Short course
Place, Community and Urban Design
Course status:
Applications being accepted
Location:
Online
Dates:
14/01/2027 - 25/03/2027
Study format:
Online - live
Fees:
£430.00
A sense of place, community, and urban design are core the experience of living in a city. For anyone who plans, designs, or studies urban spaces, community engagement is becoming an increasingly fundamental principle in the development of more sustainable urban neighbourhoods and cities.
This course explores the significance and impact of place-making, assessing past and current practices to create neighbourhoods that promote economic and social interaction, as well as environmental and civic well-being. Key concerns such as the changing role of high streets, low traffic neighbourhoods, and the importance of nature in the city are just a few of topics which provide deeper insights into everyday urban living, and generate lively debate.
Principles of urban design will be explained so that students can assess for themselves how working with residents and communities might generate more sustainable forms of urban living. Case studies drawn from global and contemporary contexts will enable students to assess the design and delivery of current urban developments, considering place-making as a guiding principle.
This course is part of a bundle of three complementary but independent online courses, which also includes Sustainable Urban Futures and Cities in the Global South.
Book this course
Book your place online using the button below.
Programme details
This course begins on the 14 January 2027 which is when course materials are made available to students. Students should study these materials in advance of the first live meeting which will be held on 21 January 2027, 18:00-19:00 (UK time).
- What is community?
- Introducing urban design
- What is place-making?
- Urban history, architecture, and place-making
- Community engagement
- What makes a successful high street?
- Low Traffic Neighbourhoods
- Exploring retrofitting for making cities sustainable
- Nature and place
- Designing neighbourhoods: concluding considerations
Level and demands
This course is open to all and no prior knowledge is required.
This course is offered at FHEQ Level 4 (i.e. first year undergraduate level), and you will be expected to engage in independent study in preparation for your assignments and for the weekly webinar. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class. Our 10-week Short Online Courses come with an expected total commitment of 100 study hours, including those spent in live webinars.
English Language Requirements
We do not insist that applicants hold an English language certification, but we warn that they may be at a disadvantage if their language skills are not of a comparable level to those qualifications listed on our website. If you are confident in your proficiency, please feel free to enrol. For more information regarding English language requirements, please follow this link.
Course aims
This course aims to:
- Develop an understanding of the theories and practice of place-making, urban design and community engagement
- Assess the relevance of place-making, urban design and community engagement for sustainable urban development
- Embed critical perspectives on the academic scholarship relating to urban design
IT requirements
Any standard web browser can be used to access course materials on our virtual learning environment, but we recommend Google Chrome. To access the virtual learning environment you will be required to verify your identity using an authenticator app on a mobile device or laptop in addition to your username and password. Full instructions will be sent to you on the start date of the course. We also recommend that students join the live webinars on Microsoft Teams using a laptop or desktop computer rather than a phone or tablet due to the limited functionality of the app on these devices.
Programme details
This course begins on the 14 January 2027 which is when course materials are made available to students. Students should study these materials in advance of the first live meeting which will be held on 21 January 2027, 18:00-19:00 (UK time).
- What is community?
- Introducing urban design
- What is place-making?
- Urban history, architecture, and place-making
- Community engagement
- What makes a successful high street?
- Low Traffic Neighbourhoods
- Exploring retrofitting for making cities sustainable
- Nature and place
- Designing neighbourhoods: concluding considerations
Teaching methods
This course takes place over 10 weeks, with a weekly learning schedule and weekly live webinar held on Microsoft Teams. Shortly before a course commences, students are provided with access to an online virtual learning environment, which houses the course content, including video lectures, complemented by readings or other study materials. Working through these materials over the course of the week will prepare students for a weekly 1-hour live webinar you will share with your expert tutor and fellow students. All courses are structured to amount to 100 study hours, so that on average, you should set aside 10 hours a week for study. Although the course finishes after 10 weeks, all learning materials remain available to all students for 12 months after the course has finished.
All courses are led by an expert tutor. Tutors guide students through the course materials as part of the live interactions during the weekly webinars. Tutors will also provide individualised feedback on your assignments. All online courses are taught in small student cohorts so that you and your peers will form a mutually supportive and vibrant learning community for the duration of the course. You will learn from your fellow students as well as from your tutor, and they will learn from you.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course students will be expected to:
- Have developed a foundational knowledge of key theories and practices relevant to place-making, urban design and community engagement.
- Have enhanced their knowledge of, and evaluated the notion of place-making from a range of theoretical and practical approaches
- Are aware of how to evaluate practical evidence and scholarship relating to urban design, and how to communicate this knowledge
Assessment methods
You will be set two pieces of work for the course. The first 500-word assignment is due halfway through your course. This does not count towards your final outcome, but preparing for it, and the feedback you are given, will help you prepare for your assessed piece of work of 1,500 words due at the end of the course. The assessed work is marked pass or fail.
Dr Pedro Marques
Assessment methods
You will be set two pieces of work for the course. The first 500-word assignment is due halfway through your course. This does not count towards your final outcome, but preparing for it, and the feedback you are given, will help you prepare for your assessed piece of work of 1,500 words due at the end of the course. The assessed work is marked pass or fail.
Level and demands
This course is open to all and no prior knowledge is required.
This course is offered at FHEQ Level 4 (i.e. first year undergraduate level), and you will be expected to engage in independent study in preparation for your assignments and for the weekly webinar. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class. Our 10-week Short Online Courses come with an expected total commitment of 100 study hours, including those spent in live webinars.
English Language Requirements
We do not insist that applicants hold an English language certification, but we warn that they may be at a disadvantage if their language skills are not of a comparable level to those qualifications listed on our website. If you are confident in your proficiency, please feel free to enrol. For more information regarding English language requirements, please follow this link.
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Course Fee | £430.00 |
Module code: O26P786SUZ
Please use the ‘Book now’ button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an enrolment form.