Course Syllabus

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Semester & Location:

Fall 2020 - DIS Copenhagen

Type & Credits:

Exploration Elective Course - 3 credits

Study Tours:

Bordeaux, France

Major Disciplines:

Sustainability, Urban Design, Urban Studies 

Faculty Members:

Silvia Dragomir

Program Director:

Neringa Vendelbo - nb@dis.dk

Time & Place:

TBA

Description of Course

Current changes in our climate require an innovative response to the way we build our urban environments. Re-framing the way urban evolution and nature are thought of, this course explores how the holistic integration of blue and green infrastructures, renewable energy, waste management, digital technology and agriculture in the built environment can provide healthier, more resilient and smarter cities. An ecological symbiosis between nature, the built form and society, this new urban paradigm questions weather we can re-cast the city from past and current principles, with its inhabitants at the forefront.

This course is developed through a series of mobile lectures, case studies, design workshops and field studies, both in Copenhagen, Denmark, and in Bordeaux, France. The close analysis of two complementary cities - one confronted with cloudburst, another threatened by excessive drought - offers a holistic approach to climate action, and hopes to cultivate social cohesion and new spatial practices in addition to food to our tables. It is an open invitation to abandon comfortable academic distinctions, further a holistic dialogue and to stimulate the creation of concrete solutions for our cities.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course...

  • understand the cities' role as a driver for resilient urban development and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
  • be able to analyze strategies within urban development in relation to their immediate as well as more long-term consequences.
  • be able to critically analyze and evaluate solutions and proposals that relate to the spatial development of cities and regions, especially with regard to sustainability and climate.
  • be able to reflect upon urban developmental situations that are complex, unpredictable and in need of new schemes for solutions whilst planning in a changing climate.

Faculty

Silvia Andreea Dragomir

Architect and advocate of Cities for People, with an MSc in Sustainable Urban Planning from Aalborg University and MSc in Architecture from Bucharest and Bordeaux Silvia's professional profile includes a collaboration with KANT architects, AS Architecture studio Paris, owner of an architecture studio with focus on sustainability, climate change adaptation and mitigation, co-founder of KlimaLab.dk, a climate innovation platform. Her passion is sharing the knowledge and create better living environments. With DIS since 2015.

Approach to Teaching

The class will meet once a week during the semester. Assigned readings, urban explorations and student presentations will act as background for class discussion. This course relies heavily on reading in order to gain a deeper understanding of varying case studies we will discuss. Assigned texts must be read before class. Copenhagen will also serve as a living laboratory to illustrate the forces behind climate planning in a European context, where relevant. Moreover, group work is essential following real life working scenarios.

Readings

There is a textbook for this course: A changemaker's guide to the future (which is to be picked up during Arrivals Week) and  complementary article readings, which are found exclusively on Canvas.

The reading for each class is attached/indicated under Modules, as follows:

Hunt, A., & Watkiss, P. (2011). Climate change impacts and adaptation in cities: a review of the literature. Climatic Change, 104(1), 13-49.

City of Copenhagen (2011). Copenhagen Climate Adaptation Plan

Blanco G., et al.,( 2014): Drivers, Trends and Mitigation. In: Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of Climate Change. Contribution of Working Group III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA.

McEvoy, D. et al. (2006) Adaptation and mitigation in urban areas: synergies and conflicts. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers Municipal Engineer 159 (Pages 185–191)

Vuuren, D.P. et al. (2010). The use of scenarios as the basis for combined assessment of climate change mitigation and adaptation. Global Environmental Change 21 (2011) 575–591

Flyvbjerg, B. (2012). Bringing Power to Planning Research: One Researcher’s Praxis Story. In Fainstein, S. and Campbell, S. (eds.). Readings in Planning Theory (pp. 241-267). Oxford: Wiley and Sons

Hersh, B. (2012) The Complexity of Urban Waterfront Redevelopment. New York (Pages 23-37)

Labadie, J. (2011). Emergency Managers Confront Climate Change. Sustainability

Field Studies

Field studies form an integral part of the course to support our understanding of how climate change action is conducted in a practical urban setting. While in Copenhagen, we have extra two half-day field studies:

Wednesday, TBA, 13:30-16:30    Cities as ecosystem

Wednesday, TBA, 9:00-12:00  Climate as solution workshop

Expectations of the Students

This course is not a traditional lecture class, but relies heavily on class discussion, informed by an in-depth, critical reading of the assigned texts. The readings for each class have purposely been kept to reasonable amount and it is expected that all students have read, seen, or played the material prior to the lectures.

I expect you to fully engage in the lectures, participate actively in discussions, and be open minded about your fellow students' points of view. Your overall grade will be depending on an engaged, informed, and highly active participation in class discussion.

Evaluation

Class participation

Participation will be evaluated by the extent to which students attend classes, actively engage in class discussions, contribute to workshops, and critically reflect on the assigned readings. You are expected to bring your reading notes as well as questions to class. The reading required is the one going beyond finding information, or identifying main ideas. It will ask you to dig deep to identify meaning, relationships between ideas, and to challenge yourself finding your own response to these ideas, and its impact to the world around. Such response involves analysis, synthesis and creativity. You are encouraged to bring your own experiences into the discussions.

Creative journal

This is your collection of class reflections, representing the connection between readings, discussions and our visits in the city. A minimum of a creative, crafted page per class (collage, drawing, mind map, manifesto, recipe book, letter ...), each of structured observations and critical reflections on what you experienced, learned, and thought about during and after the mobile lectures. This journal is meant to hone both your observational and critical reflection skills, as well as to practice concise writing techniques and develop your creative skills.

This creative journal forms the foundation for the final project.

Deadline for the weekly journal page is after class, by the end of the day.

Final Project - Cities as solution

Part 1: Cities as ecosystems

The assignment is a group exercise consisting of:

  1. Summarizing and connecting the five main teams previously discussed
  2. Producing a model containing the most relevant conclusions (poster, collage, film, drawing, mind map, manifesto, recipe book, ...)
  3. Presenting your model to the class  

Deadline is TBA, 2020.

 Part 2: Cities as solution

The assignment is a group exercise continuing the first part of the final project, consisting of:

  1. Answer to the question: How can cities build a resilient future?
  2. Producing a model containing the most relevant conclusions (poster, collage, film, drawing, mind map, manifesto, recipe book, ...)
  3. Presenting your model to the class 

Deadline is TBA, 2020.

All assignments must be handed in on the due date electronically through Canvas, unless otherwise mentioned. Late hand-in and lack of references are not accepted. To be eligible for a passing grade in this class you must complete all of the assigned work.

Grading

Assignment

Percent

Class participation                          20%
Creative journal    30%
Final project_Part 1 & Part 2 (20% + 30%)         50%

Academic Regulations

Electronic Devices in the Classroom

Use of laptops is allowed for the purpose of note-taking ONLY and requires prior consultation. Students should refrain from all other computer activities, as they prove distracting to themselves and fellow students. Mobile phones and other electronic communication devices should of course be turned off and stored away. Using the laptop for other purposes than note-taking will have a negative impact on your grade.

 

    Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:

     

     

    DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org

     

    Course Summary:

    Date Details Due