Course syllabus for Town and country planning

Course syllabus adopted 2026-02-19 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).

Overview

  • Swedish nameSamhällsplanering
  • CodeARK325
  • Credits7.5 Credits
  • OwnerTKATK
  • Education cycleFirst-cycle
  • Main field of studyArchitecture and Engineering
  • ThemeArchitectural design project 7.5 c
  • DepartmentARCHITECTURE AND CIVIL ENGINEERING
  • GradingUG - Pass, Fail

Course round 1

  • Teaching language Swedish
  • Application code 46132
  • Open for exchange studentsNo
  • Only students with the course round in the programme overview.

Credit distribution

0108 Project, part A 4.5 c
Grading: UG		4.5 c
0208 Project, part B 3 c
Grading: UG		 3 c

In programmes

Examiner

Eligibility

General entry requirements for bachelor's level (first cycle)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements

Specific entry requirements

The same as for the programme that owns the course
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements

Course specific prerequisites

At least 45 credits from architecture courses and architecture design projects from AT1 - AT3, or equivalent.

Aim

The purpose of the course is to give architecture students a basic knowledge of urban and community planning. Urban planning is a complex task, buildings, streets, walkways, plazas, playgrounds, parking, green areas and a variety of other functions should be merged into one artistic processed whole. Urban environment should also be safe, secure and convenient for many different groups of people and activities. Position and orientation of buildings may, as conditions in the surrounding environment, including impacts on the indoor environment. Lighting conditions and noise are two such important qualities for private life that must be considered in the planning process.

Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to)

  • The student shall after a completed course be able to:

    • Design and present an urban development project in a clear and illustrative manner.
    • Apply measurements, dimensions, and design parameters for the planning of blocks, public spaces, parks, and transport facilities.
    • Carry out a basic evaluation of an urban development project.
    • Explain the Swedish Planning and Building Act (PBL) system and demonstrate sufficient proficiency in plan-map techniques to read and understand a detailed development plan.

    Content

    The course is structured around a planning area within which an individual project assignment — an urban plan — is to be carried out. To place the planning area in its broader context, an urban study is conducted as a group assignment. Thereafter, each student develops an individual urban design proposal, which is presented and discussed in front of the group.

    Organisation

    The course is organized as a design project with a task to be solved individually, and a task to be solved in groups. Lectures, exercises and laboratory work supports the development of the desing project.

    Literature

    • Public Places – Urban Spaces. The Dimensions of Urban Design (Carmona et al., 2003). Excerpts from Chapters 4–9 will be made available on the course website.
    • Boken om detaljplan och områdesbestämmelser, is available for download from the Boverket webpage.
    • The Swedish Building Regulations (BBR), available for download from the Boverket website.
    • The Planning and Building Act (PBL) Knowledge Bank on the Boverket website.
    • Information on street design can be found at: trafikverket.se/vgu – VGU (Guidelines for the Design of Roads and Streets).

    If the course material includes printed course literature, this will be announced at least 12 weeks before the start of the course. Articles and materials produced by the department will be made available on the course’s Canvas page.

    Examination including compulsory elements

    The course is organized around a design project and examined, partly through an active design process, partly through a presented, communicated and reflected result. The process includes active and full participation in lectures, seminars, group work, tutorials and critics, and a reflection upon the work. To the results belongs a proposal delivered in time and with the requested format, a well performed reading and criticism of a fellow students' proposal and a well performed presentation and reflective defense of the own proposal.

    The course examiner may assess individual students in other ways than what is stated above if there are special reasons for doing so, for example if a student has a decision from Chalmers about disability study support.