Master of Urban Design
Admission Requirements | Program | Core Units of Study | Electives | Professional Development Courses | Research Opportunities | Scholarships | Career Scope | Career Profiles | Student Work | What Goes On?
Urban design emerged as a distinct field in Australia about 20 years ago in response to a need for better design skills at urban scales: streets, street-blocks, town centres, city districts, new suburbs, and cross-city infrastructure. Since that time, urban design has expanded enormously. Today, design professionals with good urban design knowledge and skills are much sought after by private consulting firms, development organisations and local and state governments – where they are required to prepare and evaluate urban design policies, strategies, frameworks, guidelines, concepts, master plans and programs, as well as be involved in the more detailed design and management of urban spaces.
Urban design knowledge and skills also assist in designing for specific sites by providing a better appreciation of urban structure and context. They are crucial for good development evaluation, and enhance perspectives on urban conservation: and there is a small but growing demand for urban design educators and media commentators. The program is arranged to develop understanding and abilities for all of these roles. At its core are studio projects that address emerging design issues, plus supporting units that cover essential morphological, ecological, cultural and other dimensions of urbanism.
Graduates of the program occupy important urban design positions in all of the above-mentioned employment sectors in cities across Asia, Europe, North and South America, and Australia-New Zealand.
Program Coordinator: Mr Barrie Shelton
To apply, you should hold a professional degree in architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning or a closely related design area and submit a portfolio of work with your application. Your portfolio should show several examples of design and design-related work completed as part of your university studies and/or samples of work from professional or equivalent experience (preferably both). Further, your particular role in producing each item of submitted work should be made clear. The portfolio must be on paper only, consist of approximately 10 A4 or A3 sheets, and include drawings and other relevant items of illustration such as photographs of models, with supporting explanation.
Good urban design depends on the abilities to:
- recognise and define urban design problems
- investigate the evolution, structure, form and character of urban places,
- draw ideas, knowledge and skills from a range of disciplines and apply these to urban projects
- generate strong, purposeful and visionary urban design initiatives (concepts, policies, plans, guidelines, etc),
- evaluate urban design programs, proposals and built works,
- work successfully in interdisciplinary design teams and with private and public organisations and communities.
- present urban design proposals and information in clear, convincing and innovatory ways,
- appreciate cultural differences and work across national frontiers, and
- keep abreast with current urban design issues and ideas.
The graduate urban design program is arranged to achieve these ends - with the studio project as the central activity. It offers three types of units: Core Units, Options and Electives.
Note that it is also possible to undertake combined 'Architectural and Urban Design' and 'Urban Design and Planning' degrees - see Master of Architecture (Architectural and Urban Design) and Master of Urban Design (Urban Design and Planning).
Total credit points required
Graduate Certificate 24
Core 18, Options 0, Electives 6
Graduate Diploma 48
Core 36, Options 0, Electives 12
Master 72
Core 54, Options 0, Electives 18
Urban Environment
PLAN 9065, 6 credit points, semester 1, classes: weekly
The aims of this unit are: to understand basic principles of ecology and environmental management; to apply principles of ecology and environmental management in assessing the impacts of urban development (including total life cycle) on environmental systems; and, to formulate strategies to manage this impact and enhance environmental quality.
Urban Design – Ideas & Methods
ARCH 9062, 6 credit points, semester 1, classes: weekly
This unit explores the most significant ideas and methods advanced by major contributers to the field of urban design from the late Nineteenth Century to the present. Over the period, the city has been viewed variously as a 'work of art', 'machine', 'text', and more recently by way of other analogies: 'quantum city' and 'fractal city'. The unit offers knowledge for use in urban design studios. It is useful for the analysis and interpretation of urban form for physical planning purposes, and for the study of urban context for architectural design ends.
Urban Design Studios A & B
ARCH 9001(A), ARCH 9002(B), 12 credit points, semester 1 & 2, classes: weekly
These studios are at the heart of the urban design programme. Values, knowledge and skills acquired in other units and from previous experience are supplemented and enhanced, and applied creatively to both the investigation and development phases of design projects at an urban scale. These may be concerned with the generation of strategies, frameworks, concepts, master plans, public space improvements, or other urban design purposes. They are chosen carefully to expose students to a range of contexts (central city, suburban, institutional campuses.) and contemporary issues concerning urban form, activity, transport and the implementation of projects.
Students are expected to extend their presentation methods by developing illustrative, writing and verbal skills appropriate to urban design. It is usual for the backgrounds of those enrolled in the studios to span at least architecture, planning and landscape architecture, with inter-disciplinary group work an essential part. Visionary and innovative approaches are encouraged.
Urban Design Report
ARCH 9060, 12 credit points, semester 1 & 2, classes: monthly and individual appointment
Masters students are expected to complete a substantial piece of work (normally a well-illustrated report of 8,000–10,000 words) on an urban design issue, problem or project. This is prepared under the supervision of a relevant member of staff.
Urban Morphology
ARCH 9063, 6 credit points, semester 2, classes: weekly
The aim of this unit is to nurture an appreciation of urban morphological history. It is also to develop abilities concerned with the recognition, investigation and explanation of urban forms in terms of their physical characteristics and the circumstances that shaped them – social, economic, technological, cultural etc. Further, it is to develop an awareness of current issues associated with these forms and the ability to make judgements about them in contemporary urban design: retention, modification, transformation, obliteration.
Electives
Students are encouraged to choose electives from any graduate program. Students must refer to the web for timetables.
Students commencing in July semester should note that some units have prerequisite units offered in March semester. This may affect enrolment choice. Students should consult the student admissions coordinator Ms. Lesley Vanderkwast
() to ensure their length of candidature will not be affected.
Opportunity for limited research occurs within the Master of Urban Design program by way of the Research Report unit.
However, those wishing to pursue urban design research in greater depth should consider opportunities offered by the Faculty's higher degree programs - Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy. Here, the Faculty has a broad range of specialist staff and a wide spectrum of urban design-related topics can be covered - urban lighting, ecological aspects of urban design, computing and urban design, and urban conservation are a few examples. Specialist strengths include urban design history and theory, urban morphology, East Asian (especially Japanese) urbanism, architecture and the city, and the techniques and role of urban design within planning.
For scholarships click here
Urban design abilities are needed at all levels of government (especially in local authorities and at state level), in private consulting firms and development organisations - where there are needs to prepare and evaluate urban design policies, strategies, frameworks, guidelines, concepts, master plans and programs, as well as carry out more detailed design of urban spaces. Urban design skills and knowledge also assist in designing for specific sites through a better understanding of context, are much needed in the field of development evaluation, and can enhance perspectives on urban conservation. There is also a small but growing demand for urban design educators and media commentators.
Graduates of the Master of Urban Design program at the University of Sydney occupy urban design positions in all of the above sectors (many of them at very senior levels) in cities and towns across Australia and elsewhere, especially in East and Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East and Europe.
Vikas Sharma
How did you find out about Urban Design at the University of Sydney? I had read about the course of Master in Urban Design from the prospectus and became interested.
The good thing about the course of Master in Urban Design at The University of Sydney is that it taught me a differect aspect of designing, coming from an architectural background. It really helped me look out and more openly at the whole scenario abating various structures. The course has helped me develop not only as an urban designer but has also helped me emerge into a better architect.
Master of Urban Design "Hong Kong Studio"
Carlos Ramirez (Colombia) presenting his groups' proposal for intensifying the Monk Kok, Hong Kong
"I have a question" - Nischal Buddhavarapu (India).
Diana Suarez (Colombia) Huang Wenliang (China) Gabriela Fernandez (Australia) in front of their group's urban design proposal for Mong Kok, Hong Kong
Summing up in the Studio Crit: Barrie Shelton.
Urban Design students win the PIA's student award for their Hobart Waterfront project
| Liverpool Project (PDF - 8megs)) | Hobart Project (PDF 7megs) |
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The NSW chapter of the RAIA runs an ongoing programme of weekly talks, taking place on Tuesday evenings. These Tuesday Night Talks, or TNT, are intended as a valuable forum for members to raise, discuss and explore important developments, issues and ideas relating to architecture and urban design, as well as being a way for members and the profession generally, to engage with the public, to promote architecture more generally.
