REMP59: Environmental Planning and Policy

Module code: REMP59

Module provider: Real Estate and Planning; Henley Business School

Credits: 20

Level: Postgraduate Masters

When you'll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Professor Gavin Parker, email: g.parker@henley.reading.ac.uk

Module co-convenor: Dr Christopher Maidment, email: c.s.maidment@henley.reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: No

Last updated: 28 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

There is an ongoing and critical role for planning to help address environmental and climate change-related issues globally and locally. Environmental planning has developed as an important policy field in its own right, it is closely intertwined with spatial planning more generally and features its own rationalities, types of knowledge and skills. Spatial planning policy and practice can facilitate efficient land use, prescribe environmentally friendly types of construction and sustainable mobility, and, crucially, make places more adaptable and resilient to impacts from climate change. The module provides students with an understanding of the range of issues and tools deployed to address environmental planning challenges using a blend of theory and practice-based examples.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

• define and critically assess the relevance of environmental and climate change-related issues for spatial planning and associated rationalities;
• explain and reflect on the content and scope of global agendas for sustainability and sustainable development;
• develop an understanding of the skills associated with formulating policy strategies and plans for mitigation, impact reduction, and adaptation in relation to the environment;
• understand and critically reflect on how planning plans and policy engage with environmental challenges.

Module content

• Planning, the environment and the underlying rationalities 
• Sustainable development: what, why, how  
• Global to local: UN SDGs and the UK policy frame 
• Types of environmental issues and scenarios 
• Plans and  policy: examples in practice 1 (e.g. Water / Flooding) 
• Plans and policy: examples in practice 2 (e.g. Landscape /  Designated areas and the environment 
• Plans and policy: examples in practice 3 (e.g. Carbon / Net zero policy) 
• Mitigation and adaptation – the role of environmental assessment 
• Markets and the environment 
• Biodiversity net gain and development 
• Planners and the environment: synthesis 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The module is taught using a mix of lectures, cases, and tutorials. Materials in support of the lectures and tutorials will be available in multi-media forms on the relevant Blackboard site.

Study hours

At least 30 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 50% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Reassessment

Additional costs