Town & Regional Planning
MSc and Postgraduate Diploma in European Urban Conservation

Head of Town & Regional Planning Barbara Illsley BAHons MSc		Town & Regional Planning 13 Perth Road Dundee DD1 4HN Scotland UK
Programme Director Ralph Skea DipArch DipTP PhD MRTPI e-mail:r.g.skea@dundee.ac.uk		Office telephone 01382 385236 facsimile 01382 388588
Programme Tutor Neil Grieve BSc(Hons) IHBC FRSA MRTPI FSA(Scot) e-mail: n.f.grieve@dundee.ac.uk		Faculty telephone 01382 223261 facsimile 01382 227304

PostDip/MSc

The Department is part of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Dundee, and the programme leads to a degree from the University. The Department is housed in the Matthew Building which offers excellent studio accommodation and specialist workshops, lecture theatres, sophisticated high technology facilities and a well-resourced library.

Dundee is a bustling, friendly city, beautifully situated on the Tay estuary. Within relatively short distances, one may enjoy a dramatic range of scenery from mountains to shoreline. In little over an hour, one can be in Edinburgh to visit the International Festival, and Scotland's National Museums and Art Galleries. Aberdeen and Glasgow, with many cultural and social amenities, take less than an hour and a half to reach by car or rail.
Dundee has a large student population and there is a wide range of cultural, social and recreational facilities including galleries, museums, theatres, cinemas, night-clubs and a notable concert hall, and many sporting facilities.

Introduction

The conservation of our urban heritage is crucial for our cultural wellbeing and for our expanding tourism industry which now has a very substantial turnover and constitutes one of Britain's fastest growing industries. It has been demonstrated that historic buildings and townscapes are major attractors of forign tourists, and the expanding UK tourist industry creates a large number of new jobs each year. It is not only famous medieval towns such as York and Chester which are committed to urban conservation. Thus, for instance, Halifax, Bradford and Dundee are actively marketing their nineteenth century heritage.

Nationally, however, there is a shortage of suitably trained conservation officers especially with an understanding of conservation's relationship with urban tourism. Central agencies have recently noticed that there is a disturbing lack of awareness amongst those in planning authorities who administer the procedures and the law related to listed buildings and conservation areas.
Finally, the European Community is committed to increased finance being directed towards Europe's finest townscapes. There is much to be learned from a study of how the various member states organise and implement policies related to urban conservation and tourism.

Aims of the Programme

The programme analyses urban conservation and related tourism issues in a European context.

The aims of the course are:
to provide a sound understanding of urban conservation issues in the UK and other EC countries;
to examine the importance of building preservation in planning and economic terms;
to produce graduates who are well equipped to work in public and private agencies concerned with urban conservation and heritage tourism.

Programme Content

The Theory and practice of Urban Conservation
Aims:
to examine the theoretical basis for urban conservation in a town planning context;
to develop an understanding of the main conservation and urban design issues in historic towns;
to investigate current planning practice in major conservation areas;
to examine the roles played by national and local agencies.

European Conservation Practice
Aims:
to examine the similarities and differences in the approaches to urban conservation in the European Community;
to analyse in depth the practice of urban conservation in selected European countries.

Building Preservation
Aims:
to examine the evolution of listed building legislation in the UK;
to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the current legislative framework;
to investigate the various methods used to fund building restoration projects and enhancement programmes;
to analyse the technical implications of building conservation.

Heritage Management
Aims:
to analyse the heritage tourism industry;
to assess management issues related to heritage properties;
to examine the technical issues related to built heritage preservation;
to investigate the problems related to the protection and enhancement of historic gardens.

Computer Skills
Aims:
to introduce students to the use of the computer in the planning process;
to introduce students to the nature of information systems for policy planning in local government;
to examine the potential use of the computer in conservation planning.

Analysing Architecture
Aims:
to analyse the formal complexities of architectural design with which conservation officers must be familiar.
to review the main international styles of architecture commonly used in major development projects.
to investigate the types of regional variations in architectural form encountered in small development projects.

Research Project
Aims:
to allow the student to study in depth one aspect of the course;
to create a research design related to the chosen subject;
to prepare a dissertation which integrates a literature review with analysis of research findings.

Special Features

A series of guest lectures in conservation run in conjunction with the Architectural Heritage Society for Scotland and open to the public.

A field visit to one mainland European country takes place in term 3. Countries visited include: France, The Netherlands, Belgium and Malta.

Live projects for local planning authorities.

Each MSc student will be on work placement for 6 weeks during term 3 in public and private agencies in the UK. Students are expected to apply their knowledge and use technology related skills in survey, analysis and operational techniques during the 6 week period.

Teaching Methods

Over the three/four terms there is an average of 15 hours per week of formal contact between staff and students.

Approximately half of the contact hours are in the form of lectures and seminars, while the remaining hours are in the form of practical work. The latter includes some drawn presentation of survey plans and conservation proposals, report writing, essays and computing.

A considerable amount of time is kept free from formal staff-student contact to allow students an opportunity to read widely in relation to lecture courses and practical work, and to permit students to consult individually with members of staff.

Career Opportunities Nationally there is a shortage of suitably trained conservation officers who can work in urban conservation agencies at national, regional and local levels. Furthermore, a large number of posts are available in the field of tourism and heritage marketing throughout the UK and Europe.

Examinations The MSc will be assessedby a Research Report (approximately 20,000 words) and four three-hour examinations. The computer skills course will be continuously assessed components and, in the other four lecture courses, coursework will constitute 40% of the total. Coursework and examinations will be assessed by internal and external examiners. In order to proceed to the MSc(Term 4), Diploma students must have achieved coursework marks and examination results equivalent to a good Honors Degree standard.

Funding A limited number of funded places may be available. Currently, three students are being funded by the Scottish Office, and one by the Tayside Building Preservation Trust.	Admission Application forms are available from and, when completed, should be returned to: Andrea Neal Postgraduate Admissions and Student Recruitment Airlie Place University of Dundee Perth Road Dundee DD1 4N Scotland Tel 44 (0)1382 344162 Fax 44 (0)1382 345500 a.y.neal@dundee.ac.uk