Urban planning

Urban Planning and Design at Monash University

Urban planning and design: shaping the future of our cities

Urban planning and design is a critical field that impacts the environments in which we live, work and play. It is the strategic process of shaping cities and regions to create thriving, sustainable, and well-functioning communities.

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Our urban planning and design approach

Liveable Neighbourhoods

Katherine Sundermann’s and Suzanne Barker’s research shows that intensification of housing around train stations and activity centres needs better planning and community engagement. As well as new homes, people also need jobs, parks, schools and shops. Local councils and communities should have more say in shaping these areas, like in NSW where residents give feedback on different plans.

Regeneration with natural systems

Catherine Murphy and Liz Taylor’s research looks at how urban areas undergoing change could be better planned, designed and built to support climate adaptation and natural systems. Liz's recent work focuses on the challenges of repairing end-of-life quarries with adjacent development and improved amenity, while Catherine focuses on city edges dealing with the impacts of sprawling housing on threatened species.

Connecting Communities

James Whitten’s research looks at how local institutions and communities can work together more effectively to connect transport and land use planning in cities, towns and regions. His PhD focused on the relationship between high-speed rail planning and regional politics in Australia, highlighting what needs to happen for high-speed rail projects to work between Melbourne and Sydney.

Regenerating Employment Precincts

Carl Grodach research looks at how the functions of employment land in cities is changing and why current planning methods are outmoded. It aims to find better ways to plan for industrial areas so cities can support jobs, adapt to change and meet sustainability goals, instead of chasing rising property values.

Master of
Urban Planning
and Design

Do you want to address the big urban challenges facing our cities? How do we increase the density and affordability of housing, while making suburbs better places to live? How can we adapt to our hotter and drier climate using nature-based approaches?

The Master of Urban Planning and Design at Monash gives you the framework and tools to engage with these challenges to shape the city of tomorrow as we work towards an environmentally sustainable and people-centred future.

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Meet our graduates

Meet the team

Inclusive City Studio

Hear about Master of Urban Planning and Design student Sam Granger's advocacy project to promote the renewal of Fishermans Bend as an inclusive area for work, living and heritage. Sam discovered his passion for working with stakeholders such as local government and industry bodies and an unexpected career path.

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