Learning Outcomes:
On completing this module, students will be able to:
- understand different ways to conceptualise housing and the implications for policies and planning;
- distinguish and evaluate different approaches to housing policies;
- recognise how housing issues are shaped by, and shape, broader processes and dynamics;
- compare housing systems and diverse approaches to housing policies, and explain linkages, parallels, and divergences;
- demonstrate a critical understanding of the debates surrounding selected housing-related issues;
- use concepts, theories and methods introduced in class to evaluate and develop housing proposals, plans, and policies;
- develop a normative perspective on housing and identify pathways to just housing futures.
Indicative Module Content:
(1) The module will enable students to understand how housing issues are shaped by wider processes and dynamics in society and intersect with other socio-ecological challenges. This is critical to understanding the complexities of planning. (2) It will introduce the conceptual and methodological tools to understand, evaluate and compare housing systems and housing policies. These tools can be transferred to develop a critical understanding of policies and challenges in other domains. (3) It will introduce a wide range of housing-related issues from diverse theoretical perspectives and through examples from Europe, North America, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. This can broaden students’ theoretical and geographical perspectives, and prepare them for further studies in or beyond planning. (4) A key component of this course is collaborative learning. Students can acquire important skills to work independently and collaboratively. (5) With an emphasis on social justice, the module will also help students develop an ethical approach to planning and housing, which they can take into their professional careers and contribute to progressive changes in society.