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Sustainable Cities

Module description

The future is urban. More than half the world’s population now lives in cities, and by 2050 that proportion is expected to increase to almost 70%. Urbanization is a defining characteristic and key driver of change in the Anthropocene, with important implications for how we live on this planet. Cities concentrate economic activity, cultures, and innovation, but they also concentrate societal challenges and environmental impacts. This module explores ideas around sustainable urban development, with a particular focus on the role of nature in cities. How does nature in cities contribute to human well-being, climate change adaptation, and resilience? We consider cities as complex social-ecological systems within larger landscapes that are impacted by the urban metabolism. We critically examine the notion of “sustainable cities” and interrogate the models and narratives of city design that are driving urban development across the world

Module aims - intentions of the module

Through a series of lectures, practical seminars, and a field trip, this module explores urban development by drawing on multiple disciplines including human geography, urban studies, and sustainability science. The module aims to:

• Enhance our understanding of what is “urban” and how that shapes the human experience
• Explore urbanization trends across the world and assess social-ecological impacts of urban growth
• Introduce the benefits provided by urban nature, but also understand inequities associated with green infrastructure
• Examine different models of “sustainable cities” and their implications for people and nature
• Discuss the narratives that influence how we think about potential urban futures 

The module content draws on the module convenor’s own research on nature in cities, inequality, and futuring. A key theme throughout the module will be the difference between Global North and Global South notions of urban development, incorporating examples from places as different as North America and southern Africa. Students will be challenged to engage critically with dominant development narratives, and explore the creativity inherent in urban systems. In addition, students will develop skills in bringing together approaches and insights from different disciplines, as well as different stakeholder perspectives.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Describe the core themes and issues related to urban development in the Anthropocene
• 2. Explain the role of nature in cities and articulate benefits and trade-offs associated with urban nature-based solutions
• 3. Review and evaluate critically the dominant models of sustainable urban development
• 4. Understand basic complexities of urban planning in the context of diverse stakeholder perspectives and needs
• 5. Analyse and synthesise complex climate datasets
• 6. Communicate complexities of climate change to policy makers
• 7. Discuss the problems and potentials of predicting future climate variability

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. Describe in some detail essential facts and theory across a sub-discipline of geography/environmental science
• 6. Analyse and evaluate independently a range of research-informed literature and synthesise examples from the literature into written work
• 7. Identify and implement, with limited guidance, appropriate methodologies and theories for addressing a range of challenges and questions in geography/environmental science
• 8. Describe and evaluate approaches to our understanding of geography/environmental science with reference to primary literature, reviews and research articles
• 12. Describe and evaluate in detail approaches to our understanding of geography with reference to primary literature, reviews and research articles.

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 9. Devise and sustain, with little guidance, a logical and reasoned argument with sound, convincing conclusions.
• 10. Communicate effectively arguments, evidence and conclusions using a variety of formats in a manner appropriate to the intended audience
• 11. Analyze and evaluate appropriate data and complete research-like tasks, drawing on a range of sources, with very limited guidance
• 12. Evaluate own strengths and weaknesses in relation to graduate-level professional and practical skills, and act autonomously to develop new areas of skills as necessary
• 13. Reflect effectively and independently on learning experiences and evaluate personal achievements
• 14. Work in a small team and deal proficiently with the issues that teamwork requires (i.e. communication, motivation, decision-making, awareness, responsibility, and management skills, including setting and working to deadlines)

Syllabus plan

Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that the module will cover some or all of the following topics:

• Introduction to cities and urbanization
• Cities as melting pots
• Urbanization impacts
• Nature in cities
• Urban climate change resilience
• Inequality and urban planning 
• Urban development models
• Urbanization narratives and the future of cities 
• Cities as drivers of change
• Field trip (1 day)

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to sit a further examination. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of referral will count for 100% of the final mark and will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Basic reading:

• Derickson K. (2015) Urban geography I: Locating urban theory in the ‘urban age’. Progress in Human Geography 39: 647-657.
• Elmqvist T., Andersson E., Frantzeskaki N., McPhearson T., Olsson P., et al. (2019) Sustainability and resilience for transformation in the urban century. Nature Sustainability 2: 267-273.
• GOLD VI (2022) State of inequalities. Chapter 2 in Pathways to urban and territorial equality. United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), Barcelona, Spain. Available at https://www.goldvi.uclg.org/en/state-of-inequalities

• Keeler B., Hamel P., McPhearson T., Hamann M., Donahue M., et al. (2019) Social-ecological and technological factors moderate the value of urban nature. Nature Sustainability 2: 29-38.
• McPhearson T., Cook E., Berbés-Blázquez M., Cheng C., Grimm N., et al. (2022) A social-ecological-technological systems framework for urban ecosystem services. One Earth 5: 505-518.
• Meerow S., Pajouhesh P., Miller T. (2019) Social equity in urban resilience planning. Local Environment 24: 793-808.
• Nagendra H., Bai X., Brondizio E., Lwasa S. (2018) The urban south and the predicament of global sustainability. Nature Sustainability 1: 341–349.

Key journals associated with this module are:

• Urban Transformations
• Urban Studies
• Ecology & Society
• Cities
• Landscape and Urban Planning
• Urban Forestry & Urban Greening
• Nature Sustainability

Key words search

Urbanization, urban growth, urban development, urban design, green infrastructure, social-ecological systems, nature-based solutions, inequality, resilience, urban futures