Unit Synopsis
This unit examines the process of property development and the systems of land use control, with a particular focus on stakeholders, sustainability, and the evolving influence of property technologies in shaping planning and development practices. You will be introduced to Australia’s contemporary land use planning regime and its application in managing development through digital platforms, geospatial technologies, and data-informed decision-making. You will investigate the historical foundations and guiding principles of environmental planning, alongside the regulatory frameworks that govern land use. Emphasis is placed on the social and environmental impacts of property development, highlighting both the challenges and opportunities related to sustainability, equitable outcomes, and meaningful community engagement.
Details
| Level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | 3 |
| Credit Points | 6 |
| Student Contribution Band | SCA Band 4 |
| Fraction of Full-Time Student Load | 0.125 |
| Pre-requisites or Co-requisites |
Prerequisites: PROP11001 Property Valuation Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework). |
| Class Timetable | View Unit Timetable |
| Residential School | No Residential School |
Unit Availabilities from Term 2 - 2026
Term 1 - 2027 Profile
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Assessment Tasks
| Assessment Task | Weighting |
|---|---|
| 1. Practical Assessment | 50% |
| 2. Take Home Exam | 50% |
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).
Past Exams
All University policies are available on the Policy web site, however you may wish to directly view the following policies below.
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of policies are available on the Policy web site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Source: Student evaluation of learning and teaching.
One student could see unit improvements in 'useful feedback' and 'useful knowledge/skills.
Unfortunately there were no formative comments provided and no other information available to investigate this further. This will however be monitored and considered in the 2026 offering.
No further comments or survey results have identified issues with the usefulness of feedback and usefulness of knowledge/skills.
Source: School of Business and Law and scholarship research
Generative AI has been shown to successfully complete some forms of authentic assessment, challenging traditional assumptions about the capacity of assessment tasks to reliably demonstrate individual student achievement.
The assessments in this unit, particularly Assessment Task 1, are progressively developed and applied to individual real-world properties. Consistent with contemporary industry practice, some components can be effectively supported by generative AI tools. However, key aspects still require the professional judgement, analysis, and expertise of a human valuer. To better reflect these distinctions, the assessment instructions and rubric will be refined to place greater emphasis on the human-centred elements of the valuation process, including selecting appropriate valuation approaches, critical analysis, professional judgement, and the interpretation of evidence.
In Progress
Source: 2026 SUTE Unit Evaluation
"The Major Assignment was challenging. The use of a real-world potential development scenario was interesting. However, the large amount of information available on the project caused some confusion and was at times difficult to sort through. This was evident regarding the separate development approvals which needed a greater explanation"
The 2026 assessment incorporated a large and complex development project involving multiple approvals and applications. While student feedback identified some challenges in navigating the volume and complexity of project information, it also reinforced the value of the authentic, real-world assessment design. Future offerings will provide additional guidance on the development approval process and improve the organisation and presentation of project materials to better support student learning and project completion.
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Explain the history, principles and current operation of land uses in Australia
- Apply planning principles to specific properties, leveraging property technologies to deliver development outcomes that meet owner expectations while addressing the needs of the broader community and environmental considerations
- Demonstrate knowledge of the procedures involved in obtaining development approval, including the management of dispute resolution
- Undertake legal research to identify case law, legislation, policies and procedures relevant to particular property development and planning problems
- Apply ethical judgement for appropriate planning and development outcomes.
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Practical Assessment | • | • | • | • | • |
| 2 - Take Home Exam | • | • | • | • | • |
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Communication | • | • | • | • | • |
| 2 - Problem Solving | • | • | • | • | • |
| 3 - Critical Thinking | • | • | • | • | • |
| 4 - Information Literacy | • | • | • | • | |
| 5 - Team Work | • | ||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | • | • | • | • | • |
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | • | • | |||
| 8 - Ethical practice | • | • | • | ||
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | |