GEOG 5091 - Sustainable Cities: Climate Change and Planning

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2018

Increasingly both the developed and developing world are acknowledging significant challenges to environmental sustainability at the global, regional and local scales. Human-induced climate change is one driver of this concern, but others include concerns with water quality and availability, the impact of air pollution on human health and the loss of valuable agricultural land. The challenges are further exacerbated by the need to consider cultural, social and economic sustainability, alongside the more commonly discussed environmental issues. Cities lie at the forefront of sustainability challenges: the majority of the world's population lives in an urban area, and cities are the focus of the overwhelming majority of economic activity and resource consumption. This course examines issues of environmental sustainability in cities and the ways in which governments and communities can plan and act to achieve more sustainable outcomes. The course examines issues around urban design, transport planning and provision, planning regulations, housing supply, economic structure and waste management and handling.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code GEOG 5091
    Course Sustainable Cities: Climate Change and Planning
    Coordinating Unit Geography, Environment and Population
    Term Semester 2
    Level Postgraduate Coursework
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 3 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange N
    Prerequisites Completed degree (72 units)
    Course Description Increasingly both the developed and developing world are acknowledging significant challenges to environmental sustainability at the global, regional and local scales. Human-induced climate change is one driver of this concern, but others include concerns with water quality and availability, the impact of air pollution on human health and the loss of valuable agricultural land. The challenges are further exacerbated by the need to consider cultural, social and economic sustainability, alongside the more commonly discussed environmental issues. Cities lie at the forefront of sustainability challenges: the majority of the world's population lives in an urban area, and cities are the focus of the overwhelming majority of economic activity and resource consumption. This course examines issues of environmental sustainability in cities and the ways in which governments and communities can plan and act to achieve more sustainable outcomes. The course examines issues around urban design, transport planning and provision, planning regulations, housing supply, economic structure and waste management and handling.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Professor Melissa Nursey-Bray

    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    At the successful completion of this course students will be able to:
    1 Identify and understand the major challenges to urban sustainability
    2 Describe the major tools used to manage sustainability in cities, including hard and soft infrastructure
    3 Demonstrate familiarity with the core concepts in urban sustainability debates
    4 Demonstrate knowledge of key sources in the urban sustainability literature
    5 Gain the ability to search and analyse critical source of information on cities and their environmental performance
    6 Gain the ability to communicate effectively on the issue of urban sustainabiilty
    University Graduate Attributes

    No information currently available.

  • Learning Resources
    Recommended Resources
    Haughton, G. and Hunter, C. 2010 Sustainable Cities, Routledge, Abingdon.
    Online Learning
    Lectures, assessment and handouts will be made available via MyUni. The online experience will be interactive to create a dialogue between the co-ordinator and students, as well as between students.
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    Lectures supported by problem-solving workshops which develop the lecture material.
    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    1 x 1-hour lecture (or equivalent) per week 12 hours per semester
    1 x 2-hour workshop (or equivalent) per week 24 hours per semester
    6 hours reading per week 72 hours per semester
    2 hours research per week 24 hours per semester
    2 hours assignment preparation per week 24 hours per semester
    TOTAL WORKLOAD 156 hours per semester
    Learning Activities Summary
    Schedule
    Week 1 Introduction – Sustainability and Cities
    Week 2 Climate Change and Cities in the Developed World
    Week 3 Climate Change and Cities in the Developed World
    Week 4 Transport
    Week 5 Resource Use, Overuse and Solutions
    Week 6 Waste Management
    Week 7 Air Pollution: Challenges, Geography and Impact
    Week 8 The Influence of Urban Form on Urban Sustainability
    Week 9 Managing Sustainability: Planning
    Week 10 Managing Sustainability: New Technologies
    Week 11 Exam preparation
    Week 12 Conclusion
  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Assessment Task Task Type Weighting Learning Outcome
    3000 word essay Formative and Summative 50% 1-5
    2 hour exam Formative and Summative 40% 3-6
    Participation and attendance Formative and Summative 10% 5, 6
    Assessment Detail
    3000 word essay – students will write a research essay that critically evaluates the key challenges to sustainability, and their potential solutions, in a major urban area – 50% weighting

    Participation and attendance – students interact with the class and co-operate in the active learning process – 10%

    2 hour exam – students will be assessed on all aspects of the taught curriculum, including the reading material – 40%
    Submission
    All assignments are submitted electronically via MyUni.
    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.