ATS2547 - Cities and sustainability - 2017

Cities are dynamic and complex environments that now comprise the majority of the world we live in but they face an array of major challenges. These include: How do we make our cities more habitable and sustainable? How do we ensure social, economic, cultural, political and environmental equality? How does the geography of cities and urban systems affect their sustainability? Have cities ever been sustainable and can they be in the future? How do we manage urban growth or decline? In this unit students will examine how contemporary cities operate by focussing on urban processes and functions, as well as relevant issues such as population, the economy, governance, resource use, housing and transport.

Students who successfully complete this unit will have developed the following key competencies and capacities. You will be able to:

1. Describe and apply the concept of sustainability to urban form and function;
2. Explain urban sustainability in relation to the environment, economy, society and politics;
3. Identify unsustainable urban policies and practices and suggest effective methods of improving sustainability;
4. Utilise selected geographic research skills and concepts relevant to sustainability in an urban context.

Within semester assessment: 70% + Exam: 30%

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. A unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement. + Additional requirements + fieldtrip

See also Unit timetable information

Michele Hartz-Rozenberg

Geographical science

Human geography

Twelve credit points of first-year Arts units.

ATS3547, AZA2547, AZA3547