Theories of Regional Planning
Code: 104243 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Geography, Environmental Management and Spatial Planning | OB | 2 |
Contact
- Name:
- Xavier Rodríguez Soriano
- Email:
- xavier.rodriguez.soriano@uab.cat
Teachers
- Deisiane Delfino Dos Santos
Teaching groups languages
You can view this information at the end of this document.
Prerequisites
To take this subject, students must have a command of Catalan and/or Spanish at level B2 or higher.
Objectives and Contextualisation
Any human activity takes place in a physical space. This statement may seem obvious and yet we tend not to fully understand its implications. The United Nations has long recognized that the 21st century is and will be the century of cities, of urban environments where more than half of the world's population will meet. Urban environments in which one in four people lives in informal conditions, that is, in spaces that have not undergone an urbanization process (supply of basic services, such as water or energy, public facilities of education and health, access by safe, accessible and walkable streets, etc.). Urban environments that are currently responsible for 70% of CO2 emissions on a planetary scale. Urban environments that are the main focus of the challenges we have to face in the near future, and at the same time its main lever for change. Urban environments whose impact goes far beyond the recognized urban footprint.
Planning is an exercise in ordering all the elements that make up a territory. Planning that must be understood as an expression of the will of a society to organize itself in the territory it inhabits: identifying the areas to be protected or preserved for environmental, cultural, identity or economic reasons; pointing out the areas where the urban settlements meet and establishing the rules and conditions that define them; accommodating the roads, corridors and channels through which exchange flows of all kinds must occur within the system.
All these issues are the object of physical and normative planning that is specified in three modalities: regional, urban and sectoral planning.
The objectives of this course are aimed at understanding the three ways of intervening on the territory and that are specific to any exercise in spatial planning:
• Legislate - Introduce the main concepts, tools and content of spatial planning for both modalities: regional and urban (city).
• Plan - Deconstruct and analyze the process of formulation of regional and urban planning and how and by whom the decisions are taken.
• Deploy (implementation) – Understand the processes of approval and implementation of regional and urban planning in Catalonia mainly and in other European and Latin American realities, in general.
In short, this course is about understanding the reasoning for regional and urban planning, to become familiar with the basic concepts and elements that make them up and the instruments or technical tools used to shape and specify them. Delve into the implications of an apparently trivial statement that any human activity takes place in a physical space and, finally, contribute to build up criteria to the personal and individual position that we all have of what happens and affects our most immediate physical environment.
This knowledge will be achieved through theoretical classes, the preparation by the students of presentations related to current issues and topics (global agendas (SDG and Urban Agenda, deployment of the energy transition, new interventions in public space, etc.), and with a work on a practical case of planning process in a particular municipality.
Learning Outcomes
- CM06 (Knowledge) Carry out team work that promotes commitment to the team, the habit of collaboration and joint problem-solving skills.
- CM11 (Competence) Organise information on a territorial study in a clear, explanatory and synthetic way.
- KM13 (Knowledge) Identify the main theoretical proposals for spatial planning (concepts, elements, criteria and instruments).
- KM15 (Knowledge) Distinguish the different urban and regional planning proposals drawn up using different disciplines.
Content
The course will follow this outline, divided into two coordinated and simultaneous blocks:
Block 1: Urban Planning
Theory:
- Urban complexity and social diversity.
- New perspectives on urban planning.
Planning:
- Urban planning: concepts, elements, criteria, and tools.
- New approaches and debates: decision-making (participation), instruments, and tools.
From planning to management:
- Practical application of planning instruments and tools in a case study.
- Implementation, monitoring, and evaluation—urban planning deployment.
- Strategies for an eco-social transition in cities and territories.
Block 2: Territorial Planning
- Territory as a social construct.
- Territory from the perspective of complex systems theory.
- Territorial development in times of global crisis.
- Land-use planning in the contemporary context.
- Territorial planning: concepts, instruments, and methodologies.
- Practical application: territorial case study.
Activities and Methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Debates | 4 | 0.16 | |
| Oral exposition by the students (study cases) | 12 | 0.48 | |
| Theoretical sessions | 30 | 1.2 | |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Teamwork (study cases) | 25 | 1 | |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Information search | 15 | 0.6 | |
| Personal study | 35 | 1.4 | |
| Readings | 21 | 0.84 | |
| Tutorial | 4 | 0.16 |
The course aims to approach and to show simultaneously the two dimensions embedded in planning: the theoretical and the practical. To make this double look possible there would be two kinds of sessions:
- theoretical sessions, accompanied by readings that the student must prepare in advance to comment in class. This part will allow introducing a common and shared base knowledge for the whole group, a basic bibliography of reference and the state of the art of the most current debates.
- workshop sessions, based on the study of specific cases which will be announced and distributed at the beginning of the course). These cases will be presented in class by the teacher and the students - by groups of 3 – along the course to monitor and build up the final report.
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Assessment
Continous Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attendance and active participation in class | 10% | 0 | 0 | CM11, KM13, KM15 |
| Group case study work | 40% | 0 | 0 | CM06, CM11 |
| Written individual work documents | 50% | 4 | 0.16 | CM11, KM13, KM15 |
Continuous Assessment
The course evaluation will consist of three main components:
-
Written individual assignments, accounting for 50% of the final grade. Up to 4 exercises may be proposed (e.g., summaries of readings, arguments based on current news, reflections on class debates, short presentations on specific concepts, etc.). Special attention will be given to writing quality, clarity, synthesis, and strength of argumentation.
-
Group case study project, accounting for 40% of the final grade. At the beginning of the course, the content to be developed throughout the term will be outlined. Class presentations and partial submissions will contribute to the final grade. All group members must demonstrate equal commitment to the collaborative work. Evaluation will consider the quality and rigor of the content, as well as the quality of the presentation, language, and visuals.
-
Class attendance and active participation, accounting for 10% of the final grade. Regular participation in class debates and activities will be assessed.
To pass the course, students must:
a) Pass the individual written assignments with a minimum average grade of 5.
b) Submit the group case study project with a minimum grade of 5.
c) Participate regularly in class.
Grades from (a) and (b) are not averaged together; both must be passed independently.
Grade Review:
At the time of each assessment activity, the instructor will inform students (via Moodle) of the procedure and date for grade review.
Single Assessment
Single assessment involves a single evaluation date, but not a single activity:
- Written individual assignments (50%)
- Case study project (40%)
- Multiple-choice exam (10%) to demonstrate understanding of the course’s core concepts
Resits
Exams and assignments may be resubmitted on the dates and in the manner indicated.
To be eligible for resits, students must have participated in the assessment activities and submitted the required materials.
Students must have been previously assessed in activities representing at least two-thirds of the total grade.
Activities with irregularities are not eligible for resits.
The maximum grade for any resubmitted activity is 5.
Non-assessable Students
Students will be considered "non-assessable" if they have submitted fewer than two individual assignments or have not submitted the group project.
Plagiarism or Fraudulent Conduct
Any irregularity that may significantly affect the grade of an assessment activity will result in a 0, regardless of any disciplinary action.
If multiple irregularities are detected in the same course, the final grade will be 0.
"Copying" refers to reproducing all or part of another student’s work.
"Plagiarism" refers to presenting all or part of another author’s text as one’s own without citing the source, whether in print or digital format.
More information on plagiarism: http://wuster.uab.es/web_argumenta_obert/unit_20/sot_2_01.html
Use of Artificial Intelligence
Restricted use: In this course, AI technologies may only be used for support tasks such as bibliographic or information searches, text correction, or translation.
Students must clearly identify which parts were generated using AI, specify the tools used, and include a critical reflection on how they influenced the process and final outcome.
Lack of transparency in AI use will be considered academic dishonesty and may result in partial or full penalties on the activity grade, or more serious sanctions in severe cases.
Bibliography
Patrick Geddes." Ciudades en evolución". Krk Ediciones.
Romà Pujadas, Jaume Font; “Ordenación y planificación territorial”. Editorial Síntesis.
Manuel Benabent Fernández; “Introducción a la teoria de la planificación territorial”. Secretariado de Publicaciones. Universidad de Sevilla.
Juli Esteban Noguera; “Elementos de Ordenación Urbana”. Edicions UPC. Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya.
Peter Hall; “Urban and Regional Planning”. Routledge.
Peter Hall; "Ciudades del mañana. Historia del urbanismo en el siglo XX". Ediciones del Serbal,
Patsy Healey; “Collaborative Planning: shaping places in Fragmented societies”. Palgrave-MacMillan.
Scott Campell, Susan Fainstein (ed.); “Planning Theory”. Blackwell Publishers.
Manuel de Solà-Morales; "Las formas de crecimiento urbano". Laboratori d'Urbanisme. Edicions UPC.
Oriol Clos (ed); "Manuel de Solà-Morales. Miradas sobre la ciudad". Editorial Acantilado.
Jan Gehl, “Ciudades para la gente”. Editorial Infinito.
Jan Gehl, “La humanización del espacio urbano: La vida social entre los edificios. Editorial Reverté.
Christaller, W. (1933) Teoria de les àrees centrals. Die zentralen Orte in Süddeutschland. Jena: Gustav Fischer. [Traducció castellana: (1966) Los lugares centrales en la Alemania meridional. Madrid: Instituto de Estudios de Administración Local.]
Departament de Territori (2020) Pla Territorial General de Catalunya – Resum executiu. Barcelona: Generalitat de Catalunya.
Generalitat de Catalunya (s.d.) Directrius de l’ordenació territorial i paisatgística. Barcelona: Departament de Territori i Sostenibilitat.
Harvey, D. (1973) Social Justice and the City. London: Edward Arnold.
Healey, P. (1997) Collaborative Planning: Shaping Places in Fragmented Societies. London: Macmillan.
Lefebvre, H. (1974) La production de l’espace. Paris: Anthropos. [Traducció castellana: (2013) La producción del espacio. Madrid: Capitán Swing.]
Morin, E. (1990) Introduction à la pensée complexe. Paris: ESF Éditeur. [Traducció castellana: Introducción al pensamiento complejo. Barcelona: Gedisa.]
Nel·lo, O. (2012) Ordenar el territorio: la experiencia de Barcelona y Cataluña. València: Tirant lo Blanch.
Observatori del Paisatge de Catalunya (s.d.) Catàlegs del paisatge de Catalunya (Introducció). Olot: Observatori del Paisatge.
Subirats, J. (2011a) El territorio como sistema. Revista de Geografía Norte Grande, 48, pp. 25–36.
Subirats, J. (2011b) Política, poder i territori. Barcelona: Editorial UOC.
At the beginning of the course, readings of current articles will be proposed for debates and as a complement to the theoretical classes.
Software
No specific programari is described beyond the objectives, content and methodology described.
Groups and Languages
Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.
| Name | Group | Language | Semester | Turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (PAUL) Classroom practices | 1 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (TE) Theory | 1 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |