Faculty of Science and Engineering
School of Geography,
Earth and Environmental Sciences
Plymouth University, Drake Circus, Plymouth, Devon PL4 8AA
tel +44 (0) 1752 585959
fax +44 (0) 1752 585998
Dear MSc Planning student
Welcome to the MSc Planning programme at Plymouth University! We are extremely pleased that you are joining us and look forward to meeting you in a few weeks’ time.
On the Induction Website are some documents about the University. We hope that you will have time to read them before you arrive in Plymouth. The induction programme for the MSc Planning course has been arranged to take place from Tuesday19 September to Thursday 21 September 2017. We are looking forward to meeting you all and introducing you to the programme. It is important that you join us for all of these activities in preparation for the first day of lectures and sessions on Tuesday 26 September 2017. Sessions for full-time students completing the programme in one year are on Tuesdays and Thursdays, while part-time students completing the programme in two years attend on Tuesdays (in their first year) and Thursdays (in their second year).
In preparation for the start of the course, we would recommend that you begin to undertake some reading around the subject. We definitely encourage you to set aside some funds to buy books – remember you are ‘reading for a degree’! While most of your reading needs will be met through our Library, it is very wise to ensure that you have guaranteed access to at least some relevant material by buying books of your own. The title that we would very strongly recommend that you read is:
CULLINGWORTH, J.B., NADIN, V. et al.(2015) Town and Country Planning in Britain, Fifteenth Edition, Routledge, London.
While your other book buying should obviously be based partly on recommendations, such as those given below, they will also be guided by what attracts you! Books that look interesting, informative or likely to make you think can also be ‘relevant’ to you as an inquisitive student. The following fall into the ‘strongly recommended’ category for the MSc Planning programme:
HALL, P. (2014) Cities of Tomorrow: an intellectual history of urban planning and design in the twentieth century, Fourth Edition, Oxford, Blackwell.
KITCHEN, T. (2007) Skills for Planning Practice, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke.
MOORE, V. (2010) A Practical Approach to Planning Law, Eleventh Edition, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
MORPHET, J. (2010) Effective Practice in Spatial Planning, Routledge, Abingdon.
PARKER, G. & DOAK, J. (2012) Key Concepts in Planning, Sage, London.
TAYLOR, N. (1998) Urban Planning Theory since 1945, Sage, London.
WARD, S.V. (2004) Planning and Urban Change, Second Edition, Paul Chapman Publishing, London.
I hope you find the information in this induction pack helpful. We are sending it to you now in the hope that you will have time to read and digest it at leisure. If you have any urgent queries about these materials, please contact me, Dr Stephen Essex (Programme Coordinator). We look forward to meeting you soon.
Yours faithfully,
Dr Stephen Essex
MSc Planning Programme Coordinator
01752-585980