Program Overview
Plan Making Studio I (BPLN0005)
Key Information
- Faculty: UCL Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment
- Teaching department: Bartlett School of Planning
- Credit value: 15
- Restrictions: This module is only available to students registered for the MPlan City Planning.
Alternative Credit Options
There are no alternative credit options available for this module.
Description
Content
This module is a project-based, practice-linked 15 credit module which seeks to bind the new two year MPlan City Planning together through a series of live planning exercises which draw from a broad range of skills. The module will, in essence, be a mixture of lectures, student-led project work and field work. The module will be based upon the urban planning challenges of densification for London (and other cities). The module will run in the second term of the first year of the MPlan, and will be a precursor to BPLN0006 Plan Making Studio II. Working with our practice-based partners, students will work in small teams to produce a masterplan for a major area of redevelopment. The issue of densification will frame the solution for the site in question. We work with a London Borough each year in the module.
Teaching Delivery
10 x weekly sessions in open classroom format.
Indicative Topics
The studio covers concepts of place-making, density and densification. We explore these through a series of lectures, site visits, student-led seminars and discussions.
Module Aims/Objectives
The aim of this module is to provide a studio environment for students to explore both conceptions of densification, and seek to develop appropriate city planning solutions through the production of a masterplan and/or associated policy. The module aims to develop students' critical awareness of the topic in a collaborative and critical environment.
On completion of the module, students should:
- Critically analyse different methods of plan making drawing upon core concepts, theories and philosophy, and from practice;
- Interrogate conceptions of densification in relation to specific areas and neighbourhoods in London;
- Evaluate the potential for imaginative responses to planning challenges at a range of spatial scales including neighbourhood, local, strategic and international;
- Reflect critically on the importance of engaging with a diverse range of interests in the development of plan solutions; and
- Develop imaginative solutions to a range of complex spatial problems at a range of spatial scales.
Recommended Readings
- Boyko, C.T. and Cooper, R. (2011) Clarifying and re-conceptualising density. Progress in Planning, 76(1), pp.1–61.
- Churchman, A. (1999) Disentangling the Concept of Density. Journal of Planning Literature, 13(4), pp.389–411.
- Fiorentina, S., Livingstone, N. and Short, M. (2020) Financialisation and urban densification: London and Manchester's niche student housing markets.
- Giddings, B., & Rogerson, R. (2021). Compacting the city centre: densification in two Newcastles. Buildings and Cities, 2(1), 185–202.
- Jivén, G. and Larkham, P.J. (2003) Sense of Place, Authenticity and Character: A Commentary. Journal of Urban Design, 8(1), pp.67–81.
- Livingstone, N., Fiorentina, S. and Short, M. (2021) Planning for residential 'value'? London's densification policies and impacts. Buildings and Cities, 2(1), pp. 203–219.
- Short, M. and Livingstone, N. (2020) Planning for densification and housing in London: urban design, real estate and sustainability agendas in practice.
Additional Costs
- Travel to site in London a handful of times.
- Printing of boards for final presentation.
Module Deliveries for 2026/27 Academic Year
Intended Teaching Term: Term 2
- Postgraduate (FHEQ Level 7)
Teaching and Assessment
- Mode of study: In person
- Methods of assessment: 100% Coursework
- Mark scheme: Numeric Marks
Other Information
- Number of students on module in previous year: 25
- Module leader: Professor Michael Short
Last Updated
This module description was last updated on 10th March 2026.