Universität Wien

290620 SE Current Issues in Regional Planning and Development (2026S)

5.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 29 - Geographie
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 25 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Thursday 05.03. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 5A Geographie NIG 5.OG A0518
  • Thursday 19.03. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum Geographie NIG 5.OG C0528
  • Thursday 16.04. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum Geographie NIG 5.OG C0528
  • Thursday 23.04. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum Geographie NIG 5.OG C0528
  • Thursday 30.04. 13:15 - 16:30 Hörsaal 5A Geographie NIG 5.OG A0518
  • Thursday 07.05. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum Geographie NIG 5.OG C0528
  • Thursday 21.05. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum Geographie NIG 5.OG C0528
  • Thursday 28.05. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum Geographie NIG 5.OG C0528
  • Thursday 11.06. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum Geographie NIG 5.OG C0528
  • Thursday 18.06. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum Geographie NIG 5.OG C0528
  • Thursday 25.06. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum Geographie NIG 5.OG C0528

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

Reading seminar: Planning for Mobility Justice

This seminar examines the theories, methods, and practices of planning for mobility justice: the fair distribution of the benefits and burdens of movement, access, safety, time, data, and environmental impacts across people and places. We engage selected recent literature across transport planning and related disciplines to interrogate how mobility systems affect various forms of injustice, and how to plan for more justice in transport and mobility.

The seminar forms an introduction into the diverse topics of planning for mobility justice. Four thematic blocks will be discussed:
• Introduction: What is (mobility) justice, and why should we plan for it?
• Topics in mobility justice: From gender aspects to the urban-rural divide
• Measuring and assessing mobility justice: Different methods to measure injustice in the transport system, their advantages and drawbacks
• Planning strategies: How planners can approach justice issues in practise.
The seminar will feature extensive small group discussions which require everyone's preparation and contribution to succeed. In preparation of each seminar, you will read the assigned core text(s) and complete some short preparatory exercises on Moodle. The course is structured as a reading seminar, indicating a strong focus on independent reading of and close working with the literature. Please note that even short texts may require several hours and (sometimes multiple) re-reads to process, as most assigned readings are rather complex academic journal articles. A willingness to engage with concepts and ideas from philosophy and transport studies is required. Prior knowledge of mobility planning is an asset, but not required.

After successful completion of the seminar, you will be able to
• explain theories and topics in mobility planning for justice in your own words in speaking and writing,
• contextualise the current debate on mobility justice regarding different geographical scales and social groups,
• reconstruct and critically evaluate justice theories and frameworks in mobility planning,
• develop appropriate research questions and an own position towards those debates and theories.

Assessment and permitted materials

The seminar is assessed through four components:
1. Weekly tasks on Moodle to prepare for the seminar Weight: 25%.
2. A minimal outline of a proposed final paper. Weight: 5%.
3. Peer feedback on one other student's minimal paper outline. Weight: 5%.
4. A final seminar paper on any topic from the seminar. Weight: 65%.

For the writing tasks, the use of generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT) is not accepted and will lead to a failed grade for the assignment. Grammar and spell checks might be performed with the help of software (e.g. https://quillbot.com/grammar-check; the Editor in MS Word) that does not change your content. The seminar paper should be understood as a writing exercise to prepare for the master’s thesis, which cannot be AI-generated (the University of Vienna reserves the right to withdraw any master’s titles awarded upon AI-generated theses). Please note that all submitted assignments will be subject to a plagiarism check.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

A positive evaluation requires that you achieve a pass grade (4) in all assessment components, and that you actively attend the seminar. Two unauthorized absences will be excused.

Examination topics

Course with immanent examination. The tasks are explained in the course units and announced via Moodle.

Reading list

The literature assigned for each course unit and further literature will be announced on Moodle.

Association in the course directory

(MGGCST 4.2) (MR3) (MR Wahlmodul)

Last modified: Mo 27.07.2026 09:27