An overview of project work in Australian planning schools

Cooperative planning and management for regional landscapes

“…However, sustainability, environment and development issues, resource management, waste management, cultural issues, ethical issues, etc are becoming central issues for planners (Colman, 1993;Martin and Beatiey, 1993). To deal with the complexity of these issues and the challenges of a rapidly changing world, planning educators are calling for changes to planning education including: increased emphasis on the management of change (Colman, 1993;Harris, 1993;Witherby, 1992); flexibility (Cuthbert, 1994 a&b;Harris, 1993); interdisciplinary collaboration and teamwork, use of project work and real world examples (Colman, 1993;Friedmann and Kuester, 1994;Niebanck, 1992); ability to deal with complex data through use of GIS, predictive models, gaming and simulation (Cunningham and Teather, 1991;Tumer, 1998); problem solving and decision-making skills (Brown and Moore, 1989); negotiation, arbitration, conflict resolution and communication skills (Brown and Moore, 1989;Colman, 1993;Forester, 1996); and public involvement and participatory or collaborative planning skills involving the ability to move from the role of "expert" to the role of mediator, catalyst or broker (Colman, 1993;Friedmann and Kuester, 1994;Selin and Chavez,1995;Forester, 1996).…”