5 ECTS credits
125 h study time
Offer 1 with catalog number 4021249ENR for all students in the 1st semester
at
a (E) Master - advanced level.
- Semester
- 1st semester
- Enrollment based on exam contract
- Impossible
- Grading method
- Grading (scale from 0 to 20)
- Can retake in second session
- Yes
- Enrollment Requirements
- Registration for this course is only possible for students Master Urban Studies.
- Taught in
- English
- Partnership Agreement
- Under interuniversity agreement for degree program
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science and Bio-engineering Sciences
- Department
- Geography
- External partners
- Université libre de Bruxelles
- Educational team
- Decaan WE
(course titular)
- Activities and contact hours
- 24 contact hours Lecture
24 contact hours Seminar, Exercises or Practicals
12 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study
- Course Content
Introduction: urban sustainability challenges and circular economy perspectives
Sustainable urbanism: socio-economic, environmental and political dimensions of urbanism
Sustainable circular economy: concepts and approaches
Urban sustainability assessment: concepts and approaches
Metabolism of urban systems – I
Metabolism of urban systems – II
Urban ecosystem services – I
Urban ecosystem services – II
Sustainable urbanism: Micro-scale case studies and best practices
Sustainable urbanism: Macro-scale case studies and best practices
Urban sustainability design, planning, and policy development
- Additional info
Essential course material: The lecture slides will be made available before the class on UV.
- Learning Outcomes
-
General competences
This module aims at analysing and assessing the sustainability of urban systems with an emphasis on circular economy perspectives and sustainable urbanism approaches.
By the end of the module, the student should be able to:
- understand the functioning of urban systems at different scale levels
- analyse the interaction between urban systems and resource flows
- analyse and assess the sustainability of urban systems using state-of-the-art methods, indexes and tools
- assess the different initiatives and plans aimed at sustainable urban development
- develop strategies and solutions to improve the urban sustainability in terms of urban design, spatial planning and policy
- present the analysis and assessment of urban sustainability in the form of a scientific paper
- Grading
-
The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Other Exam determines 100% of the final mark.
Within the Other Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:
- Other exam
with a relative weight of 1
which comprises 100% of the final mark.
- Additional info regarding evaluation
The students will work in groups and produce:
- A case study analysis assignment during the tutorials using urban sustainability assessment methods and tools (c).
- A final report in the form of a scientific paper describing the selected case study (a city or an urban area) as an urban system (a), analysing the interaction between the urban system and resource flows (b), assessing the functioning of the urban system at different scale levels in terms of sustainability (a, c), analysing the recent progress made towards sustainability (d), and proposing strategies and solutions to improve the sustainability (e)
Grade weighted composition:
25% case study assignment
75% final report in the form of a scientific paper
- Allowed unsatisfactory mark
- The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.
Academic context
This offer is part of the following study plans:
Master of Urban Studies: Standard track