PEP40190 Rural & Landscape Planning

Academic Year 2017/2018

In practice, spatial planning is largely an urban field with the issues facing urban areas receiving a great deal of attention and resources. In contrast, the fate of smaller settlements and rural areas has been a less significant concern for planning practice and academic investigation. Historically this may have had some justification in terms of the protection of agricultural land or the lack of development pressures on the countryside, but this is patently not the case at present. Rural areas are changing fast: the economic base of rural areas is diversifying; farming is under pressure; there is a growing concern for the environment; and some rural communities are under intense pressure from urbanisation, while other areas continue to decline. The aim of this module is to give students a clear understanding of contemporary issues in rural and landscape planning, and accordingly seeks to take a holistic view of the activities, policies and planning initiatives that are currently shaping rural areas.Rural and Landscape Planning has been a contested arena in recent years, with deep divisions conerning development in the countryside. This debate has often been polarised between a ‘development versus conservation’ perspective; however, in this module, we will explore the potential of effective planning to reconcile the need to accommodate change while protecting or conserving environmental resources. Moreover, the module will explore changing conceptualistions of landscape change in light of contemporary environmental challenges and the European Landscape Convention.The module has three primary themes. The first relates to rural restructuring processes and questions the contemporary role and functions of rural places and environments. The second theme relates to issues surrounding landscape change and management, including the landscape scale for planning and the promotion of multifunctional rural landscapes. The third theme addresses the contested issue of rural settlement planning, including the drivers of rural housing supply and demand and policy instruments for managing rural settlement change. The module has four components and comprises lecture-based classes, a fieldtrip and studio-based group work:Part 1 of the module will explore key concepts of rural and landscape change, focusing on processes of rural restructuring, demographic and settlement change and its relationship to landscape change. We will also examine competing uses for rural space, from recreational demands to the production of new post carbon ‘energy-scapes’.Part 2 of the module will examine the policy and design response to rural and landscape change processes. This will include planning practice and policy to manage rural housing and settlement change and an exploration of principles and concepts relating to landscape design and management. We will also outline and critically examine Landscape Character Assessments as a tool for rural planning decision-making. Part 3 comprises a fieldtrip. Following the practical introduction of Landscape Character Assessment, we will then undertake a 1 day fieldtrip to examine a range of landscape types. This will form the basis of subsequent studio-based workshops and an assignment.Part 4 of the module will apply the concepts and principles of rural and landscape planning in a series of studio-based exercises. This will include group work relating to the landscape character assessment and problem-solving around green infrastructure assets and wind farm development.