×îÐÂÌÇÐÄVlog

GEOG 7020 - Cities and Housing

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2025

This course explores the nature of where we live, how it has developed over time, how it shapes our lives, and what we can do about it. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, this course provides a comprehensive introduction to the key concepts of urbanisation and housing in ×îÐÂÌÇÐÄVlog and beyond. Over half of the world?s population lives in urban areas and this is predicted to increase to over two-thirds by 2050, up from under one-third in 1950. Urbanisation has therefore been a significant social change, bringing with it a number of benefits and challenges. How we live in urban areas, our homes, are central to our lives. Housing affects our social, economic, physical, and mental well-being. Despite this centrality housing holds an uncertain position in social policy. This course will guide students through an examination of the key concepts of urbanisation and housing, and introduce students to approaches enabling them collect and synthesise evidence. During the course, students will be asked to consider the major causal factors influencing urban growth and housing, their socio-economic impacts, and policy interventions used by governments. The course will address important concepts including demographic change and migration, social inequality, social harms and (in)justice, and urban citizenship. Readings will be provided but students are encouraged to find additional texts appropriate to their specific interests.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code GEOG 7020
    Course Cities and Housing
    Coordinating Unit Geography, Environment and Population
    Term Semester 1
    Level Postgraduate Coursework
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 3 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y
    Prerequisites Undergraduate degree
    Incompatible GEOG 5093, GEOG 7015
    Assessment Posters, Policy briefing, Presentation, Attendance and community contribution
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Dr Amy Clair

    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from .

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    On successful completion of this course students will be able to:
    1. Critically analyse urbanisation processes and their contribution to societal development, economic growth, and human well-being
    2. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of different approaches to housing and the role of housing in shaping societal and individual outcomes
    3. Develop conceptual thinking on the complex interactions between cities, housing, climate and sustainability, and well-being
    4. Be able to demonstrate how and why different forms of urbanisation have emerged in different places and at different times, and the implications for society, the economy, and the environment.
    5. Critically analyse the relationship between housing policy, planning, property development and urban growth
    6. Access major sources of information, including literature and data, on urbanisation and housing
    7. Communicate both orally and in written form the key aspects of urbanisation and housing processes and policies
    ×îÐÂÌÇÐÄVlog Graduate Attributes

    No information currently available.

  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    There is no required textbook for the course. All readings will be provided online via MyUni.
    Recommended Resources
    Reading lists will be provided on MyUni, as well as library resources on writing, searching for academic literature, and referencing.

    Online Learning
    MyUni will be used to:
    • Provide information to students via announcements
    • To find out about student interests via quizzes
    • To provide lecture/workshop recordings
    • To provide a discussion board where students can respond to workshop questions or discuss other areas of the course
    • To provide a reading list
    • To provide a summary of the weekly content aswell as instructions for the workshops and reading suggestions
    • To provide details about the assessments
    • To provide well-being/support links
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    The course is structured around a three-hour seminar, which starts with around one hour spent providing a broad but comprehensive introduction to the topics. This is followed by a workshop-type activity which asks the students to critically engage with related questions. The workshop topics and tasks are strongly linked to the course assessments, and designed to help students develop academic and research skills in line with the learning outcomes for the course. 

    The workshops will take a variety of forms, including discussions based on the required reading, or spending time during the workshop investigating relevant data sources with students providing a brief oral report on their data-based insights.

    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    12 hours per week consisting of: attending the seminars, assessment preparation, and independent study/preparation for workshops.
    Learning Activities Summary
    Week 1 Introduction to Urbanisation
    Week 2 Introduction to Housing 
    Week 3 Causes of urbanisation
    Week 4 Inequalities in urbanisation and housing
    Week 5 Cities, Housing, and Health 
    Week 6 Precariousness and insecurity
    Week 7 Planning, Gentrification, and Revitalisation 
    Week 8 ³¢¾±±¹±ð²¹²ú¾±±ô¾±³Ù²â 
    Week 9 Looking forward: What makes good cities and good housing?
    Week 10 Consolidation and Reflections 
    Week 11 Student presentations
    Week 12 Student presentations
  • Assessment

    The ×îÐÂÌÇÐÄVlog's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Posters = 20%
    Policy brief = 40%
    Presentation = 30%
    Attendance and comunity contribution= 10%
    Assessment Detail
    Further assessment details will be provided on MyUni
    Submission
    Submission Format
    Students will submit their assignments electronically on MyUni, with the exception of their presentation assessment. The assignments are linked to TURNITIN which checks for plagiarism from sources and copying from otherstudents.

    Extensions
    Your tutor may award you an extension, if you cannot complete the assignment by the specified due date on genuine medical, compassionate or other ‘reasonable grounds’ (please see http://www.adelaide.edu.au/student/exams/ for details) supported by appropriate documentation. No submission is accepted after the deadline unless you provide appropriate evidence of ‘reasonable grounds’.
    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through .

  • Student Feedback

    The ×îÐÂÌÇÐÄVlog places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the ×îÐÂÌÇÐÄVlog to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The ×îÐÂÌÇÐÄVlog of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The ×îÐÂÌÇÐÄVlog of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.