Cities and Environmental Sustainability

Code:

MRCOT043

Acronym:

CSA

Instance: 2013/2014 - 2S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of Geography
Course/CS Responsible:	Masters in Hazards, Cities and Spatial Planning

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MRCOT	7	MRCOT - Study Plan	1	-	6	4
MSIGOT	1	MSIGOT - Study Plan	1	-	6	4

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

The discipline of Cities and Environmental Sustainability aims to contribute to provide skills and know-how in the field of urban environment by using and applying geographical knowledge and understanding to promote sustainability in urban spaces.

Learning outcomes and competences

Upon completion of this course unit, students should be able to recognize the complexity of the relation between city, environment and environmental sustainability and further develop diagnoses and proposals within the scope of promoting environmental sustainability in urbanized areas.

Working method

Presencial

Program

1. Urban environment and urban sustainability: introductory concepts

2. The city as an ecosystem

3. From issues identification to the development of strategies to promote environmental sustainability:

3.1. Land use, urban form and mobility

3.2. Green areas and ecological network

3.3. Climate and air quality

3.4. Health and environmental inequalities

Mandatory literature

Benton-Short, L., Short, J.; Cities and Nature, Routledge, 2007
Douglas, I.; The urban Environment, Edward Arnold, 1983
Hough, M. ; Naturaleza e ciudad: planificación urbana y processos ecológicos, Gustavo Gili, 1998
Jenks, M., Jones, C. (Ed.); Dimensions of the Sustainable City, Springer, 2010
Wheeler, S.; Beatley, T.; The sustainable Urban Development Reader, Routledge, 2004
Williams, D. E.; Sustainable design: ecology, architecture, and planning, John Wiley & Sons, 2007

Teaching methods and learning activities

Expository method combined with encouraged student participation, either individually or in groups, in the learning process.

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation without final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Trabalho escrito	100,00
Total:	100,00

Eligibility for exams

Thematic reports and presentations carried out individually or in groups (to be agreed upon in the first class).

Calculation formula of final grade

In order to pass this course unit, students must achieve a minimum overall mark of 10 out of 20 (weighted average of the different written and oral assessment components).

Classification improvement

Further development of some of the assessment components (to be discussed in the first class).