Group+Assignment+Overview



City of Calgary Planning Documents: http://www.calgary.ca/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_0_778_203_0_43/http%3B/content.calgary.ca/CCA/City+Hall/Business+Units/Office+of+Land+Servicing+and+Housing/Projects/The+Bridges+Development/Resources/Planning+Documents.htm

__**Simple Outline of Assignments - Ordered by Due Date**__
 * Proposal (0%) || Done! ||
 * History & Theory (10%) || Done! ||
 * Petcha Kutcha on History & Theory (5%) || ? ||
 * Site Analysis (10%) || March 10 ||
 * Petcha Kutcha on Site Analysis (5%) || ? ||
 * Final Presentation (Hard Copy Due) (30%) || March 31 ||
 * Final Report (35%) || April 4 ||

GROUP PROJECT OVERVIEW URBAN STUDIES 451 H(3-0) (WINTER 2011) PLANNING IN THE CANADIAN CITY INTRODUCTION:

As the core graded requirement for this course, all students are required to work in groups to prepare a planning project. The group project consists of a number of components, these being: (a) The project proposal (not graded), (b) A series of three project reports (55%), (c) Project presentations (35%), and (d) Peer evaluations (10%).

A high degree of flexibility is being offered with respect to the group project topics – no topics have been predetermined. However, in order to provide direction to each group, communities for the project have been pre-selected (a map is attached). It is up to each group to decide on what their project will be, to prepare a project proposal, and once approved by the instructors, to complete the project and present it to the class. The term project encompasses an entire semester of work for each student within a group format. Since the group projects are worth the 100% of your grade, expectations for the quality of research, the quality of the layout and content of the report, and the quality of presentations are very high. The amount of time spent in the preparation of the term project components should at a minimum be the equivalent spent in preparing for a mid term exam, a final exam, and an individual 10 page term paper. Think big and be creative - the group project is worth 100% of your final grade!

OVERVIEW OF THE PROCESS AND MAJOR COMPONENETS:

Start-Up:

􀂃 Groups will be formed by the instructors and will consist of a maximum of 6 members 􀂃 Groups and subject communities will be established in the January 13 class 􀂃 Once the groups have been formed and communities have been picked, groups are encouraged to set a time and date to meet with the instructors prior to the January 27 class to have their idea approved

The Proposal (not graded)

􀂃 Each group is required to submit a maximum 2-page project proposal by January 27 􀂃 Project proposals must provide an overview of the project, what you intend to achieve, and they should answer the 5 journalistic W’s: who, what, where, when, and why? 􀂃 The instructors will review the proposals and return them to the groups by February 3 - no late proposals will be accepted

The Project Reports (55%): 􀂃 The paper is the first of the two significant parts of the group project. The project reports consist of the three components described in more detail below:

(a) History and Theory (10%): In this report you are asked to relate the class lectures and readings to your site / community, to conduct historic research on your site / community, and to prepare a critical analysis of your site / community that includes: 􀂃 The holistic development of your site / community 􀂃 The holistic, real world impacts of the relevant planning theories on your site / community 􀂃 A discussion on whether or not your site / community embodies the objectives of the relevant planning theory 􀂃 Hard copies are due at the beginning of the Feb 17 class, no late submission will be accepted

(b) Site Analysis (10%): In this report you are asked to assess the physical, socioeconomic, and environmental conditions of your site / community. Groups are encouraged to use a mix of text and graphics in communicating their site analysis. Additional information on site analysis tools and techniques will be provided in class. 􀂃 Hard copies are due at the beginning of the March 10 class, no late submission will be accepted

(c) Planning Intervention and Final Report (35%): In this final report you are asked to prepare a planning intervention based on a reapplication of theory, your site / community history and analysis, and your group creativity and understanding of the topics presented in class. Your planning intervention must demonstrate an understanding of the class lectures and required readings and apply them where appropriate. Final reports should demonstrate holistic thinking with respect to the issues you identify and your proposed intervention(s). The total length of the final report must not exceed 35 paged and must include: 􀂃 Component (a) History and Theory with revisions based on the instructors comments (5 to 10 pages) 􀂃 Component (b) Site Analysis with revisions based on the instructors comments (5 to 10 pages) 􀂃 Component (c) Planning Intervention

The paper should include any combination of documentation, design, graphics, etc. as required to best communicate your ideas. You are encouraged to pay attention to the presentation styles and graphics used by the instructors and guest speakers and to draw on what you believe to be the best practices where possible. Hard copies are due at the beginning of the April 14 class, no late submissions will be accepted

The Project Presentations (40%)

􀂃 The project presentations are the second major component of the term project. Presentations are divided into the two categories as described in more detail below:

(a) Pecha Kucha Presentations (5%): All groups are required to do a Pecha Kucha presentation on each of the History and Theory and Site Analysis components of the project. Additional information on the Pecha Kucha presentation style will be provided in class and is available on the blackboard. (b) Final Project Presentation (30%): In addition to preparing a written report, all groups must present their work to a panel of guest reviewers and to the rest of the class. Presentations will be given 20 minutes maximum to communicate their ideas. This is a strict time limit. Any combination of presentation methods and materials is acceptable and creativity will be rewarded. To ensure fairness, copies of all presentation materials must be submitted at the beginning of the March 31 class. Project presentations will start March 31 and conclude on April 7.

Peer Evaluations (10%)

􀂃 Each group member is required to give each of their group members a grade out of 10 for each of (a) the project proposal, (b) the three project reports, (c) the Pecha Kucha Presentations, and (d) the final presentation. These confidential scores should be based on how you feel each of your group members performed and contributed to that particular project component. All grades will be averaged for the term to make up the individual term project grade. Additional information on this grading component will be provided in class.