GEOG1002 Cities as Human Environments

2014

4.5

2 x 50-minute lectures weekly
6 x 50-minute tutorials per semester
5 x 1-hour practicals per semester
1 x 4-hour excursion per semester

Tutorial Attendance/Participation, Practical Workbook, Essay, Group Presentation, Tests (in-class)

This topic examines the cities which are home and workplace for most Australians. The issues discussed are central to current debates about Australian society, economy and environment, and to public policies at the local, state and federal government levels. They include the causes of urban growth, the effects of economic restructuring and technological change, the causes and consequences of suburbanisation, access to employment, housing provision, inequalities between suburbs, urban government, and the concept of environmentally sustainable urban development. The topic also develops skills in social and economic analysis through the use of census data.

The topic aims to develop an understanding of urban development and change in the contemporary world, organised around the theme of cities as human environments. The topic begins with a brief examination of the history of urbanisation in the Western world in general and Australia in particular. It then concentrates upon contemporary urban development issues with major - but not exclusive - emphasis upon the Australian experience. Themes dealt with include the impacts of globalisation, demographic change and technological change, the search for environmentally sustainable urban development, issues of affordability, appropriateness and equity in access to housing, the causes and consequences of inequality and social exclusion in cities, issues of urban government, and planning for the future.

At the completion of the topic, students are expected to be able to:

1. Define urbanisation and be able to relate this to urbanisation globally
2. Describe the impacts of globalisation, and population growth and internal and international migration on contemporary cities
3. Identify the social and economic determinants of housing in urban populations
4. Identify the positive and negative issues of governance in Australian cities
5. Identify the major environmental issues affecting the sustainability of cities
6. Communicate effectively in written and graphical formats
7. Work effectively in groups and individually
8. Quantify and analyse patterns of urbanisation through Census and survey data, and chart and tabulate this information