Cities and Climate Change (Summer School)
Academic Study Board of the Faculty of Engineering
Teaching language: English
EKA: T900041102
Censorship: Second examiner: Internal
Grading: 7-point grading scale
Offered in: Odense
Offered in: Summer school (spring)
Level: Bachelor
Course ID: T900041101
ECTS value: 5
Date of Approval: 12-12-2022
Duration: Intensive course
Version: Archive
Course ID
Course Title
ECTS value
5
Internal Course Code
Responsible study board
Administrative Unit
Date of Approval
Course Responsible
| Name | Department | |
|---|---|---|
| Henrik Brøner Jørgensen | hebj@iti.sdu.dk | SDU Civil and Architectural Engineering |
| Sasha Isabelle Bisschop | saib@tek.sdu.dk | TEK Uddannelseskoordinering og -support |
Teachers
| Name | Department | City | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Katarzyna Alicja Wieszczeczynska | kawi@iti.sdu.dk | SDU Civil and Architectural Engineering | |
| Maria Pizzorni | mpiz@iti.sdu.dk | SDU Civil Engineering | |
| Nicola Tollin | nto@iti.sdu.dk | SDU Civil and Architectural Engineering |
Programme Secretary
| Name | Department | City | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mette Elise Jørgensen | mejo@tek.sdu.dk | TEK Uddannelseskoordinering og -support |
Offered in
Level
Offered in
Duration
Recommended prerequisites
Students should be interested in and have previous experience about climate change, disaster risk reduction, urban development and planning, sustainable development, climate adaptation and mitigation.
Mandatory prerequisites
Two years of studies at university level (equivalent to 120 ECTS) within a relevant field of study, before the summer school starts.
Students with different disciplinary backgrounds with completed of at least two academic years in the fields of engineering, architecture, planning, environmental, economic, social sciences, and related fields.
Learning objectives - Knowledge
- Climate change and cities fundamentals, including policies
- Urban resilience fundamentals
- Strategic, action and master planning for climate change actions
- Low-carbon development and climate mitigation in cities
- Disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation in cities
- Urban resilience best practices globally, including the Global South
- Cross-sectorial and thematic issues (e.g., water, coastal areas, nature-based solutions)
Learning objectives - Skills
The students will develop skills based on system thinking through a process design methodology for climate change planning in cities, including:
- System mapping and stakeholders’ analysis
- Urban climate multi-risk analysis
- Future scenarios forecasting, visioning and backcasting
- Strategy and action planning
Learning objectives - Competences
- Competencies to develop strategies, actions, plans and solutions for climate change adaptation and mitigation in cities
Content
Introduction
Today over 50% of the world's population lives in urban areas. Cities are facing major global challenges such as unsustainable development patterns, rapid and unplanned urbanization, climate change mitigation and adaptation. As a result, cities and their populations are vulnerable and increasingly exposed to rapid and slow on-setting climate and environmental disasters, which frequency and intensity are growing exponentially.
Urban resilience is instrumental in addressing both causes and effects of climate change, rethinking the way in which cities are designed, planned and managed, developing strategies and actions for climate mitigation and adaptation.
The scientific research on urban resilience has been exponentially growing in the last decade, parallelly a growing number of cities worldwide started developing resilience related plans and actions, following the recommendations and prescriptions national and international policies international policies, as: Sustainable Development Goals, Paris Agreement, New Urban Agenda and Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
Course main objective
The summer school aims to expand the students' knowledge of policies, tools, and strategic and action planning for resilient urban transition, responding to the need for systemic change in tackling climate change. The summer school also aims to co-develop students' skills and knowledge in climate mitigation and adaptation planning.
The students will work in groups using real cities worldwide, including Global South ones, as a case study to develop specific climate change solutions through strategy and action planning.
The summer school aims to bring together multi-disciplinary knowledge and perspectives on climate change in cities from science and practice. The summer school uses process design methodology to build the necessary skills and competencies to respond to a systemic transformation to foster urban climate actions.
URL for Skemaplan
Number of lessons
Teaching Method
The course is conceived as a highly engaging activity, where students will work in ingroups on specific cities, using a process design methodology, to develop adequate climate solutions for mitigation and adaptation.
Multiple forms of instructions will involve:
- Frontal lectures with invited international policymakers, practitioners and researchers
- Individual learning based on scientific-grey literature and online resources
- Group work using process design methodology
- Peer-to-peer learning sessions based on knowledge exchange among the students
The lectures will provide an overview of major international policies concerning urban resilience (Sustainable Development Goals, Paris Agreement, New Urban Agenda and Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction), key practices worldwide, including those developed in the frame of major international organizations (e.g., UNFCCC Secretariat, UNDRR, UNESCO, UN-Habitat City Resilience Profiling Program, ICLEI, WWF), and the latest developments and perspectives for research.
The lectures will also address key cross sectorial and thematic issues, for example: multi-level governance, finance, generation of co-benefits, nature-based solutions, appropriate technology, participatory processes and stakeholder’s involvement, urban metabolism, circular economy, planning and design.
The summer school uses problem-based learning. The students, divided into small groups, will respond to a specific challenge, applying specific tools and methods through a system thinking approach on real cities.
Time of classes:
2 weeks in August
Teaching language
Examination regulations
Exam regulations
Name
Exam regulations
Examination is held
In the end of the course
Tests
Exam
EKA
T900041102
Name
Exam
Description
Examination condition:
Participating in class (80 %)
Examination:
Examination: The grade is meant to reflect involvement in the course. The evaluation will be based on all the aspects of the course, including understanding the content of e.g., lectures, group work and discussions, individual learning level, and specific groups/individual deliverables.
Form of examination
Portfolio
Censorship
Second examiner: Internal
Grading
7-point grading scale
Identification
Student Identification Card - Date of birth
Language
Normally, the same as teaching language
ECTS value
5
Additional exam information
The form of examination in the re-examination is the same as in the ordinary examination except the requirement of 80% attendance which is removed.
Additional information
The enrolment is limited to 18 students.
If more applicants than places, applicants who meet the mandatory requirements are prioritised according to the below selection criteria:
1.Undergraduate and graduate students from partner universities (exchange); international undergraduate and graduate guest students (fee-paying); undergraduate and graduate students from other Danish universities.
Students are prioritised on a first come, first served basis, i.e. according to the time we receive your complete application.
In case a course is filled up, we try to offer you an alternative course from your list of priorities. All final decisions about admission will be sent out continually.
Professor mso Nicola Tollin is responsible for the course and can be contacted for professional questions regarding the course at email: nto@iti.sdu.dk (cc Katarzyna Wieszczeczynska email:kawi@iti.sdu.dk)