ASSIGNMENT 1
This is an individual assignment. This exercise carries 50% of the mark for the module.
You are to write a short Academic Desk Study of no more than 1500 words (excluding
references), by 15:00 on Monday 13th November 2023, addressing the following brief.
The brief
Demonstrate the outcome of a chosen kind of transport policy/scheme in relation to its
objectives, drawing out general lessons from a particular case study. In doing so,
please address the following issues:
(a) Describe and explain the policy objectives in relation to its context. Who created
the policy What were the explicit policy objectives Were there any implicit
objectives What problem was the policy attempting to solve
(b) Describe the implementation of the policy. What was actually implemented, and
how Were there any problems in implementing the policy Were there any
changes to the policy to allow it to be implemented
(c) Describe and interpret the impact of the policy, linking to theoretical and
technical concepts wherever possible. What was the outcome in terms of travel
behaviour How did public travel patterns change What was the effect in terms
of, for example, changes in number of trips, travel distance, energy consumed,
etc. What were the effects on different users – who were the winners and losers
Were there any side-effects or long term effects, e.g. changes in land use,
relocation, side-effects on other modes of transport
(d) Provide a critical analysis of the lessons learned:
Interpret how successful the policy was, relating objectives to outcomes;
Form your own conclusions on the lessons learned from the case study; and
Draw wider implications for future transport policy planning for this type of policy
or problem situation (which may suggest a different type of policy).
Approaching the task
1. Choose a type of transport policy/scheme or other public policy (e.g. fiscal or
land use) with a significant transport content addressing transport objectives.
2. Choose a case study that has sufficient information about it, ideally where a
range of academic sources is available (e.g. not just a single evaluation report).
3. Make sure there is enough post-implementation information to answer part (c).
4. Parts (a), (b) and (c) will involve synthesising research from a range of sources, to
demonstrate specific transport planning understanding.
5. Part (d) gives the most important opportunity for you to demonstrate your critical
thinking, original insights and professional judgement as a transport planner.
Ensure to cover this sufficiently fully. It should be at least a quarter of the study.
6. The exact proportions will depend on the particular case study, and the extent to
which you need to provide original, dedicated explanations in the different parts.
As a rough guide, (a) and (b) together should not be more than half the study.
7. Don’t just recount ‘what happened’ in journalistic or layman’s terms, but link to
theory and technical concepts wherever possible (e.g. explaining impact or
behaviour in terms of flows, congestion, capacity, elasticity, value of time, etc.)
8. You will need to source a sufficient breadth and depth of material on a specific
type of policy, associated policy / effect mechanisms and a specific location.
9. Make effective, concise use of references to established information, to give
enough space for your own synthesis/commentary.
4
Transport Policy & Planning
Content and presentation
This exercise is meant to demonstrate your ability to research and analyse a given
transport-related policy topic, supported by evidence from academic and policy
literature, that shows understanding of the complexity of issues, that goes beyond an
intuitive or layman’s understanding of transport, or a priori ideology, or personal
knowledge of a particular location or situation; but to demonstrate a professional
mastery of relevant issues. Your desk study should display a range of analytic and
presentational outputs where appropriate, including quantitative information
presented in tables and charts, as well as graphical information in the form of
diagrams, maps, photos and sketches, where appropriate.
Requirements and format
The submission must be on an approved topic (policy + case study).
Approval arrangements will be via Moodle – so everyone can see others’ topics.
It should be no more than 1500 words in length, excluding references.
Please declare your word count (excluding references) at the end of the study.
Please use correct spelling, standard (British) English.
The study should be submitted electronically using Moodle.
Provide a cover page with the title of the desk study clearly marked.
Sources must be acknowledged within the text, in table and figure captions, etc.
This should include sources that support arguments in the text, as well as
referencing direct quotations, data or graphics. A list of references must be
provided. Sources / references must be itemised in the format specified. For further
information on referencing and plagiarism, see BSP guidance.
Any submission not conforming to the above will lose marks!
Criteria for Assessment
Demonstration of basic knowledge and understanding of the main issues
concerning your chosen topic / situation / case. This includes awareness of the
most significant things about the case, not just reproduction of arbitrary details.
Demonstration of academic ability in terms of research, reading and critical
interpretation of literature (whether academic or professional / policy or popular
media) from relevant sources; and interpretation with relation to appropriate
theoretical and technical concepts.
Demonstration of a professional understanding of transport issues both from the
technical side and with objective awareness of policy effectiveness and political
/societal implications.
Written expression and presentation – i.e., a clear structure, coherent message,
good grammar and spelling, good use of tables and graphics as appropriate.
Correct formatting (including correct use of sources, referencing)
These criteria are indicative, and aim to make clear that it will not be sufficient simply
to present a succession of facts on a topic / case, coupled with good presentation.
This might only fulfil the first and last of the above points – which taken together should
be assumed to count for less than half of the marks!
13 October Assignment 1 topic sign-up (15:00)
13 November Assignment 1 submission (15:00)
5
ASSIGNMENT 2
This is a group assignment. This exercise carries 50% of the mark for the module.
You are invited to form into groups of five (or, if invited, six) consultants, by 3
November. Each group is required to prepare a Consultancy Report. The report should
be an A4 PDF report whose main body should be no more than 3000 words. Fuller
details will be given in the class of weeks 5 and 6.
The group assignment contains two main parts. In the first part, student groups will
need to create a new mobility/circulation plan for Inner London (i.e., the area within
the London Inner Ring road). This plan divides central London in various sectors,
whereby motorised traffic cannot go to another sector without using the inner ring
road. Students will have to decide on the number and outline of these sectors. Groups
will need to analyse the outcomes of this plan for various entities (car drivers, public
transport, active travellers, delivery) and potentially suggest certain exemptions (e.g.,
to stimulate public transport and active travel). The effects of travel within and on the
ring road needs to be estimated (e.g., will it result in more traffic and congestion on
the ring road ).
In a second stage, the assignment will focus on one of the created sectors, which
(could) function as a low-traffic neighbourhood (or Barcelona’s ‘superblocks’, ‘15-
minute city’, etc.). Student groups will design these neighbourhoods (with a focus on
transport) in a certain way to guide people’s travel in a certain direction (e.g., away
from car use). This can refer to creating dead-end streets (‘modal filters’), reduced
parking spaces (and located at the edge of neighbourhoods), car-free streets, one_x005f way streets, better active travel infrastructure, more space for people, reduced traffic
speed, higher land use mix, etc. Students have to think on how these newly developed
neighbourhoods will affect residents’ and visitors’ travel behaviour (travel mode,
destination choice, route choice, etc.), while also analysing who the main winners and
losers of the project will be.
Presentation
In week 10 each group is to make a presentation to the tutors and class. The
presentation should be no more than 15 minutes, followed by 10 min. questions and
answers. Further guidance will be given nearer the time, according to circumstances.
3 November Assignment 2 group sign-up (15:00)
12 December Project group presentations
15 December Assignment 2 submission (15:00)
Criteria for Assessment
Professional
– useful credible relevant analysis with appropriate attention to transport
planning issues, quantification, etc.
– credible policy/political awareness
– creativity, both in devising policy testing/scrutiny as well as policy suggestions
Academic
– intellectual rigour, independent critical outlook, transparency of sourcing, etc.
Presentation
– including professional ‘look’; coherent report structure; clear messages;
good English; effective use of maps and diagrams, etc.
