Undergraduate - Urban & Regional Planning
Do you want to help create communities that people love to live in?
Where we live has a real impact on our health and lifestyle. At ECU you can learn the core skills to become a qualified planner and have the ability to specialise in a variety of areas: environmental, project development, policy and governance or community planning and development.
A selection of minors can also be included, for example, if you have a particular interest in heritage or Indigenous planning, water planning, environmental tourism, or planning for healthy cities.
Critical skills shortage
Despite huge demand and large salaries, employers are still having difficulty recruiting planners. This means students are able to line up jobs well before they have finished their final exams.
One reason for the shortage, described as ‘critical’ by the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) is the property and development boom.
PIA chief executive Di Jay said the average job vacancy rate was likely to grow by 30% by the end of the decade. Depending on location, starting salaries average between $35,000 and $65,000.
Travel behaviour research
Senior Planning lecturer, Tim Perkins is researching travel patterns within the Perth to Mandurah travel corridor.
The results of Tim's research aim to shift the focus in transport planning from physical design and socio-demographic factors to also include psychological attitudes, beliefs and value systems.
Tim holds degrees in Geography, Urban Design and Regional Planning and Geographical Information Systems from the Universities of Edinburgh and Aberdeen.
Ensuring needs are met
All of ECU's planning courses have been designed in consultation with representatives from the planning profession, government, industry and the community.
Director General of the Department of Planning and Infrastructure, Eric Lumsden, who has been a member of this planning advisory board since the outset explains; "ECU has taken a good solid approach to planning. The holistic integrated approach of the course structure means students are well prepared for a dynamic and proactive planning career."
New urbanism under the spotlight
Field trips, practical projects and case studies are an integral part of Planning at ECU to ensure it's not just theory, there's plenty of practice.
Western Australia is used as a ‘living laboratory’ together with an overview of international planning practice. For example ‘new urbanism’ in Joondalup and Subiaco are assessed, which have all the facilities people need within a five minute walk, with medium to high density housing focused around transport nodes.