social, economic and political context. The studio sessions are augmented with lectures and seminars in other subjects devoted to current urban design practice and theory. |
| Landscape Studio 4 Strategies · 25 pts |
This studio-based subject offers two thematic options: Planning and Development and Planting Design. These alternatives allow students to tailor their learning experience to align with specific interests while engaging in the study of multi-scale landscapes. Thematic 1: Planning and Development Thematic 2: Planting Design • Plant Selection and Distribution: Understanding species suitability across diverse landscapes. |
| Landscape Detail Design · 12.5 pts |
This subject was formerly called Advanced Landscape Technology. This subject links the creative, practical and technical aspects of landscape architecture design process to construction by developing knowledge and skills that translate and communicate design into the language of construction documentation emphasising the materiality and assemblage of hard scapes. The subject also introduces CAD as the graphic medium for documentation. Knowledge and skills are developed through a series of assessment components: A group assignment to critically review real documentation packages, conduct site visits and interview designers and present findings to their peers; and the main assignment of a landscape detail design and documentation project that utilises and synthesises skills and knowledge gained in the first two assignments and prerequisite subjects. The assessment criteria encourage the integration of ESD technologies in the detail design process and the development of CAD skills. The subject is delivered through a series of lectures, CAD intensives, and weekly design documentation tutorials, readings, site visits, interviews with designers and presentations. Prescribed software tools Details of software availability and pricing are captured at https://edsc.unimelb.edu.au/student-experience/it-support |
| History of Landscape Architecture · 12.5 pts |
This subject was formerly called History of Designed Landscape (PG). A critical examination of landscape architecture as a discipline that has shaped public and private landscapes through time. Philosophies and theories relating to design and associated professions are discussed in relation to the evolution of landscape architecture on the international scene. The history of landscape architecture in Australia is contextualised and the Australian contemporary landscape is considered as a product of its colonial and twentieth century cultural contexts. |
| Landscape Studio 3 Speculations · 25 pts |
A studio-based subject that offers speculative investigations for landscape architectural design. Building upon landscape derived theoretical influences and precedent informed by design practice, Studio options will vary from year to year. Framed by contemporary agendas for landscape design, studio investigations will include speculation and experiment with spatial design, materiality and detailing; digital media; heritage and conservation in national and or international contexts. Prescribed software programs with a cost Details of software availability and pricing are captured at: https://msd.unimelb.edu.au/current-students/student-experience/it-support |
| Constructed Ecologies · 12.5 pts |
Constructed Ecologies engages with the key principles of ecology as a fundamental requirement for landscape architectural practice. Typical topics include biodiversity, soils, changing rural ecologies, wetlands and stormwater design strategies including water flows, environmental history informing design, and performative design. The focus is on ecosystem function. The course emphasises foundations of ecology, suburban design, and designing with water. The course will address case studies from around the world as illustrations of ecological principles informing design. |
| Urban Design Theory · 12.5 pts |
This subject explores contemporary theories and modes of critique relating to the design of the urban public realm. Emphasis is on how urban physical form responds to the economic, cultural, political, social, aesthetic and natural forces of an urbanised area. Assignments and class papers require students to critically engage with a broad range of theoretical positions, and relate them to local conditions. |
| Urban Design Studio B · 25 pts |
Students will undertake a series of in depth, critical and propositional studio-based design esquisses or exercises leading to a major exploratory urban design proposition. Their design proposition will investigate one or more key urban design issues or approaches in depth. This subject touches on a range of urban design issues and design approaches including use of urban analytics in the design process, the scope, opportunities, complexities and responsibilities of urban design; urban design issues, elements and systems: analytical and design skills for generating and testing alternative approaches to the urban design development of specific sites; the role of urban design within a given spatial, social, economic and political context. |
| Strategic Plan Making · 12.5 pts |
This subject introduces students to the theories, skills and tools used in strategic planning, from problem identification and site analysis; through demographic, economic, and social background research, including GIS; identification of alternatives and policy development; to creating an implementation, monitoring and evaluation plan. |
| Landscape Practice · 12.5 pts |
This subject covers the documentation and professional practice responsibilities involved with the development of landscape architectural projects and related disciplines. Prescribed software tools |
| Urban Design Studio C · 25 pts |
Students will undertake a series of in depth, critical and propositional studio-based design esquisses or exercises leading to a major exploratory urban design proposition scheme. Their design proposition will investigate one or more key urban design issues or approaches in depth, whilst demonstrating a thorough understanding of the broader implications of their proposal. |
| The Economies of Cities and Regions · 12.5 pts |
This subject explores planning and policy making for productive and competitive urban settlements by investigating the economic drivers, activities, and interrelationships of cities and regions. You will examine how making and moving of goods, services, and jobs shapes the vitality, structure and governance of cities and regions. Complex planning issues, requiring judgements about the competing demands of economic development and social needs, are associated with the growth and decline of sectors and places in their particular urban contexts. Various economic perspectives and examples are used to show and interpret how urban activities and sectors – such as manufacturing, transport, services, recreation, and creative activities – have locational and network impacts within and between cities. Special attention will be paid to comparative analysis and innovation in developing cities and regions, and to the implications of market failures and inequalities produced by economic development activities, and to crucial socio-economic agendas including Indigenous issues. |
| Planning Law & Statutory Planning · 12.5 pts |
This aim of this subject is to study the legal framework within which urban planning takes place, and the ways that local provisions (e.g. ‘Planning Schemes' in Victoria) are prepared and administered to implement plans. The subject focuses on the legal frameworks and mechanisms used in Australia, with particular emphasis on Victoria. There is some critical comparison with alternative approaches used in other jurisdictions. The intentions of the subject for students are threefold: The subject begins by establishing the role of regulation and laws in the processes and governance of urban planning, and the objectives that statutory planning seeks. The possible tensions and conflicts between these objectives, and the different approaches that might be adopted in dealing with these are considered. Through the lens of statutory planning, the challenges of climate change, recognition of indigenous cultural heritage, and professional ethics are examined alongside the pressures of ongoing population growth and development that seeks overall social, economic and environmental goals. The main processes and roles of Victorian statutory planning process are covered in detail, addressing the amendment of planning schemes, permitting processes, scheme administration and reviews (appeals). Finally, the relationship between these urban planning systems and other regulatory systems, such as Commonwealth environmental legislation and indigenous processes are examined, before turning to the question of possible reforms. |
| Landscape Architecture Design Thesis · 25 pts |
This subject is the culmination of each student's studies in Master of Landscape Architecture. Students will be offered a studio thematic which provides scope for an original approach to design synthesis in landscape architecture, which is based on research and critical thinking. These studios may offer an interdisciplinary experience with students working alongside others in a parallel design discipline. Prescribed software tools |
| Urban Design Thesis · 25 pts |
This subject is the culmination of each student's studies in Master of Urban Design. It will consist of a number of autonomous studio groups offering a range of opportunities for students to demonstrate an original approach to design synthesis in urban design, which is based on research and critical thinking. These studios will offer an interdisciplinary experience, and in some cases students may be working alongside others in a parallel design discipline. Students will be expected to demonstrate mastery of conceptual engagement with the shaping of urban space, design resolution, and aesthetic expression. With course coordinator approval, high-achieving students may undertake the Urban Design Thesis as an individually supervised design investigation. Similarly, under exceptional circumstances and with course coordinator approval, the Urban Design Thesis may be undertaken as a written thesis (see ABPL90067). |
Students must complete 12.5 points of Urban Design electives
Urban Design Theory
Students must complete 12.5 points of Architecture or Landscape Architecture electives
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| Inclusive Cities · 12.5 pts |
This subject explores different understandings and expressions of social exclusion and inclusion in the city; what these contested concepts mean for urban planning; and how professional practice can respond to fashion inclusive cities. Case studies, working policy and theoretical perspectives are used to highlight key features of planning for inclusive cities, including for specific population groups like youth, Aboriginals, the disabled, older persons, refugees and women. Students will examine the lived experience of disadvantage in the city, analyse urban issues through different theoretical lenses and study relevant urban policy and project responses to promote inclusive cities. |
| Cities Without Slums · 12.5 pts |
This subject explores ways to achieve global housing equity in informal settlements. Urbanisation and densification are the two most powerful processes that impact the quality of life in cities. While cities offer better opportunities through education, healthcare, employment and transport, poorly planned urbanization reinforce the already present challenges of poverty, informality, affordable housing, climate change, and inequity. As one billion urban residents lack access to affordable and secure housing and basic services, urban informality continues to challenge current approaches to urban development. The Cities Without Slums subject will provide students with intellectual and creative tools to explore and explain the process of urbanization, the importance of housing, policies that give rise to slum formation and the persistence of slums. Specifically, this subject will: • equip students with a critical mindset to analyse emerging ‘best-practice’ over the years and the roles of institutions in influencing and/or formulating national urbanization, housing and slum upgrading policies. The widening participation and collaboration that is happening between and across the public and private sectors as well as with civil society and the urban poor communities is an acknowledgment of the diverse roles actors and agencies can play, both in the Global South and the Global North, in shaping better cities for all. |
| Informal Settlement · 12.5 pts |
Informal settlement is a process of citizen-driven architecture, urban design and planning that has become the primary form of urban development in cities of the global South. It is a mode of urban production that operates without state authorization yet always in complex relations with formal state control. This subject will provide an introduction to the theories and practices of informal settlement together with a critique of various modes of professional engagement with the challenges of upgrading substandard conditions. The class will engage with the following questions and issues:
This is a fundamentally interdisciplinary subject that connects architecture, urban design and planning with landscape, property and construction. There will be scope for students to explore disciplinary specific topics within the subject. |
Urban Design Practice
Students must complete 12.5 points of Architecture or Landscape Architecture electives
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| Environmental Systems · 12.5 pts |
This subject provides a coverage of the different systems significant in the design of buildings, which are described in terms of 3 interlocking systems: human, mechanical and natural systems. |
| Computational Design and Optimisation · 12.5 pts |
This subject explores computational design and optimisation as methods for generating, evaluating, and refining architectural design proposals. Students engage with parametric modelling, rule-based systems, and algorithmic thinking to develop computational workflows that are both iterative and performance-oriented. Topics include pseudo-randomness and parametric logic, structural and environmental optimisation, and the use of optimisation algorithms to explore design variations and support informed decision-making. Emphasis is placed on integrating computational techniques into architectural design processes, bridging conceptual thinking with technical execution. While little to no prior experience with computational design is assumed, students are expected to independently learn the required tools and platforms (e.g., Rhinoceros 3D and Grasshopper). The subject moves at a fast pace, and active engagement with the technical content is essential for success. Students will learn core computational design techniques, frame design problems computationally, apply optimisation and machine learning methods, and critically examine the interplay between design thinking and design computing. Prescribed software programs with a cost Prescribed software tools |
| Urban Coding and Design · 12.5 pts |
Urban design is concerned with the shaping of public space at multiple spatial scales from lanes, streets and squares to the neighbourhoods and districts of the larger metropolis. Urban codes are the institutionalised principles governing the formation of public space, including morphology and forms of expression. This subject emphasises the development of urban design knowledge that is of value to urban planners and other related professionals, while critically reflecting on urban design as it is practised. Students will develop understandings of the nature of urban design, and the roles of other professionals in relation to it. The fundamental qualities of urban places are examined from an urban design perspective. These understandings form the basis of skills development in using urban codes as planning tools to achieve desirable urban design outcomes. An integrated program of lectures, studio workshops, fieldwork, and teamwork provide the basis for developing urban design understandings. Students will undertake hands-on urban design work, while reflecting critically upon the role of urban design, and the manner in which planning and urban design are interconnected. |
| Contemporary Digital Practice · 12.5 pts |
This subject focuses on impacts of digital technologies on professional practice and services. It explores issues such as emerging forms of professional practice, status of professional knowledge and skills, use and value of digital information in design, and digital fabrication and assembly of contemporary buildings. The subject involves guest lectures by practicing designers and case studies of real projects. |
| Design Communications Workshop (P/G) · 12.5 pts |
This subject introduces graphic skills appropriate to design and building. These skills are taught through a series of constructed and freehand drawing assignments essential to the design thinking process. Graphic skills are developed through tutorials and lectures which are held in the studios and outdoors. Emphasis is given to the development of orthographic and perspective drawing, delineation and representation of form and volume. |
| Flexible Urban Modelling · 12.5 pts |
This elective focuses on integration of geospatial data into iterative, procedural, rapid, large-scale design modelling, using a range of emerging tools including GIS, 3D modelling, CIM (Civil Information Models) and associated scripts and plugins. In this subject you will develop methods to model and interact with complex built form, difficult terrains and integrate social, environmental, and ecological data into your design decision-making. This subject offers an opportunity to build upon prior skills and interest in areas such as biomorphic form making, 3D printing, photogrammetry, agent-based simulation, particle systems, material networks, online mapping, GIS analysis, motion graphics and performance-based design. It is recommended for students of urban design, landscape architecture, and architecture. Prescribed software programs with no cost |
| MSD Vocational Placement · 12.5 pts |
The subject provides students the opportunity to undertake a vocational placement accompanied by academic objectives that is supervised by a Melbourne School of Design staff member. The vocational placement will enable the student to gain applied experience and reflect on the experience, both theoretically and in an applied manner. This subject is available to students who have no more than 100 credit points outstanding within a Melbourne School of Design coursework masters or double master degrees, with the exception of the Master of Urban and Cultural Heritage (MC-UCH). Students are responsible for identifying a suitable work placement prior to enrolment. Details on the steps required to set up the Vocational Placement are detailed here: https://edsc.unimelb.edu.au/graduate/subject-options/internships-vocational-placements. The suitability of the host organisation must be approved by a subject coordinator. Approvals and formal agreements should ideally be completed not later than 2 weeks after the start of semester. |
| GIS In Planning, Design & Development · 12.5 pts |
This subject introduces the concepts of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and its application in landscape architecture, urban planning and development. It will:
The subject will be delivered through lectures/guest lectures, lab tutorials, workshops and practical sessions synthesising dominant themes in this fields of using GIS as tool to achieve sustainable design and ecological landscape planning. Prescribed software programs with no cost |
| Building Resilient Settlements · 12.5 pts |
This subject explores the notion of resilience and its application to the planning, design and management of urban settlements at various scales. The notion of resilience is related to the capacity of systems to adapt to disruptions without them changing to entirely different states, which in the case of human settlements often results in catastrophic consequences for the inhabitants. The subject will explore approaches for enhancing existing settlements, as well as creating new ones, to be better prepared to confront future environmental changes, both predicted and unpredicted, as they occur, with a focus on changes associated with climate change, such as increasing intensity and frequency of extreme weather events, as well as more gradual changes, such as rising sea levels. Students will explore ways of decreasing the vulnerability of urban settlements to these types of risks and while at the same time promoting sustainable development through planning and design interventions. |
| Building the Brief: People Process Place · 12.5 pts |
This subject provides insight into the design briefing process for a range of facilities, with a specific focus on learning and health environments. Key issues addressed include how to effectively engage with users/occupants of buildings, collect data about their organisational objectives, activities and spatial requirements, and strategically link such information to the work of architects and other design consultants. The subject examines evidence-based design, effective planning processes that include stakeholder engagement and consultation, change management, spatial literacy, and workplace cultures and pedagogies. Participants will develop skills associated with developing strategic briefs that translate organisational objectives and patterns of activity into spatial requirements, including affinity and relationship diagrams. |
| Design for Ageing · 12.5 pts |
Demographic ageing is creating a shift in how to think and define homes, cities and public spaces. This subject explores feasible and sustainable approaches to keep the older segment of the population physically and socially active. Innovative changes in design can lead to significant advancements in service delivery, transportation models and homes that allow people to age in place. In addition, design principles for dementia and palliative care are a few of the many concepts that help minimise stress on people as they age and their families. Students will explore these topics and develop their own ideas about the way design can optimise the ageing process for comfort, security and overall well-being. |
| Designing for Heat in the Public Domain · 12.5 pts |
The implication of climate change on the liveability of cities is becoming increasingly apparent. This seminar explores the issue of heat and thermal comfort in the design of the public domain. This intensive is open to design students (architecture, landscape architecture and urban design) and planners. We will explore the potentials of contemporary digital tools (simulation, Rhino and grasshopper) and data (including sensors and real-time) combined with current theoretical writings crossing climate change science, cultural studies and digital design to develop innovative design and planning responses. Prescribed software programs with no cost |
| Place Making for The Built Environment · 12.5 pts |
Placemaking is a worldwide movement focusing on the process, development and design of public or shared semi-private places through the active participation of the citizens. The aim of placemaking is to achieve place attachment which is linked to positive citizenship, health and safety. This subject outlines and critiques the placemaking process in relation to the long-term benefits of place. The subject is based on case-studies, and provides lectures and practical exercises on the critical steps of placemaking. Topics include: governance and community engagement strategies, negotiation processes, place evaluation, integrating nature into place and the economics of place. Different models for placemaking will be explored such as tactical urbanism, guerrilla urbanism, creative placemaking and regenerative placemaking. The subject has been written by the Place Agency Consortium, a group of five universities working towards enhancing place co-creation capacity in students and industry. |
| Environmental Impact Assessment · 12.5 pts |
This subject prepares students for environmental management roles by providing them with the principles of how human impacts on the environment might be detected and managed. The principles will be placed within the legal and social contexts of environmental impact assessment. At the completion of the subject, students should understand three aspects: prediction of the kind of changes that might occur with human activities; the design and implementation of proper monitoring programs that can detect changes; and assessment of those changes. Additionally, a strong emphasis is placed on the practical implementation of principles. |
| Partnerships for Sustainable Futures · 12.5 pts |
Environmental sustainability issues are often complex, controversial and associated with uncertain conditions. Multiple individuals and organisations may have an interest or stake in the problem, may have relevant expertise or resources, or may contribute to decision-making and management. Developing, implementing and evaluating pathways for sustainable futures thus often requires cooperation across institutions, sectors, and communities. Private, public and not-for-profit sectors; local, national, regional and global jurisdictions; disciplinary, practitioner, local, and Indigenous knowledges: these all have different commitments, priorities, and ways of working. How do we successfully translate and collaborate across these areas, and how does this support transformational change for sustainable futures? |
| The Shaping of Urban Design · 12.5 pts |
The subject is a critical and creative introduction to some of the contemporary tools and techniques that are required in the practice of urban design. It connects a theoretical backdrop to the practices of urban designers, as well as those of related built environment disciplines like architects, landscape architects, urban planners and strategists, and urban technologists. It emphasises links between ideas and practice — particularly focusing on the various ways that urban change is produced or emerges — including fieldwork techniques focused on Melbourne’s Central Business District. It also explores various ways of graphically representing change, dynamics and evolution of urban environments, systems, and places. The subject involves a group design exercise, called Incomplete City. This design studio-like ‘sprint’ runs through the middle weeks of the subject, and involves the creation of a city from scratch, produced by working in small teams which ultimately come together in the form of a giant collective drawing, developing collaboration, participation and visualisation skills as well as understanding new forms of urban infrastructure and technology. |
| AA Visiting School Graduate · 12.5 pts |
This subject is a two week intensive design studio held typically on the first two weeks of July. The workshop will be run by visiting staff from the Architectural Association, School of Architecture, UK as well as teaching staff from MSD. The subject introduces students to contemporary digital design techniques, toolset and workflow, striving for innovation in design resolution. Design briefs are wide ranging from urbanism intervention to 1:1 material systems, refer to subject’s website www.projecttoria.com, usually published 1st week of April. The studio runs a unique vertical system where students develop project with their peers and is supported by a public program of seminars, lectures, design reviews and exhibition of outcome. All projects are conducted in group work. This subject is run concurrently with AA Visiting School (Graduate) subject. This subject provides opportunity for undergraduate student to develop design skills in a graduate school design studio environment. Pre- teaching: Students will be required to undertake online learning modules or attend a workshop for specific software used during the subject. This usually take place one week prior to the start of the subject. Incidental costs: Students will be required to purchase modelling and exhibition materials for the course excluding software; cost approx. $250 to $350 per person. Subject may have off campus activities with incidental cost for travel and accommodation - detail will be published on the subject’s website www.projecttoria.com, usually published the first week of April. Prescribed software programs with a cost Subject has a quota of 45 (this quota applies to the combined enrolments in ABPL30063 and ABPL90386) |
| Edible Urban Futures · 12.5 pts |
Food security is of growing concern globally. While much of the focus is on agricultural and logistic industries, professionals in the built environment must understand how their own work affects food security issues and how design can contribute to enhancing food security locally. By engaging in collaborations between institutions around the world, this subject will allow students to gain a range of local perspectives on the challenge. Students will learn that global problems often require very local solutions that can be informed by applicable lessons in other locales. In particular, students will develop a depth of knowledge regarding food security and the implications for the built environment, develop their abilities to explain the theoretical foundations of this issue and will select and apply appropriate methodologies when designing for food security. These learnings are useful for design more broadly. This will be a multidisciplinary elective, in which students will work with experts from disciplines collaboratively to learn about different approaches to address the similar issues across the globe. The goal of this subject is to develop each student’s ability to listen and learn from peers while drawing on the global body of research; additionally, the subject will be an opportunity to establish future collaborations and research activities. Students from the partner institutions will be working in mixed teams. They will focus on data collection, analysis, and interpretation to develop proposals and communicate these to target audiences. They will be asked to communicate by means of an information campaign in the form of videos, pamphlets, or posters, describing challenges, threats, and solutions regarding food securities. |
Urban Planning Issues
Students must complete 12.5 points of Architecture or Landscape Architecture electives
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| Healthy Communities · 12.5 pts |
In recent years, there has been a greatly increased interest in the impacts of the built environment on health and wellbeing. At present, spatial inequalities in regards to access to jobs, affordable housing, social services, and healthy food results in a greater burden of disease for particular social groups and in particular geographic areas. Many of the health problems in cities today, including obesity, violence, and depression, are linked to poor residential and recreational environments, lack of access to jobs and social services, and low social cohesion. Urban decision-makers like planners and designers influence physical, social, natural, cultural, and economic environments. They therefore have a key role in ‘planning health in’, rather than ‘planning health out’, of communities. |
| International Property Development B · 12.5 pts |
A series of case studies will be conducted in one or two cities of an Asian country (chosen from China, Singapore, Indonesia, South Korea, and Japan), over two intensive weeks. Case studies are to be carried out in groups. They will cover a range of property, construction and infrastructure topics including project inception, project finance, project valuation and appraisal, urban planning policies and permits, project procurement and delivery, construction planning and management, construction technology and services, construction methods and equipment, construction and leasing contracts, and associated legal matters. Candidates are required to arrange and pay for their own travel, accommodation and incidentals. The travel cost is estimated to be about AUD 3000 (AUD 1200 for travel and AUD 1800 for accommodation, food, local travel and incidentals). One preferred/ recommended budget accommodation option will be provided. Note:
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| Public Transport Network Planning · 12.5 pts |
This subject explores skills required for transport planners who wish to improve the economic, environmental and social performance of urban transport systems. It draws on international experience and research to articulate the principles and practical techniques in two key areas:
This subject includes a half-day field trip involving use of public transport services in a chosen suburban region of Melbourne. This trip will be undertaken in small groups in week 3 and is a hurdle requirement. Students will require a valid Myki card, and the cost will not exceed a daily ticket in Zone 1. |
| Urban Transport Politics · 12.5 pts |
This subject explores the politics of transport planning in cities and regions. It examines recent examples of transport planning in Australian cities and globally with a particular emphasis on how patterns of mobility and automobility have come to influence transport planning decisions. A dilemma is exposed between the political-economy and social desires to maintain automobile-dependency and the challenges this presents for ecological sustainability and social equity in the contemporary city and region. Urban transport politics brings to the foreground the changing roles of the public and private sector in the funding, construction, maintenance and operation of urban transport networks and the implications this has for the city and its people. The subject examines a series of case studies that showcase the politics of transportation planning. Case examples will enable students to explore in-depth recent examples that showcase the changing political, economic and governance landscape shaping transportation planning. This includes such case studies as: contested tollway and light rail projects in Australian cities and internationally, the rise of car-sharing platforms and the anticipated roll-out of autonomous vehicles. The subject is delivered in seminar form with readings, lectures (occasional guest lectures) and presentations from students. Students are encouraged to bring their ideas and views into class discussions |
| Climate Change & Sustainability Planning · 12.5 pts |
This subject was previously known as Urban Sustainability and Climate Change. Human activity has altered the earth's natural environment significantly. This has resulted in biodiversity loss and warming of the earth’s climate, the implications of which are often distributed unequally. Organisations such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have documented the risks associated with continued climate change. This has given rise to international agreements such as the Paris Agreement to limit warming to 1.5oC. While there are increasing commitments by nation states to address this international goal through the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, actions to date have not been to the scale, and at the pace necessary to achieve it. The role of cities and urban activities in contributing to this goal must be enhanced, and the international goals translated across levels of policy. This subject will provide students with an understanding of the key factors contributing to climate change and biodiversity loss, and their centrality to urban planning and broader built environment activities. Students will critically analyse the complex interrelationship between environmental processes, climate change, urban change, sustainability goals and urban planning policies. Current urban planning issues including: sustainability, climate change, resilience, and vulnerability; will be critically analysed and applied to current and future urban problems arising from climate change (e.g. sea level rise, urban heat). Local and global examples will be drawn upon. The subject’s learning activities will equip students with the capability to propose urban planning solutions to address climate change – through both the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, and adaptation to unavoided impacts – to facilitate urban sustainability. Consideration of the equity and justice implications of proposed solutions will be facilitated. Through completion of this subject students will be provided with exposure to cutting edge urban planning approaches to address and solve climate change and sustainability problems. Students will be well prepared to take elective subjects which focus in detail on environment, resilience and sustainability topics. A field trip to a site of interest to climate change and sustainability within Melbourne will be undertaken to embed learning in a real world urban planning example. |
| Introduction to Transport and Land Use · 12.5 pts |
This subject was formerly called Transportation, Land Use and Urban Form This subject examines the linkages between transport systems and the growth and form of urban regions. It introduces the theories linking transport systems to the urban footprint, and reviews some empirical analysis of those theories. The subject also traces the evolution of theories connecting transport and land use as they have evolved over time. The timeline of this subject begins in the 1950s and extends to the present. This subject also introduces some of the tools used to evaluate and manage land use and transport systems, introduces strategies for integrated transport and land use planning, and examines empirical evaluations of these strategies. Major debates in the topic area are addressed. The subject develops students’ ability to apply and critically analyse the theories, tools, and strategies used in transport and land use planning, and to propose alternatives and innovations to those strategies. This subject is taught in a seminar format. The format will include two hours of weekly guided discussion during which students are expected to have prepared to discuss several readings. There is also a one-hour lecture in which major skills-based topics are explained. These include accessibility modeling, the four-step transport model, and benefit-cost analysis. |
| Planning Theory and History · 12.5 pts |
Current practices of urban and regional planning have emerged as a human response to the range of circumstances surrounding settlements over time. This subject provides students with a grounding in the main theories of planning over the last two centuries as a means of understanding present-day planning practices and debates in an historical context. Accordingly, students will develop understandings of the contexts in which planning emerged as a response to concerns with a range of circumstances over time. These include: public health, technological change, environmental degradation, economic development, social justice, and conceptions of order and aesthetics. An integrated programme of lectures, readings and tutorials provide students with the materials to answer a series of related questions that chart the development over time of planning. The evolving responses to the enduring questions of planning, such as: ‘what is planning; why plan; how to plan; and what or for whom do we plan?’ are charted over time. The Australia response, in an international context, is emphasised to provide a critical lens upon current Australian planning, providing a basis for subsequent subjects in the Masters of Urban Planning Program. |
| Housing Markets, Policy and Planning · 12.5 pts |
The subject concerns housing issues. The provision of housing is presented as a complex system of interplay between construction, finance, real estate and bureaucracy (and others). It considers the challenge of providing good homes to all within the context of consistent under-supply over decades and a policy preference for private sector delivery. This subject has four components
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| Participatory Planning · 12.5 pts |
Urban governance and citizen participation influence both the structure of the planning process (e.g. who participates, and how and when they participate) and the built environment outcomes produced from this process. All practitioners who work in local and regional environments (built, natural, social) need to be aware of the strategies and techniques that can be employed to elicit involvement from the public and private sector, and the modes of governance that shape citizen and stakeholder participation at different scales of government and at different points in the planning process. This subject will impart to students the skills involved in encouraging and managing participation in the overall governance and planning of urban regions. These skills include:
There will be considerable reliance on hand-on exercises based on case studies from Melbourne and around the world. The subject aims to be relevant to urban and social planners, landscape architects, urban designers, architects, property professionals, community developers, and environmental activities. This subject replaces ABPL90315 Urban Governance, and was previously known as Participation and Negotiation. |
| Urban Environmental Policy and Planning · 12.5 pts |
Cities are home to more than half the world’s population. Climate change is increasingly impacting urban areas, with urban populations exposed to more severe and frequent heatwaves, extreme weather events, flooding, bushfires, sea level rise and other climate change impacts. Climate change and urbanisation impact urban environmental systems, biodiversity, food production and water supplies. Addressing the increasing urgency and magnitude of climate change and environmental issues facing cities, towns and urban settlements globally is a high priority for urban planners and policy makers. The subject focuses on urban environmental policy and planning to address the impacts of urbanisation and climate change. It includes environmental policy and governance from the global to the local levels, engages with Indigenous perspectives and environmental justice, and provides case studies of environmental planning issues and responses. Topics such as nature-based solutions, biodiversity and habitat, urban water management, waste and energy are presented and discussed in an integrated manner addressing policy, planning and implementation. |
| Energy & Carbon in the Built Environment · 12.5 pts |
Cities are responsible for more than 70% of energy use and associated greenhouse gas emissions. The operation of buildings alone represents around 40% of energy use in many developed economies. Reducing energy use and transitioning towards zero greenhouse emissions in the built environment is therefore critical to sustain the Earth’s ecosystems and the general environmental equilibrium of the planet. This is further recognised by the UN sustainability goals, namely Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. With a growing world population, most of which going to live in cities, addressing this current and upcoming challenge is paramount. The aim of this subject is to equip students with the skills and knowledge required to analyse, quantify, visualise and improve the energy performance of buildings, neighbourhoods and cities, at different scales of the built environment, towards zero greenhouse gas emissions. This subject is designed to capitalise on the multi-disciplinary nature of participants. As such, it uses active discussions, interactive problem solving, peer review and group work, among other teaching and learning activities. In addition, the major assessment task is designed to allow for a significant amount of flexibility as you will be able to determine the focus of your own assignment. You will also be able to vote to determine subject content towards the end of the semester. |
| Bushfire Urban Planning · 12.5 pts |
This subject sets out the key mechanisms by which land use planning can reduce the risks associated with human settlements located in bushfire prone areas. It begins with an overview of bushfire as a natural hazard that occurs in particular landscapes, and the ways that human settlements interact with these to result in spatial and locally particular risk outcomes. The ways that urban planning mechanisms can influence risk levels in bushfire prone areas are explored. First principles of planning intervention techniques are set out, followed by a detailed explanation of relevant elements of Victorian planning processes. Current regulatory approaches suitable for the treatment of bushfire risk in Victoria are a core learning outcome for the subject, in parallel with developing understandings of the inter-relations between building, planning, response and land management agencies related to bushfire risk reduction. |
| Environmental Sustainability · 12.5 pts |
Environmental Sustainability is one of two core subjects for the Master of Environment degree. This subject provides students with a strong foundation in interdisciplinary understanding of critical environmental sustainability issues, and how and why they have emerged, in the context of policy, management, and governance across scales and sectors. |
| International Planning · 12.5 pts |
This subject will introduce students to the range of perspectives on urban planning systems and cultures offered by different disciplines. In a first half, political science, geography, history, business and urban planning disciplinary approaches to the aims and methods of comparison of urban planning systems will be examined. In the second half of the subject, a series of case studies of the main features and legal basis of different national planning systems and cultures of particular nations will be presented depending on staff availability and expertise. These national case studies are intended to illustrate the contrasts that exist in planning systems and cultures across the global north and south. The subject is intended as the basis from which to explore the other subjects available in this specialization. |
| City Leadership · 12.5 pts |
Cities are at the heart of global challenges, from climate change to health, inequality and economic development, and have become active participants in proposing solutions to address these. This subject focuses on city leadership, the institutions and trends that underpin it, and a set of strategic skills needed to deliver effective urban governance in the wake of these international challenges. The business of managing ‘who gets what, when and how’ in cities is becoming an increasingly complex and multilevel job that goes beyond the purview of locally oriented urban managers. Instead, it is intertwined with the agendas and influence of private sector, academia and community groups. The politics and governance of cities is changing the world over: from a leadership and brokering role played by private actors, the emergence of entrepreneurial and global cities, to different dynamics in emerging regions in the South, and the importance of international agendas and geopolitics in influencing the future of cities. The course offers students a space to engage with these changes, learn practical leadership skills, and do so in collaboration with expert partners who will collaborate with University lecturers in the delivery of the course content. City Leadership stimulates students to engage with these themes by offering practical, hands-on, tools for ‘new’ urban management for students pursuing both public and private sector careers. It puts an emphasis on responsibility and collective leadership as key skills for today’s urban practitioners, whilst encouraging sound academic research in urban governance. The course is designed to build capacity with students to take up leadership as a ‘strategic’ activity in urban governance with an explicit international focus to support the development of a globally oriented practice of city leadership |
Research Methods
Students must complete 12.5 points of Architecture or Landscape Architecture electives
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| MSD Research Project Short (12.5 Points) · 12.5 pts |
ABPL90066 MSD Research Project Short (12.5 points) is designed to produce a 5,000-word (or equivalent) ordered, critical exposition of knowledge gained through the student's own efforts, demonstrating a sound understanding of a topic of their choice. Regular meetings with a supervisor allow the student to obtain advice and guidance for completion of an independent study. Material prepared in ABPL90135 Analytical Methods is expected to form an integral part of the final research report: NOTE: In addition to meeting all prerequisites, students are required to identify a willing and available supervisor, and, obtain written approval from both the subject and course coordinators prior to enrolment. |
| Analytical Methods · 12.5 pts |
This subject surveys some methodological approaches that are relevant to analysis of urban systems and urban planning processes. Students will be equipped to analyse both primary and secondary data, understand and apply essential principles of both qualitative and quantitative methods, and identify the context for their appropriate use. Students will be trained to critically assess shortcomings of data sources and methods, and consider the impact this has on the conclusions drawn. Overall, the subject facilitates the development of skills and knowledge regarding the use, collection, analysis, and representation of information. This will be utilized in future subjects and practice as planners. It is divided into three parts: Part 1. Universal Concepts in Research Part 2. Quantitative Research Part 3. Qualitative Research |
| Human Environments Relations · 12.5 pts |
This subject illustrates the body of work and research which links human behaviour to the design of the built environment. It explores the history of this research with a focus on interactions between humans and the physical environment in diverse urban settings. A case study approach is taken to develop insights into ways human environment interaction can be understood and how such information used to inform the evidence-based design of the built environment. |
| Environment Behaviour Methods for Design · 12.5 pts |
Environment/Behaviour Methods for Design examines a range of research methods and methodologies that designers can use to inform their design thinking. This subject is geared to planning and design students who want to learn E/B research field methods and their application for use in their studies (e.g. site analysis, thesis research) and later professional work. Students studying landscape architecture, urban design and planning will benefit from the tool box of evidence-based environment behaviour (EB) methods covered in this subject in which they learn how to use the various methods to study how people, and groups of people, use, perceive and think about built urban spaces to inform their design and planning decision-making. Methods covered in this subject are primary those derived from environmental psychological, which have been developed over many years for addressing a range of environment behaviour research questions. Students will develop a working knowledge of these various research methods and their applications, with a focus on urban environments and their users’ needs and preferences. The subject encompasses lectures, case studies, readings and individual projects and includes, but is not limited to, exploring methods for behavioural mapping and systematic observation of spaces, measuring responses to visual stimuli, user surveys and interviews and a wide range of other useful methods, both qualitative and quantitively, that can be used to explore human/environment interactions within the context of real-world urban environments. Methods for collection and analysis of data, representing the findings and their translation into design decision-making are also covered. |
300 point program
Students entering the Master of Landscape Architecture/Master of Urban Design from a Landscape Architecture discipline will undertake the 300 point program
Students must complete 287.5 points of core subjects
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| Contemporary Landscape Theory · 12.5 pts |
This subject was formerly called Contemporary Theory & Australian Landscape. This subject explores contemporary theories and modes of critique relating to the modern designed landscape. The lectures and readings introduce and examine significant 20th and early 21st century theoretical writings and design treatises. This will include the contextualization of landscape architecture against theoretical developments in allied design fields including urban design, architecture and the visual arts. Assignments and class papers require students to critically engage with a broad range of theoretical positions, and relate them to built works. |
Research Methods
Students must complete 12.5 points of Architecture or Landscape Architecture electives
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| Urban Design Studio A · 25 pts |
Students will undertake introductory abstract design exercises in the first half of semester providing the foundation for a major urban design proposition and the development of that proposition for end of semester assessment. This subject covers an introduction to a broad range of urban design issues and design approaches which may include: the scope, opportunities, complexities and responsibilities of urban design; urban design issues, elements and systems: analytical and design skills for generating and testing alternative approaches to the urban design development of specific sites; the role of urban design within a given spatial, social, economic and political context. The studio sessions are augmented with lectures and seminars in other subjects devoted to current urban design practice and theory. |
| Landscape Studio 4 Strategies · 25 pts |
This studio-based subject offers two thematic options: Planning and Development and Planting Design. These alternatives allow students to tailor their learning experience to align with specific interests while engaging in the study of multi-scale landscapes. Thematic 1: Planning and Development Thematic 2: Planting Design • Plant Selection and Distribution: Understanding species suitability across diverse landscapes. |
| Landscape Detail Design · 12.5 pts |
This subject was formerly called Advanced Landscape Technology. This subject links the creative, practical and technical aspects of landscape architecture design process to construction by developing knowledge and skills that translate and communicate design into the language of construction documentation emphasising the materiality and assemblage of hard scapes. The subject also introduces CAD as the graphic medium for documentation. Knowledge and skills are developed through a series of assessment components: A group assignment to critically review real documentation packages, conduct site visits and interview designers and present findings to their peers; and the main assignment of a landscape detail design and documentation project that utilises and synthesises skills and knowledge gained in the first two assignments and prerequisite subjects. The assessment criteria encourage the integration of ESD technologies in the detail design process and the development of CAD skills. The subject is delivered through a series of lectures, CAD intensives, and weekly design documentation tutorials, readings, site visits, interviews with designers and presentations. Prescribed software tools Details of software availability and pricing are captured at https://edsc.unimelb.edu.au/student-experience/it-support |
| History of Landscape Architecture · 12.5 pts |
This subject was formerly called History of Designed Landscape (PG). A critical examination of landscape architecture as a discipline that has shaped public and private landscapes through time. Philosophies and theories relating to design and associated professions are discussed in relation to the evolution of landscape architecture on the international scene. The history of landscape architecture in Australia is contextualised and the Australian contemporary landscape is considered as a product of its colonial and twentieth century cultural contexts. |
| Landscape Studio 3 Speculations · 25 pts |
A studio-based subject that offers speculative investigations for landscape architectural design. Building upon landscape derived theoretical influences and precedent informed by design practice, Studio options will vary from year to year. Framed by contemporary agendas for landscape design, studio investigations will include speculation and experiment with spatial design, materiality and detailing; digital media; heritage and conservation in national and or international contexts. Prescribed software programs with a cost Details of software availability and pricing are captured at: https://msd.unimelb.edu.au/current-students/student-experience/it-support |
| Constructed Ecologies · 12.5 pts |
Constructed Ecologies engages with the key principles of ecology as a fundamental requirement for landscape architectural practice. Typical topics include biodiversity, soils, changing rural ecologies, wetlands and stormwater design strategies including water flows, environmental history informing design, and performative design. The focus is on ecosystem function. The course emphasises foundations of ecology, suburban design, and designing with water. The course will address case studies from around the world as illustrations of ecological principles informing design. |
| Urban Design Theory · 12.5 pts |
This subject explores contemporary theories and modes of critique relating to the design of the urban public realm. Emphasis is on how urban physical form responds to the economic, cultural, political, social, aesthetic and natural forces of an urbanised area. Assignments and class papers require students to critically engage with a broad range of theoretical positions, and relate them to local conditions. |
| Urban Design Studio B · 25 pts |
Students will undertake a series of in depth, critical and propositional studio-based design esquisses or exercises leading to a major exploratory urban design proposition. Their design proposition will investigate one or more key urban design issues or approaches in depth. This subject touches on a range of urban design issues and design approaches including use of urban analytics in the design process, the scope, opportunities, complexities and responsibilities of urban design; urban design issues, elements and systems: analytical and design skills for generating and testing alternative approaches to the urban design development of specific sites; the role of urban design within a given spatial, social, economic and political context. |
| Strategic Plan Making · 12.5 pts |
This subject introduces students to the theories, skills and tools used in strategic planning, from problem identification and site analysis; through demographic, economic, and social background research, including GIS; identification of alternatives and policy development; to creating an implementation, monitoring and evaluation plan. |
| Landscape Practice · 12.5 pts |
This subject covers the documentation and professional practice responsibilities involved with the development of landscape architectural projects and related disciplines. Prescribed software tools |
| Urban Design Studio C · 25 pts |
Students will undertake a series of in depth, critical and propositional studio-based design esquisses or exercises leading to a major exploratory urban design proposition scheme. Their design proposition will investigate one or more key urban design issues or approaches in depth, whilst demonstrating a thorough understanding of the broader implications of their proposal. |
| The Economies of Cities and Regions · 12.5 pts |
This subject explores planning and policy making for productive and competitive urban settlements by investigating the economic drivers, activities, and interrelationships of cities and regions. You will examine how making and moving of goods, services, and jobs shapes the vitality, structure and governance of cities and regions. Complex planning issues, requiring judgements about the competing demands of economic development and social needs, are associated with the growth and decline of sectors and places in their particular urban contexts. Various economic perspectives and examples are used to show and interpret how urban activities and sectors – such as manufacturing, transport, services, recreation, and creative activities – have locational and network impacts within and between cities. Special attention will be paid to comparative analysis and innovation in developing cities and regions, and to the implications of market failures and inequalities produced by economic development activities, and to crucial socio-economic agendas including Indigenous issues. |
| Planning Law & Statutory Planning · 12.5 pts |
This aim of this subject is to study the legal framework within which urban planning takes place, and the ways that local provisions (e.g. ‘Planning Schemes' in Victoria) are prepared and administered to implement plans. The subject focuses on the legal frameworks and mechanisms used in Australia, with particular emphasis on Victoria. There is some critical comparison with alternative approaches used in other jurisdictions. The intentions of the subject for students are threefold: The subject begins by establishing the role of regulation and laws in the processes and governance of urban planning, and the objectives that statutory planning seeks. The possible tensions and conflicts between these objectives, and the different approaches that might be adopted in dealing with these are considered. Through the lens of statutory planning, the challenges of climate change, recognition of indigenous cultural heritage, and professional ethics are examined alongside the pressures of ongoing population growth and development that seeks overall social, economic and environmental goals. The main processes and roles of Victorian statutory planning process are covered in detail, addressing the amendment of planning schemes, permitting processes, scheme administration and reviews (appeals). Finally, the relationship between these urban planning systems and other regulatory systems, such as Commonwealth environmental legislation and indigenous processes are examined, before turning to the question of possible reforms. |
| Landscape Architecture Design Thesis · 25 pts |
This subject is the culmination of each student's studies in Master of Landscape Architecture. Students will be offered a studio thematic which provides scope for an original approach to design synthesis in landscape architecture, which is based on research and critical thinking. These studios may offer an interdisciplinary experience with students working alongside others in a parallel design discipline. Prescribed software tools |
| Urban Design Thesis · 25 pts |
This subject is the culmination of each student's studies in Master of Urban Design. It will consist of a number of autonomous studio groups offering a range of opportunities for students to demonstrate an original approach to design synthesis in urban design, which is based on research and critical thinking. These studios will offer an interdisciplinary experience, and in some cases students may be working alongside others in a parallel design discipline. Students will be expected to demonstrate mastery of conceptual engagement with the shaping of urban space, design resolution, and aesthetic expression. With course coordinator approval, high-achieving students may undertake the Urban Design Thesis as an individually supervised design investigation. Similarly, under exceptional circumstances and with course coordinator approval, the Urban Design Thesis may be undertaken as a written thesis (see ABPL90067). |
Students must complete 12.5 points of Urban Design electives
Urban Design Theory
Students must complete 12.5 points of Architecture or Landscape Architecture electives
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| Inclusive Cities · 12.5 pts |
This subject explores different understandings and expressions of social exclusion and inclusion in the city; what these contested concepts mean for urban planning; and how professional practice can respond to fashion inclusive cities. Case studies, working policy and theoretical perspectives are used to highlight key features of planning for inclusive cities, including for specific population groups like youth, Aboriginals, the disabled, older persons, refugees and women. Students will examine the lived experience of disadvantage in the city, analyse urban issues through different theoretical lenses and study relevant urban policy and project responses to promote inclusive cities. |
| Cities Without Slums · 12.5 pts |
This subject explores ways to achieve global housing equity in informal settlements. Urbanisation and densification are the two most powerful processes that impact the quality of life in cities. While cities offer better opportunities through education, healthcare, employment and transport, poorly planned urbanization reinforce the already present challenges of poverty, informality, affordable housing, climate change, and inequity. As one billion urban residents lack access to affordable and secure housing and basic services, urban informality continues to challenge current approaches to urban development. The Cities Without Slums subject will provide students with intellectual and creative tools to explore and explain the process of urbanization, the importance of housing, policies that give rise to slum formation and the persistence of slums. Specifically, this subject will: • equip students with a critical mindset to analyse emerging ‘best-practice’ over the years and the roles of institutions in influencing and/or formulating national urbanization, housing and slum upgrading policies. The widening participation and collaboration that is happening between and across the public and private sectors as well as with civil society and the urban poor communities is an acknowledgment of the diverse roles actors and agencies can play, both in the Global South and the Global North, in shaping better cities for all. |
| Informal Settlement · 12.5 pts |
Informal settlement is a process of citizen-driven architecture, urban design and planning that has become the primary form of urban development in cities of the global South. It is a mode of urban production that operates without state authorization yet always in complex relations with formal state control. This subject will provide an introduction to the theories and practices of informal settlement together with a critique of various modes of professional engagement with the challenges of upgrading substandard conditions. The class will engage with the following questions and issues:
This is a fundamentally interdisciplinary subject that connects architecture, urban design and planning with landscape, property and construction. There will be scope for students to explore disciplinary specific topics within the subject. |
Urban Design Practice
Students must complete 12.5 points of Architecture or Landscape Architecture electives
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| Environmental Systems · 12.5 pts |
This subject provides a coverage of the different systems significant in the design of buildings, which are described in terms of 3 interlocking systems: human, mechanical and natural systems. |
| Computational Design and Optimisation · 12.5 pts |
This subject explores computational design and optimisation as methods for generating, evaluating, and refining architectural design proposals. Students engage with parametric modelling, rule-based systems, and algorithmic thinking to develop computational workflows that are both iterative and performance-oriented. Topics include pseudo-randomness and parametric logic, structural and environmental optimisation, and the use of optimisation algorithms to explore design variations and support informed decision-making. Emphasis is placed on integrating computational techniques into architectural design processes, bridging conceptual thinking with technical execution. While little to no prior experience with computational design is assumed, students are expected to independently learn the required tools and platforms (e.g., Rhinoceros 3D and Grasshopper). The subject moves at a fast pace, and active engagement with the technical content is essential for success. Students will learn core computational design techniques, frame design problems computationally, apply optimisation and machine learning methods, and critically examine the interplay between design thinking and design computing. Prescribed software programs with a cost Prescribed software tools |
| Urban Coding and Design · 12.5 pts |
Urban design is concerned with the shaping of public space at multiple spatial scales from lanes, streets and squares to the neighbourhoods and districts of the larger metropolis. Urban codes are the institutionalised principles governing the formation of public space, including morphology and forms of expression. This subject emphasises the development of urban design knowledge that is of value to urban planners and other related professionals, while critically reflecting on urban design as it is practised. Students will develop understandings of the nature of urban design, and the roles of other professionals in relation to it. The fundamental qualities of urban places are examined from an urban design perspective. These understandings form the basis of skills development in using urban codes as planning tools to achieve desirable urban design outcomes. An integrated program of lectures, studio workshops, fieldwork, and teamwork provide the basis for developing urban design understandings. Students will undertake hands-on urban design work, while reflecting critically upon the role of urban design, and the manner in which planning and urban design are interconnected. |
| Contemporary Digital Practice · 12.5 pts |
This subject focuses on impacts of digital technologies on professional practice and services. It explores issues such as emerging forms of professional practice, status of professional knowledge and skills, use and value of digital information in design, and digital fabrication and assembly of contemporary buildings. The subject involves guest lectures by practicing designers and case studies of real projects. |
| Design Communications Workshop (P/G) · 12.5 pts |
This subject introduces graphic skills appropriate to design and building. These skills are taught through a series of constructed and freehand drawing assignments essential to the design thinking process. Graphic skills are developed through tutorials and lectures which are held in the studios and outdoors. Emphasis is given to the development of orthographic and perspective drawing, delineation and representation of form and volume. |
| Flexible Urban Modelling · 12.5 pts |
This elective focuses on integration of geospatial data into iterative, procedural, rapid, large-scale design modelling, using a range of emerging tools including GIS, 3D modelling, CIM (Civil Information Models) and associated scripts and plugins. In this subject you will develop methods to model and interact with complex built form, difficult terrains and integrate social, environmental, and ecological data into your design decision-making. This subject offers an opportunity to build upon prior skills and interest in areas such as biomorphic form making, 3D printing, photogrammetry, agent-based simulation, particle systems, material networks, online mapping, GIS analysis, motion graphics and performance-based design. It is recommended for students of urban design, landscape architecture, and architecture. Prescribed software programs with no cost |
| MSD Vocational Placement · 12.5 pts |
The subject provides students the opportunity to undertake a vocational placement accompanied by academic objectives that is supervised by a Melbourne School of Design staff member. The vocational placement will enable the student to gain applied experience and reflect on the experience, both theoretically and in an applied manner. This subject is available to students who have no more than 100 credit points outstanding within a Melbourne School of Design coursework masters or double master degrees, with the exception of the Master of Urban and Cultural Heritage (MC-UCH). Students are responsible for identifying a suitable work placement prior to enrolment. Details on the steps required to set up the Vocational Placement are detailed here: https://edsc.unimelb.edu.au/graduate/subject-options/internships-vocational-placements. The suitability of the host organisation must be approved by a subject coordinator. Approvals and formal agreements should ideally be completed not later than 2 weeks after the start of semester. |
| GIS In Planning, Design & Development · 12.5 pts |
This subject introduces the concepts of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and its application in landscape architecture, urban planning and development. It will:
The subject will be delivered through lectures/guest lectures, lab tutorials, workshops and practical sessions synthesising dominant themes in this fields of using GIS as tool to achieve sustainable design and ecological landscape planning. Prescribed software programs with no cost |
| Building Resilient Settlements · 12.5 pts |
This subject explores the notion of resilience and its application to the planning, design and management of urban settlements at various scales. The notion of resilience is related to the capacity of systems to adapt to disruptions without them changing to entirely different states, which in the case of human settlements often results in catastrophic consequences for the inhabitants. The subject will explore approaches for enhancing existing settlements, as well as creating new ones, to be better prepared to confront future environmental changes, both predicted and unpredicted, as they occur, with a focus on changes associated with climate change, such as increasing intensity and frequency of extreme weather events, as well as more gradual changes, such as rising sea levels. Students will explore ways of decreasing the vulnerability of urban settlements to these types of risks and while at the same time promoting sustainable development through planning and design interventions. |
| Building the Brief: People Process Place · 12.5 pts |
This subject provides insight into the design briefing process for a range of facilities, with a specific focus on learning and health environments. Key issues addressed include how to effectively engage with users/occupants of buildings, collect data about their organisational objectives, activities and spatial requirements, and strategically link such information to the work of architects and other design consultants. The subject examines evidence-based design, effective planning processes that include stakeholder engagement and consultation, change management, spatial literacy, and workplace cultures and pedagogies. Participants will develop skills associated with developing strategic briefs that translate organisational objectives and patterns of activity into spatial requirements, including affinity and relationship diagrams. |
| Design for Ageing · 12.5 pts |
Demographic ageing is creating a shift in how to think and define homes, cities and public spaces. This subject explores feasible and sustainable approaches to keep the older segment of the population physically and socially active. Innovative changes in design can lead to significant advancements in service delivery, transportation models and homes that allow people to age in place. In addition, design principles for dementia and palliative care are a few of the many concepts that help minimise stress on people as they age and their families. Students will explore these topics and develop their own ideas about the way design can optimise the ageing process for comfort, security and overall well-being. |
| Designing for Heat in the Public Domain · 12.5 pts |
The implication of climate change on the liveability of cities is becoming increasingly apparent. This seminar explores the issue of heat and thermal comfort in the design of the public domain. This intensive is open to design students (architecture, landscape architecture and urban design) and planners. We will explore the potentials of contemporary digital tools (simulation, Rhino and grasshopper) and data (including sensors and real-time) combined with current theoretical writings crossing climate change science, cultural studies and digital design to develop innovative design and planning responses. Prescribed software programs with no cost |
| Place Making for The Built Environment · 12.5 pts |
Placemaking is a worldwide movement focusing on the process, development and design of public or shared semi-private places through the active participation of the citizens. The aim of placemaking is to achieve place attachment which is linked to positive citizenship, health and safety. This subject outlines and critiques the placemaking process in relation to the long-term benefits of place. The subject is based on case-studies, and provides lectures and practical exercises on the critical steps of placemaking. Topics include: governance and community engagement strategies, negotiation processes, place evaluation, integrating nature into place and the economics of place. Different models for placemaking will be explored such as tactical urbanism, guerrilla urbanism, creative placemaking and regenerative placemaking. The subject has been written by the Place Agency Consortium, a group of five universities working towards enhancing place co-creation capacity in students and industry. |
| Environmental Impact Assessment · 12.5 pts |
This subject prepares students for environmental management roles by providing them with the principles of how human impacts on the environment might be detected and managed. The principles will be placed within the legal and social contexts of environmental impact assessment. At the completion of the subject, students should understand three aspects: prediction of the kind of changes that might occur with human activities; the design and implementation of proper monitoring programs that can detect changes; and assessment of those changes. Additionally, a strong emphasis is placed on the practical implementation of principles. |
| Partnerships for Sustainable Futures · 12.5 pts |
Environmental sustainability issues are often complex, controversial and associated with uncertain conditions. Multiple individuals and organisations may have an interest or stake in the problem, may have relevant expertise or resources, or may contribute to decision-making and management. Developing, implementing and evaluating pathways for sustainable futures thus often requires cooperation across institutions, sectors, and communities. Private, public and not-for-profit sectors; local, national, regional and global jurisdictions; disciplinary, practitioner, local, and Indigenous knowledges: these all have different commitments, priorities, and ways of working. How do we successfully translate and collaborate across these areas, and how does this support transformational change for sustainable futures? |
| The Shaping of Urban Design · 12.5 pts |
The subject is a critical and creative introduction to some of the contemporary tools and techniques that are required in the practice of urban design. It connects a theoretical backdrop to the practices of urban designers, as well as those of related built environment disciplines like architects, landscape architects, urban planners and strategists, and urban technologists. It emphasises links between ideas and practice — particularly focusing on the various ways that urban change is produced or emerges — including fieldwork techniques focused on Melbourne’s Central Business District. It also explores various ways of graphically representing change, dynamics and evolution of urban environments, systems, and places. The subject involves a group design exercise, called Incomplete City. This design studio-like ‘sprint’ runs through the middle weeks of the subject, and involves the creation of a city from scratch, produced by working in small teams which ultimately come together in the form of a giant collective drawing, developing collaboration, participation and visualisation skills as well as understanding new forms of urban infrastructure and technology. |
| AA Visiting School Graduate · 12.5 pts |
This subject is a two week intensive design studio held typically on the first two weeks of July. The workshop will be run by visiting staff from the Architectural Association, School of Architecture, UK as well as teaching staff from MSD. The subject introduces students to contemporary digital design techniques, toolset and workflow, striving for innovation in design resolution. Design briefs are wide ranging from urbanism intervention to 1:1 material systems, refer to subject’s website www.projecttoria.com, usually published 1st week of April. The studio runs a unique vertical system where students develop project with their peers and is supported by a public program of seminars, lectures, design reviews and exhibition of outcome. All projects are conducted in group work. This subject is run concurrently with AA Visiting School (Graduate) subject. This subject provides opportunity for undergraduate student to develop design skills in a graduate school design studio environment. Pre- teaching: Students will be required to undertake online learning modules or attend a workshop for specific software used during the subject. This usually take place one week prior to the start of the subject. Incidental costs: Students will be required to purchase modelling and exhibition materials for the course excluding software; cost approx. $250 to $350 per person. Subject may have off campus activities with incidental cost for travel and accommodation - detail will be published on the subject’s website www.projecttoria.com, usually published the first week of April. Prescribed software programs with a cost Subject has a quota of 45 (this quota applies to the combined enrolments in ABPL30063 and ABPL90386) |
| Edible Urban Futures · 12.5 pts |
Food security is of growing concern globally. While much of the focus is on agricultural and logistic industries, professionals in the built environment must understand how their own work affects food security issues and how design can contribute to enhancing food security locally. By engaging in collaborations between institutions around the world, this subject will allow students to gain a range of local perspectives on the challenge. Students will learn that global problems often require very local solutions that can be informed by applicable lessons in other locales. In particular, students will develop a depth of knowledge regarding food security and the implications for the built environment, develop their abilities to explain the theoretical foundations of this issue and will select and apply appropriate methodologies when designing for food security. These learnings are useful for design more broadly. This will be a multidisciplinary elective, in which students will work with experts from disciplines collaboratively to learn about different approaches to address the similar issues across the globe. The goal of this subject is to develop each student’s ability to listen and learn from peers while drawing on the global body of research; additionally, the subject will be an opportunity to establish future collaborations and research activities. Students from the partner institutions will be working in mixed teams. They will focus on data collection, analysis, and interpretation to develop proposals and communicate these to target audiences. They will be asked to communicate by means of an information campaign in the form of videos, pamphlets, or posters, describing challenges, threats, and solutions regarding food securities. |
Urban Planning Issues
Students must complete 12.5 points of Architecture or Landscape Architecture electives
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
| Healthy Communities · 12.5 pts |
In recent years, there has been a greatly increased interest in the impacts of the built environment on health and wellbeing. At present, spatial inequalities in regards to access to jobs, affordable housing, social services, and healthy food results in a greater burden of disease for particular social groups and in particular geographic areas. Many of the health problems in cities today, including obesity, violence, and depression, are linked to poor residential and recreational environments, lack of access to jobs and social services, and low social cohesion. Urban decision-makers like planners and designers influence physical, social, natural, cultural, and economic environments. They therefore have a key role in ‘planning health in’, rather than ‘planning health out’, of communities. |
| International Property Development B · 12.5 pts |
A series of case studies will be conducted in one or two cities of an Asian country (chosen from China, Singapore, Indonesia, South Korea, and Japan), over two intensive weeks. Case studies are to be carried out in groups. They will cover a range of property, construction and infrastructure topics including project inception, project finance, project valuation and appraisal, urban planning policies and permits, project procurement and delivery, construction planning and management, construction technology and services, construction methods and equipment, construction and leasing contracts, and associated legal matters. Candidates are required to arrange and pay for their own travel, accommodation and incidentals. The travel cost is estimated to be about AUD 3000 (AUD 1200 for travel and AUD 1800 for accommodation, food, local travel and incidentals). One preferred/ recommended budget accommodation option will be provided. Note:
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| Public Transport Network Planning · 12.5 pts |
This subject explores skills required for transport planners who wish to improve the economic, environmental and social performance of urban transport systems. It draws on international experience and research to articulate the principles and practical techniques in two key areas:
This subject includes a half-day field trip involving use of public transport services in a chosen suburban region of Melbourne. This trip will be undertaken in small groups in week 3 and is a hurdle requirement. Students will require a valid Myki card, and the cost will not exceed a daily ticket in Zone 1. |
| Urban Transport Politics · 12.5 pts |
This subject explores the politics of transport planning in cities and regions. It examines recent examples of transport planning in Australian cities and globally with a particular emphasis on how patterns of mobility and automobility have come to influence transport planning decisions. A dilemma is exposed between the political-economy and social desires to maintain automobile-dependency and the challenges this presents for ecological sustainability and social equity in the contemporary city and region. Urban transport politics brings to the foreground the changing roles of the public and private sector in the funding, construction, maintenance and operation of urban transport networks and the implications this has for the city and its people. The subject examines a series of case studies that showcase the politics of transportation planning. Case examples will enable students to explore in-depth recent examples that showcase the changing political, economic and governance landscape shaping transportation planning. This includes such case studies as: contested tollway and light rail projects in Australian cities and internationally, the rise of car-sharing platforms and the anticipated roll-out of autonomous vehicles. The subject is delivered in seminar form with readings, lectures (occasional guest lectures) and presentations from students. Students are encouraged to bring their ideas and views into class discussions |
| Climate Change & Sustainability Planning · 12.5 pts |
This subject was previously known as Urban Sustainability and Climate Change. Human activity has altered the earth's natural environment significantly. This has resulted in biodiversity loss and warming of the earth’s climate, the implications of which are often distributed unequally. Organisations such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have documented the risks associated with continued climate change. This has given rise to international agreements such as the Paris Agreement to limit warming to 1.5oC. While there are increasing commitments by nation states to address this international goal through the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, actions to date have not been to the scale, and at the pace necessary to achieve it. The role of cities and urban activities in contributing to this goal must be enhanced, and the international goals translated across levels of policy. This subject will provide students with an understanding of the key factors contributing to climate change and biodiversity loss, and their centrality to urban planning and broader built environment activities. Students will critically analyse the complex interrelationship between environmental processes, climate change, urban change, sustainability goals and urban planning policies. Current urban planning issues including: sustainability, climate change, resilience, and vulnerability; will be critically analysed and applied to current and future urban problems arising from climate change (e.g. sea level rise, urban heat). Local and global examples will be drawn upon. The subject’s learning activities will equip students with the capability to propose urban planning solutions to address climate change – through both the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, and adaptation to unavoided impacts – to facilitate urban sustainability. Consideration of the equity and justice implications of proposed solutions will be facilitated. Through completion of this subject students will be provided with exposure to cutting edge urban planning approaches to address and solve climate change and sustainability problems. Students will be well prepared to take elective subjects which focus in detail on environment, resilience and sustainability topics. A field trip to a site of interest to climate change and sustainability within Melbourne will be undertaken to embed learning in a real world urban planning example. |
| Introduction to Transport and Land Use · 12.5 pts |
This subject was formerly called Transportation, Land Use and Urban Form This subject examines the linkages between transport systems and the growth and form of urban regions. It introduces the theories linking transport systems to the urban footprint, and reviews some empirical analysis of those theories. The subject also traces the evolution of theories connecting transport and land use as they have evolved over time. The timeline of this subject begins in the 1950s and extends to the present. This subject also introduces some of the tools used to evaluate and manage land use and transport systems, introduces strategies for integrated transport and land use planning, and examines empirical evaluations of these strategies. Major debates in the topic area are addressed. The subject develops students’ ability to apply and critically analyse the theories, tools, and strategies used in transport and land use planning, and to propose alternatives and innovations to those strategies. This subject is taught in a seminar format. The format will include two hours of weekly guided discussion during which students are expected to have prepared to discuss several readings. There is also a one-hour lecture in which major skills-based topics are explained. These include accessibility modeling, the four-step transport model, and benefit-cost analysis. |
| Planning Theory and History · 12.5 pts |
Current practices of urban and regional planning have emerged as a human response to the range of circumstances surrounding settlements over time. This subject provides students with a grounding in the main theories of planning over the last two centuries as a means of understanding present-day planning practices and debates in an historical context. Accordingly, students will develop understandings of the contexts in which planning emerged as a response to concerns with a range of circumstances over time. These include: public health, technological change, environmental degradation, economic development, social justice, and conceptions of order and aesthetics. An integrated programme of lectures, readings and tutorials provide students with the materials to answer a series of related questions that chart the development over time of planning. The evolving responses to the enduring questions of planning, such as: ‘what is planning; why plan; how to plan; and what or for whom do we plan?’ are charted over time. The Australia response, in an international context, is emphasised to provide a critical lens upon current Australian planning, providing a basis for subsequent subjects in the Masters of Urban Planning Program. |
| Housing Markets, Policy and Planning · 12.5 pts |
The subject concerns housing issues. The provision of housing is presented as a complex system of interplay between construction, finance, real estate and bureaucracy (and others). It considers the challenge of providing good homes to all within the context of consistent under-supply over decades and a policy preference for private sector delivery. This subject has four components
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| Participatory Planning · 12.5 pts |
Urban governance and citizen participation influence both the structure of the planning process (e.g. who participates, and how and when they participate) and the built environment outcomes produced from this process. All practitioners who work in local and regional environments (built, natural, social) need to be aware of the strategies and techniques that can be employed to elicit involvement from the public and private sector, and the modes of governance that shape citizen and stakeholder participation at different scales of government and at different points in the planning process. This subject will impart to students the skills involved in encouraging and managing participation in the overall governance and planning of urban regions. These skills include:
There will be considerable reliance on hand-on exercises based on case studies from Melbourne and around the world. The subject aims to be relevant to urban and social planners, landscape architects, urban designers, architects, property professionals, community developers, and environmental activities. This subject replaces ABPL90315 Urban Governance, and was previously known as Participation and Negotiation. |
| Urban Environmental Policy and Planning · 12.5 pts |
Cities are home to more than half the world’s population. Climate change is increasingly impacting urban areas, with urban populations exposed to more severe and frequent heatwaves, extreme weather events, flooding, bushfires, sea level rise and other climate change impacts. Climate change and urbanisation impact urban environmental systems, biodiversity, food production and water supplies. Addressing the increasing urgency and magnitude of climate change and environmental issues facing cities, towns and urban settlements globally is a high priority for urban planners and policy makers. The subject focuses on urban environmental policy and planning to address the impacts of urbanisation and climate change. It includes environmental policy and governance from the global to the local levels, engages with Indigenous perspectives and environmental justice, and provides case studies of environmental planning issues and responses. Topics such as nature-based solutions, biodiversity and habitat, urban water management, waste and energy are presented and discussed in an integrated manner addressing policy, planning and implementation. |
| Energy & Carbon in the Built Environment · 12.5 pts |
Cities are responsible for more than 70% of energy use and associated greenhouse gas emissions. The operation of buildings alone represents around 40% of energy use in many developed economies. Reducing energy use and transitioning towards zero greenhouse emissions in the built environment is therefore critical to sustain the Earth’s ecosystems and the general environmental equilibrium of the planet. This is further recognised by the UN sustainability goals, namely Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. With a growing world population, most of which going to live in cities, addressing this current and upcoming challenge is paramount. The aim of this subject is to equip students with the skills and knowledge required to analyse, quantify, visualise and improve the energy performance of buildings, neighbourhoods and cities, at different scales of the built environment, towards zero greenhouse gas emissions. This subject is designed to capitalise on the multi-disciplinary nature of participants. As such, it uses active discussions, interactive problem solving, peer review and group work, among other teaching and learning activities. In addition, the major assessment task is designed to allow for a significant amount of flexibility as you will be able to determine the focus of your own assignment. You will also be able to vote to determine subject content towards the end of the semester. |
| Bushfire Urban Planning · 12.5 pts |
This subject sets out the key mechanisms by which land use planning can reduce the risks associated with human settlements located in bushfire prone areas. It begins with an overview of bushfire as a natural hazard that occurs in particular landscapes, and the ways that human settlements interact with these to result in spatial and locally particular risk outcomes. The ways that urban planning mechanisms can influence risk levels in bushfire prone areas are explored. First principles of planning intervention techniques are set out, followed by a detailed explanation of relevant elements of Victorian planning processes. Current regulatory approaches suitable for the treatment of bushfire risk in Victoria are a core learning outcome for the subject, in parallel with developing understandings of the inter-relations between building, planning, response and land management agencies related to bushfire risk reduction. |
| Environmental Sustainability · 12.5 pts |
Environmental Sustainability is one of two core subjects for the Master of Environment degree. This subject provides students with a strong foundation in interdisciplinary understanding of critical environmental sustainability issues, and how and why they have emerged, in the context of policy, management, and governance across scales and sectors. |
| International Planning · 12.5 pts |
This subject will introduce students to the range of perspectives on urban planning systems and cultures offered by different disciplines. In a first half, political science, geography, history, business and urban planning disciplinary approaches to the aims and methods of comparison of urban planning systems will be examined. In the second half of the subject, a series of case studies of the main features and legal basis of different national planning systems and cultures of particular nations will be presented depending on staff availability and expertise. These national case studies are intended to illustrate the contrasts that exist in planning systems and cultures across the global north and south. The subject is intended as the basis from which to explore the other subjects available in this specialization. |
| City Leadership · 12.5 pts |
Cities are at the heart of global challenges, from climate change to health, inequality and economic development, and have become active participants in proposing solutions to address these. This subject focuses on city leadership, the institutions and trends that underpin it, and a set of strategic skills needed to deliver effective urban governance in the wake of these international challenges. The business of managing ‘who gets what, when and how’ in cities is becoming an increasingly complex and multilevel job that goes beyond the purview of locally oriented urban managers. Instead, it is intertwined with the agendas and influence of private sector, academia and community groups. The politics and governance of cities is changing the world over: from a leadership and brokering role played by private actors, the emergence of entrepreneurial and global cities, to different dynamics in emerging regions in the South, and the importance of international agendas and geopolitics in influencing the future of cities. The course offers students a space to engage with these changes, learn practical leadership skills, and do so in collaboration with expert partners who will collaborate with University lecturers in the delivery of the course content. City Leadership stimulates students to engage with these themes by offering practical, hands-on, tools for ‘new’ urban management for students pursuing both public and private sector careers. It puts an emphasis on responsibility and collective leadership as key skills for today’s urban practitioners, whilst encouraging sound academic research in urban governance. The course is designed to build capacity with students to take up leadership as a ‘strategic’ activity in urban governance with an explicit international focus to support the development of a globally oriented practice of city leadership |
Research Methods
Students must complete 12.5 points of Architecture or Landscape Architecture electives
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
| MSD Research Project Short (12.5 Points) · 12.5 pts |
ABPL90066 MSD Research Project Short (12.5 points) is designed to produce a 5,000-word (or equivalent) ordered, critical exposition of knowledge gained through the student's own efforts, demonstrating a sound understanding of a topic of their choice. Regular meetings with a supervisor allow the student to obtain advice and guidance for completion of an independent study. Material prepared in ABPL90135 Analytical Methods is expected to form an integral part of the final research report: NOTE: In addition to meeting all prerequisites, students are required to identify a willing and available supervisor, and, obtain written approval from both the subject and course coordinators prior to enrolment. |
| Analytical Methods · 12.5 pts |
This subject surveys some methodological approaches that are relevant to analysis of urban systems and urban planning processes. Students will be equipped to analyse both primary and secondary data, understand and apply essential principles of both qualitative and quantitative methods, and identify the context for their appropriate use. Students will be trained to critically assess shortcomings of data sources and methods, and consider the impact this has on the conclusions drawn. Overall, the subject facilitates the development of skills and knowledge regarding the use, collection, analysis, and representation of information. This will be utilized in future subjects and practice as planners. It is divided into three parts: Part 1. Universal Concepts in Research Part 2. Quantitative Research Part 3. Qualitative Research |
| Human Environments Relations · 12.5 pts |
This subject illustrates the body of work and research which links human behaviour to the design of the built environment. It explores the history of this research with a focus on interactions between humans and the physical environment in diverse urban settings. A case study approach is taken to develop insights into ways human environment interaction can be understood and how such information used to inform the evidence-based design of the built environment. |
| Environment Behaviour Methods for Design · 12.5 pts |
Environment/Behaviour Methods for Design examines a range of research methods and methodologies that designers can use to inform their design thinking. This subject is geared to planning and design students who want to learn E/B research field methods and their application for use in their studies (e.g. site analysis, thesis research) and later professional work. Students studying landscape architecture, urban design and planning will benefit from the tool box of evidence-based environment behaviour (EB) methods covered in this subject in which they learn how to use the various methods to study how people, and groups of people, use, perceive and think about built urban spaces to inform their design and planning decision-making. Methods covered in this subject are primary those derived from environmental psychological, which have been developed over many years for addressing a range of environment behaviour research questions. Students will develop a working knowledge of these various research methods and their applications, with a focus on urban environments and their users’ needs and preferences. The subject encompasses lectures, case studies, readings and individual projects and includes, but is not limited to, exploring methods for behavioural mapping and systematic observation of spaces, measuring responses to visual stimuli, user surveys and interviews and a wide range of other useful methods, both qualitative and quantitively, that can be used to explore human/environment interactions within the context of real-world urban environments. Methods for collection and analysis of data, representing the findings and their translation into design decision-making are also covered. |