Topic: report analysis of a site
Course resources
Reference books and websites
The following list of references and websites are provided so that you can read or browse more widely on the topics that interest you. You are certainly not expected to read all of the references. Please note that whilst the list is correct at the time of publication URLs change over time and you may not be able to connect to all of the listed sites. If you discover sites whose URL has changed, please notify the examiner so changes can be made in the future.
1.   Publications
Australian
AMCORD 1995, A national resource document for residential development, National Office of Local Government, Department of Environment, Sport and Territories, Canberra, (supplied on CD-ROM).
Queensland
Queensland residential design guidelines 1997, Department of Local Government and Planning, Brisbane.
Complete Streets: Guidelines for urban street design, 2010, Institute of Public Works Engineering, Australia (Previously: Queensland Streets 1993, ‘Design guidelines for subdivisional street works’, Institute of Municipal Engineering Australia, Queensland Division, May).
Shaping up 1998, ‘Shaping urban communities to support public transport, cycling, and walking in Queensland’, Queensland Department of Transport, Brisbane, April, (see website: <http://www.transport.qld.gov.au/Home/Projects_and_initiatives/Plans
/Integrated_transport_plans/

Shaping_up/Publication_
shaping_up >).

2.   Websites

Please note that the following URLs were correct at the time of publication. However, as URLs have a habit of changing you may not be able to connect to all of those listed.

Australian Government

•    National Native Title Tribunal homepage

<
http://www.nntt.gov.au/ >

•    AMCORD – Australian model code for residential development

<
http://www.lgpmcouncil.gov.au/publications/amcord.aspx>

•    Local Government and Planning Ministers’ Council

<
http://www.lgpmcouncil.gov.au/index.aspx >

•    Department of Infrastructure and Transport

<
http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/ >

•    Local Government and Planning Ministers’ Council <
http://www.lgpmcouncil.gov.au >

Queensland

Queensland Government

•    Queensland Government

<
http://www.qld.gov.au/ >

•    Office of the Queensland Parliamentary Counsel homepage – legislation

<
http://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/OQPCHOME.htm >

Queensland Department of Infrastructure and Planning

•    Homepage

<
http://www.dip.qld.gov.au/ >

•    IPA homepage (Please note that IPA was replaced by the Sustainable Planning Act 2009 (SPA) on the 18th of December 2009

<
http://www.dsdip.qld.gov.au/planning-and-development/sustainable-planning-act-2009.html >

•    SPA homepage

<
http://www.dip.qld.gov.au/spa >

Queensland Department of Transport

•    Homepage: Transport and Main Roads

<
http://www.transport.qld.gov.au/ >

•    Integrated regional transport plan for south-east Queensland (3.5MB)

<
http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/Projects/Name/S/South-East-Queensland-Integrated-Regional-Transport-Plan-1997.aspx >

New South Wales

•    Department of Planning (Homepage)

<
http://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/ >

•    New South Wales Division of Local Government – Department of Premier & Cabinet

<
http://www.dlg.nsw.gov.au/dlg/dlghome/dlg_index.asp >

•    Urban design publications

<
http://www.shop.nsw.gov.au/index.jsp >

•    Consolidated regulations

<
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_reg/ >

Australian Capital Territory

•    Homepage

<
http://www.act.gov.au/ >

•    ACT Planning and Land Authority Publications

<
http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/ >

Victoria

•    Homepage (Victoriaonline)

<
http://www.vic.gov.au/ >

•    Victorian Department of Planning and Community Development

<
http://www.dpcd.vic.gov.au/ >

•    Department of Transport

<
http://www.transport.vic.gov.au/ >

•    Department of Sustainability and Environment

<
http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/ >

South Australia

•    Department of Planning and Local Government

<
http://www.planning.sa.gov.au/ >

Western Australia

•    Department of Transport

<
http://www.dpi.wa.gov.au/ >

•    Western Australian Department of Local Government

<
http://dlg.wa.gov.au/ >

Northern Territory

•    Northern Territory Department of Housing, Local Government and Regional Services

<
http://www.dhlgrs.nt.gov.au/ >

•    Northern Territory Department of Lands and Planning

<
http://www.dlp.nt.gov.au/ >

Other Sites

•    Planning Institute Australia (Previously the Royal Australian Planning Institute)

<
http://www.planning.org.au/ >

•    Cyburbia – The Planning Community (Planning in Australia branch)

<
http://www.cyburbia.org/ >

•    Australian Local Government Association

<
http://www.alga.asn.au/ >

•    National Library of Australia

<
http://www.nla.gov.au/ >

•    Development Assessment Forum (An independent think tank and advisory forum of government, industry, and the professions)

<
http://www.daf.gov.au/ >

•    Regional Development Council

<
http://www.rdcouncil.gov.au/ >

•    Australian Transport Council

<
http://www.atcouncil.gov.au/ >

Library resources

To assist you in locating books, and other publications relating to planning and urban design, please find included the Dewey Decimal Classification numbers for each topic.

001.6    Data processing

301.3    Ecology and community

301.5    Institutions (including housing)

309.2    Planning (sociological aspects)

10–319    Statistics (including demography)

330–339    Economics

333    Land economics

340–349    Law

350–359    Public administration

388.4    Urban transportation

526.9    Surveying

550–559    Earth sciences

574.5    Ecology

625    Engineering of railways, roads, highways

690–699    Building

711    Area planning

711.1    Procedural and social aspects

711.2    International and national plans and planning

711.3    Interstate, state, provincial, country plans and planning

711.4    City plans and planning

711.5    Specific kinds of areas

711.6    Structural elements

711.7    Utilities, transport facilities

711.8    Other utilities

712–718    Landscape design

720–729    Architecture

Some notes on writing a professional report

Introduction

To successfully complete the assignments in this course you will have to compile and write professional reports of different lengths to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the topics.

To do this successfully, you will need to demonstrate the following skills:

•    the ability to analyse a residential design issue objectively, comprehend the issues involved and define the specific questions to be addressed to resolve the issue

•    the ability to research a topic in a systematic manner

•    the ability to reach a conclusion based upon the careful weighing of the available evidence

•    the ability to organise material in a logical and concise manner in order to support an argument

•    the ability to document evidence and sources of information.

Your final report should demonstrate that you have thoroughly researched the issue and that you are able to communicate the research outcomes in a professional manner. The following notes on report writing should assist you in achieving this outcome.

The process

Good report preparation requires a process of careful reading of the sources, continual reflection upon the information, and constant referral to the question. The terms of the question should be clearly understood from the outset and kept constantly in mind so that all reading and note-taking is directed along useful lines of inquiry and towards the gathering of relevant information.

Your reading should move from the general text or source document to more specific articles. You should read, take notes, and make summaries of each writer’s key arguments, as well as making notes of any ideas and criticisms that occur to you. Take careful note of any phrases you wish to quote and note all sources in full.

Your reflection should firstly involve teasing out the critical questions to be addressed, and secondly, the testing and refining of findings as the research proceeds. Be critical in your reading and listening and try to be aware of the value stance of the people involved.

Some questions you should consider are:

•    What are they saying, why are they saying that, and with what objectives in mind?

•    Does a suggested solution appear to solve the issue or leave important parts unsolved?

•    What do you think of the arguments and any proposed solutions?

•    Who benefits and who is disadvantaged?

Once you believe you have covered the topic from all perspectives, you should develop a solution, develop arguments that support your case, and then collect any relevant supporting material. This process includes the exclusion of irrelevant arguments and material. Undirected and unthinking research will result in an intractable pile of notes, largely irrelevant and probably deficient at critical points.

The structure

Both the structure and style are important when writing a report . The structure is important because it should be used to guide the reader through the report. Style is important because it affects the reader’s experience, and may impact on their acceptance of your arguments and conclusion. You must develop a style which produces an orderly examination of the question and the way the key elements are presented. For example, the simple addition of a header and footer and highlighted sub-headings will make all the difference to the layout of your assignment.

A good report should be planned or structured in a logical and coherent manner. It should unfold in a pleasant and interesting manner: the reader’s attention should be held, ideas and arguments should be well marshalled to substantiate points, repetition should be avoided, and each paragraph should flow smoothly into the next, carrying the reader a step nearer to the desired conclusion.

Plan your report so it is not merely a compilation of facts or a statement in your words of the opinions of others. The best reports do not just arrange facts and arguments, they involve critical judgement too. To be critical is not just to disagree with an author or a question. It is an attempt to reveal weakness in an argument or show where the author fails to take significant factors into account, or where conclusions do not logically flow from stated premises. You do not have to have better arguments or criticisms than that found in books consult

Topic: report analysis of a siteCourse resources

Reference books and websites

The following list of references and websites are provided so that you can read or browse more widely on the topics that interest you. You are certainly not expected to read all of the references. Please note that whilst the list is correct at the time of publication URLs change over time and you may not be able to connect to all of the listed sites. If you discover sites whose URL has changed, please notify the examiner so changes can be made in the future.

1.   Publications

Australian

AMCORD 1995, A national resource document for residential development, National Office of Local Government, Department of Environment, Sport and Territories, Canberra, (supplied on CD-ROM).

Queensland

Queensland residential design guidelines 1997, Department of Local Government and Planning, Brisbane.

Complete Streets: Guidelines for urban street design, 2010, Institute of Public Works Engineering, Australia (Previously: Queensland Streets 1993, ‘Design guidelines for subdivisional street works’, Institute of Municipal Engineering Australia, Queensland Division, May).

Shaping up 1998, ‘Shaping urban communities to support public transport, cycling, and walking in Queensland’, Queensland Department of Transport, Brisbane, April, (see website: <
http://www.transport.qld.gov.au/Home/Projects_and_initiatives/Plans

/Integrated_transport_plans/

Shaping_up/Publication_
shaping_up >).

2.   Websites

Please note that the following URLs were correct at the time of publication. However, as URLs have a habit of changing you may not be able to connect to all of those listed.

Australian Government

•    National Native Title Tribunal homepage

<
http://www.nntt.gov.au/ >

•    AMCORD – Australian model code for residential development

<
http://www.lgpmcouncil.gov.au/publications/amcord.aspx>

•    Local Government and Planning Ministers’ Council

<
http://www.lgpmcouncil.gov.au/index.aspx >

•    Department of Infrastructure and Transport

<
http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/ >

•    Local Government and Planning Ministers’ Council <
http://www.lgpmcouncil.gov.au >

Queensland

Queensland Government

•    Queensland Government

<
http://www.qld.gov.au/ >

•    Office of the Queensland Parliamentary Counsel homepage – legislation

<
http://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/OQPCHOME.htm >

Queensland Department of Infrastructure and Planning

•    Homepage

<
http://www.dip.qld.gov.au/ >

•    IPA homepage (Please note that IPA was replaced by the Sustainable Planning Act 2009 (SPA) on the 18th of December 2009

<
http://www.dsdip.qld.gov.au/planning-and-development/sustainable-planning-act-2009.html >

•    SPA homepage

<
http://www.dip.qld.gov.au/spa >

Queensland Department of Transport

•    Homepage: Transport and Main Roads

<
http://www.transport.qld.gov.au/ >

•    Integrated regional transport plan for south-east Queensland (3.5MB)

<
http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/Projects/Name/S/South-East-Queensland-Integrated-Regional-Transport-Plan-1997.aspx >

New South Wales

•    Department of Planning (Homepage)

<
http://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/ >

•    New South Wales Division of Local Government – Department of Premier & Cabinet

<
http://www.dlg.nsw.gov.au/dlg/dlghome/dlg_index.asp >

•    Urban design publications

<
http://www.shop.nsw.gov.au/index.jsp >

•    Consolidated regulations

<
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_reg/ >

Australian Capital Territory

•    Homepage

<
http://www.act.gov.au/ >

•    ACT Planning and Land Authority Publications

<
http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/ >

Victoria

•    Homepage (Victoriaonline)

<
http://www.vic.gov.au/ >

•    Victorian Department of Planning and Community Development

<
http://www.dpcd.vic.gov.au/ >

•    Department of Transport

<
http://www.transport.vic.gov.au/ >

•    Department of Sustainability and Environment

<
http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/ >

South Australia

•    Department of Planning and Local Government

<
http://www.planning.sa.gov.au/ >

Western Australia

•    Department of Transport

<
http://www.dpi.wa.gov.au/ >

•    Western Australian Department of Local Government

<
http://dlg.wa.gov.au/ >

Northern Territory

•    Northern Territory Department of Housing, Local Government and Regional Services

<
http://www.dhlgrs.nt.gov.au/ >

•    Northern Territory Department of Lands and Planning

<
http://www.dlp.nt.gov.au/ >

Other Sites

•    Planning Institute Australia (Previously the Royal Australian Planning Institute)

<
http://www.planning.org.au/ >

•    Cyburbia – The Planning Community (Planning in Australia branch)

<
http://www.cyburbia.org/ >

•    Australian Local Government Association

<
http://www.alga.asn.au/ >

•    National Library of Australia

<
http://www.nla.gov.au/ >

•    Development Assessment Forum (An independent think tank and advisory forum of government, industry, and the professions)

<
http://www.daf.gov.au/ >

•    Regional Development Council

<
http://www.rdcouncil.gov.au/ >

•    Australian Transport Council

<
http://www.atcouncil.gov.au/ >

Library resources

To assist you in locating books, and other publications relating to planning and urban design, please find included the Dewey Decimal Classification numbers for each topic.

001.6    Data processing

301.3    Ecology and community

301.5    Institutions (including housing)

309.2    Planning (sociological aspects)

10–319    Statistics (including demography)

330–339    Economics

333    Land economics

340–349    Law

350–359    Public administration

388.4    Urban transportation

526.9    Surveying

550–559    Earth sciences

574.5    Ecology

625    Engineering of railways, roads, highways

690–699    Building

711    Area planning

711.1    Procedural and social aspects

711.2    International and national plans and planning

711.3    Interstate, state, provincial, country plans and planning

711.4    City plans and planning

711.5    Specific kinds of areas

711.6    Structural elements

711.7    Utilities, transport facilities

711.8    Other utilities

712–718    Landscape design

720–729    Architecture

Some notes on writing a professional report

Introduction

To successfully complete the assignments in this course you will have to compile and write professional reports of different lengths to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the topics.

To do this successfully, you will need to demonstrate the following skills:

•    the ability to analyse a residential design issue objectively, comprehend the issues involved and define the specific questions to be addressed to resolve the issue

•    the ability to research a topic in a systematic manner

•    the ability to reach a conclusion based upon the careful weighing of the available evidence

•    the ability to organise material in a logical and concise manner in order to support an argument

•    the ability to document evidence and sources of information.

Your final report should demonstrate that you have thoroughly researched the issue and that you are able to communicate the research outcomes in a professional manner. The following notes on report writing should assist you in achieving this outcome.

The process

Good report preparation requires a process of careful reading of the sources, continual reflection upon the information, and constant referral to the question. The terms of the question should be clearly understood from the outset and kept constantly in mind so that all reading and note-taking is directed along useful lines of inquiry and towards the gathering of relevant information.

Your reading should move from the general text or source document to more specific articles. You should read, take notes, and make summaries of each writer’s key arguments, as well as making notes of any ideas and criticisms that occur to you. Take careful note of any phrases you wish to quote and note all sources in full.

Your reflection should firstly involve teasing out the critical questions to be addressed, and secondly, the testing and refining of findings as the research proceeds. Be critical in your reading and listening and try to be aware of the value stance of the people involved.

Some questions you should consider are:

•    What are they saying, why are they saying that, and with what objectives in mind?

•    Does a suggested solution appear to solve the issue or leave important parts unsolved?

•    What do you think of the arguments and any proposed solutions?

•    Who benefits and who is disadvantaged?

Once you believe you have covered the topic from all perspectives, you should develop a solution, develop arguments that support your case, and then collect any relevant supporting material. This process includes the exclusion of irrelevant arguments and material. Undirected and unthinking research will result in an intractable pile of notes, largely irrelevant and probably deficient at critical points.

The structure

Both the structure and style are important when writing a report . The structure is important because it should be used to guide the reader through the report. Style is important because it affects the reader’s experience, and may impact on their acceptance of your arguments and conclusion. You must develop a style which produces an orderly examination of the question and the way the key elements are presented. For example, the simple addition of a header and footer and highlighted sub-headings will make all the difference to the layout of your assignment.

A good report should be planned or structured in a logical and coherent manner. It should unfold in a pleasant and interesting manner: the reader’s attention should be held, ideas and arguments should be well marshalled to substantiate points, repetition should be avoided, and each paragraph should flow smoothly into the next, carrying the reader a step nearer to the desired conclusion.

Plan your report so it is not merely a compilation of facts or a statement in your words of the opinions of others. The best reports do not just arrange facts and arguments, they involve critical judgement too. To be critical is not just to disagree with an author or a question. It is an attempt to reveal weakness in an argument or show where the author fails to take significant factors into account, or where conclusions do not logically flow from stated premises. You do not have to have better arguments or criticisms than that found in books consult