Course info

Sustainable development has become in the last two decades a recurrent theme for urban planning and management. But how this focus is transforming the way planning discipline can understand, analyse, and progress towards the future in/for our contemporary city? The course develops on the main questions at the core of contemporary urban planning: to which needs should respond urban planning nowadays when shaping our cities? Which knowledge for planning (analyses) do serve when the goal becomes making cities more inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable? Which kind of problems, planning should revolve, for a sustainable perspective (e.g. social justice, cultural richness, ecological restoration) and through which kind of visions, integrative plans, catalogues of interventions, scenarios should develop? How can a planner bridge urban analyses to the diverse societal pressures, and to design new tools as scenarios for future plans/visions/strategies? Where is the 'urban' within societal trends of (sustainable) transition?

The course is based on ongoing contemporary research; the literature presented derives therefore from scientific articles and conference papers. Students must read the assigned readings in advance to each meeting and be prepared to discuss in groups and plenary session their presentations. Classes are articulated in workshops and seminars that often start with an inspirational lecture from the instructor drawing from literature, video or webinars. Discussions will follow assignments in small groups of students on analytical frames and the empirical applicability. Each lecture will close wrapping out on questions and defining future challenges until the next meeting. Please be aware to dress comfortable shoes as the meetings can include ‘walking’ through our living urban laboratory open air: the city of Aalborg.