Urban Environment and Transport Planning

Code:

EC0038

Acronym:

AUTR

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Territory Planning and Environment

Instance: 2012/2013 - 2S

Active?	Yes
E-learning page:	https://moodle.fe.up.pt/
Responsible unit:	Spatial Planning and Environment Division
Course/CS Responsible:	Master in Civil Engineering

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MIEC	282	Syllabus since 2006/2007	4	-	5	45	135
-	1	-	-	5	5	45	135

Teaching language

Suitable for English-speaking students

Objectives

 

JUSTIFICATION The practice of engineers requires the understanding and assessment of the main problems of the urban environment and transport. The civil engineer, while designer or technician with responsibilities in the planning and administration of the territory, must acquire knowledge in their training on how to intervene and build a more sustainable urban space.

OBJECTIVES Provide tools of description and interpretation of the current problems of the urban environment and transport and framing the key strategies, methodologies and instruments of action to resolve them. Reflect and design proposals for urban intervention.

 

Learning outcomes and competences

 

SKILLS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES: Knowledge: Describe the major environmental problems, their nature and form of resolution. Application: Apply methodologies to assess the functioning of urban spaces: the characterization phase, diagnosis and prediction. Analysis: Evaluate and distinguish urban problems and needs for intervention. Develop capacities for analyzing and comparing different types of methodologies and performance in urban space. Discuss best strategies and intervention processes in urban areas. Summary: Proposing criteria and explain the choice of leading to more sustainable solutions in urban areas. Evaluation: Evaluate and criticize existing tools and methodologies, and develop recommendations for a more sustainable development.

 

Working method

Presencial

Pre-requirements (prior knowledge) and co-requirements (common knowledge)

The previous knowledge gained in Curricular Units Environmental and Social Impact Assessment  and Territorial Planning, will constitute an advanage for better performance in AUT.

Program

CHAPTER 1 - The problems: nature, significance and extent of environmental conflicts in the urban environment in the contemporary city. Factors of Quality. The problem of measuring and predicting the quality of the urban environment. Development of Indicators and Quality Indexes. The nature of environmental conflicts. An analysis of the evolution of urban dynamics and their relationship with major urban problems. The challenges of the contemporary city.

Example: The Detailed Plan of Antas - a recent intervention in Porto.

CHAPTER 2 - Methodologies: functioning of urban spaces; characterization, diagnosis and prediction Brief reference to the main components of the Biophysical Natural (topography, climate, geology, geomorphology, soils, water resources and biological resources) and System Biophysical Anthropic (use soil, landscape, heritage, environmental pollution). Socioeconomic System. Introduction to Demography. The importance of demographics for Urban and Regional Planning. Key demographic variables. Population Projection Methods. (Brief reference to Direct and Indirect methods: Extrapolation of (polynomial, exponential, linear regression and multilinear and Employment method). Presentation and application of Method of Cohort Survivors. Housing. Principal areas of analysis and planning of housing. Pressure on housing and housing problems. constructive dynamics. Distributional aspects: changing ways of occupying the accommodation. Collective facilities. Principal typologies. Programming Equipment and Networks of Collective facilities: number and type of equipment needed, evaluation of network equipment and criteria location. Transportation and urban environment. Relation Transportation - Land Use. mobility and accessibility. Traditional Model of Planning. Introducing the General Transportation Model: Generation Travel, Travel Distribution; Defining Routes; Modal Choice. Example of municipal policies transport.

Example: The Project of Metro do Porto. Presentation of two phases of the project.

CHAPTER 3 - Ideologies: strategic vision and sustainable development: integrating perspectives and goals of intervention. Sustainable Development: objectives and background. The biogeophysical environment in territorial planning.

Example: Regional Spatial Plan of Azores (PROT-A).

 

Mandatory literature

Hugh Barton, Marcus Grant and Richard Guise; Shaping neighbourhoods. ISBN: 0-415-26009-4
of the Expert Group of the Urban Environment; European sustainable cities. ISBN: 92-827-8259-X
Janice Morphet; Effective Practice in Spatial PLanning, Routledge, 2011. ISBN: 978-0-415-49281-2
Pedro J. Salvador Palomo; La planificación verde en las ciudades, Editorial Gustavo Gili, 2003. ISBN: 84-252-1517-X

Complementary Bibliography

ed. by David Banister, Kenneth Button, Peter Nijkamp; Environment, land use and urban policy. ISBN: 1-85898-722-9
ULL; Livro branco da arquitectura e do ambiente urbano em Portugal. ISBN: 972-95943-5-X

Teaching methods and learning activities

Theoretical courses. Presentation and discussion of case studies. Research in small groups. DEMONSTRATION OF THE COHERENCE BETWEEN THE TEACHING METHODOLOGIES AND THE LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students are encouraged to develop criteria and establish methodologies for the analysis and interpretation of problems related to the urban environment and transport, to develop capacities to analyze and compare different types of interventions and methodologies of urban regulation, propose solutions to enhance the ability of intervention the urban environment and transport.

Software

ArcView
AutoCAD

keywords

Social sciences > Demography
Social sciences > Sociology > Urban sociology
Social sciences

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Description	Type	Time (hours)	Weight (%)	End date
Final Exam	Exame	2,00	70,00	2013-07-17
Written assignemnet	Trabalho escrito	20,00	30,00	2013-05-31
Attendance	Participação presencial		0,00
	Total:	-	100,00

Eligibility for exams

Achieving final classification requires compliance with attendance at the course unit. It is considered that students meet the attendance requirements if, having been regularly enrolled, the number of absences of 25% for each of the classes’ types is not exceeded. The following cases are exempted from the attendance requirements: i) cases prescribed by law, including student workers; ii) students who were admitted to exams in the previous academic year.

Calculation formula of final grade

CF - Final classification

EX - Exam

TS - Workgroup of the semester

CF = 0,70*EX + 0,30*TS

(classification of all components of evaluation are expressed for a scale from 0 to 20)

Observations

Working time estimated out of class: 3 hours

Students, who have completed this course in the previous year, do not have to do the practical assignment again.

DEMONSTRATION OF THE SYLLABUS COHERENCE WITH THE CURRICULAR UNIT'S OBJECTIVES: Students are encouraged to apply the learned knowledge to study examples of real municipal systems and municipal strategic plans for sustainable development.