Course syllabus for Social-ecological urbanism

Course syllabus adopted 2023-02-13 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).

Overview

  • Swedish nameSocial-ekologisk stadsbyggnad
  • CodeACE535
  • Credits15 Credits
  • OwnerMPARC
  • Education cycleSecond-cycle
  • Main field of studyArchitecture
  • ThemeArchitectural design project 15 c
  • DepartmentARCHITECTURE AND CIVIL ENGINEERING
  • GradingTH - Pass with distinction (5), Pass with credit (4), Pass (3), Fail

Course round 1

  • Teaching language English
  • Application code 05129
  • Maximum participants24 (at least 10% of the seats are reserved for exchange students)
  • Minimum participants8
  • Open for exchange studentsYes
  • Only students with the course round in the programme overview.

Credit distribution

0123 Project 15 c
Grading: TH		 15 c

In programmes

Examiner

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Eligibility

General entry requirements for Master's level (second cycle)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Specific entry requirements

English 6 (or by other approved means with the equivalent proficiency level)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Course specific prerequisites


Aim

The aim of the course is to strengthen students understanding and skills of how urban design can create conditions that contribute to more resilient and sustainable cities using a scientific approach, often referred to as evidence-based design or research informed design. To combine an artistic and scientific design approach in urban design is important to contribute to national and international sustainability goals.

It is expected that 70% of the world population will be living in urban areas by 2050. At the same time, cities consume almost 80% of the world’s energy, produce more than 60% of greenhouse gas emissions and are generally associated with biodiversity losses, as well as other environmental threats. Although cities, in many ways, have contributed to current problems, they also have the potential, if designed well, to contribute to the solution. To do so, it is crucial to have an in-depth understanding of how the urban environment affects social, economic and ecological processes. This integral design approach where these dimensions are combined is coined ‘social-ecological urbanism’.

The course will give students the theories, methods and tools to identify strengths and weaknesses in existing urban areas, formulate strategies to improve these areas and explore possible design alternatives. Spatial analysis is used to continuously evaluate these design alternatives. This iterative design process (from design to analyses and back to design) aims to support decision making towards solutions that best contribute to sustainable development, including goals related to human health and well-being, but also resource efficiency and biodiversity.

Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to)

Knowledge and understanding

1. Explain how the physical environment in terms of its density, centrality, connectivity and accessibility affects social, economic and ecological processes in cities using theories central within urban morphology and social-ecological urbanism.

Competence and skills

2. Analyze and visualize geographic data using descriptive-analytic methodology and tools central to Space Syntax.
3. Formulate strengths and weaknesses of a given site and strategies for change, supported by relevant research within the fields urban morphology and social-ecological urbanism.
4. Evaluate design alternatives using research and spatial analysis to support decision-making toward design solutions that best contribute to sustainable development, including goals related to human health and well-being, but also resource efficiency and biodiversity.
5. Communicate results of the project in text, drawings and maps characterized by coherence and logic as well as an appropriate use of spatial analyses and references to relevant research.

Judgement and approach

6. Reflect on the difference between a design process based on an artistic approach and a scientific approach (e.g. evidence-based design and research informed design) and exemplify this with experiences from the course.

Content

The course centres around the concept of social-ecological urbanism, an approach positioned at the interface of urban design and urban ecology. It points out how resilience in interlinked social and ecological urban systems can be addressed through design to support political goals and aims on sustainability. Social-ecological urbanism offers a far broader conception of urban sustainability than current discourses, by addressing cities on the relevant systems level, where, moreover, social, economic and ecological urban systems are combined. Social-ecological urbanism integrates and aligns ecological and social services in cities and uses resilience as a guiding design principle.

The project results in a masterplan that is developed by a group of students. A masterplan is a document that guides the physical development of a city or part of its territory. It should structure and accommodate change and provide conditions to steer the change towards more resilient and sustainable outcomes. Spatial analyses are used to continuously evaluate design alternatives and through an iterative design process support decision making towards solutions that best contribute to the aims of the masterplan.

Different themes are introduced step-by-step through lectures, literature and workshops to gradually increase complexity. The three themes are:
  • Design approaches: e.g. social-ecological urbanism, system thinking, evidence based design
  • Design elements och begrepp: e.g. streets centrality, accessibility, barriers, built density, plot patterns, green and blue infrastructure
  • Design outcomes: e.g. walkability, social segregation, health & wellbeing, biodiversity, ecosystem services

Organisation

The studio is organised around a sequence of workshops, GIS laboratories, lectures, literature seminars and the design project. Lectures are thematic and provide the latest research on a specific topic, while literature seminars deepen understanding and critical reading of the for the course central approaches and theories. Workshops give room for experiments, GIS laboratories give the technical skills to conduct advanced spatial analyses, and the design project synthesises all this.

  • GIS laboratories. The use of quantitative GIS (Geographic Information System) data is central for the work in the studio and the skills are learned during the GIS laboratories. Software and tutorials are provided.
  • Workshops. During the workshops the advanced spatial analyses and theoretical knowledge are applied using simple design problems that enable the students to quickly go through a "design loop" of analysing, designing alternatives and evaluating effects.
  • Lectures. Throughout the whole semester lectures are scheduled to introduce new themes that support the other course components. The lectures are given by experts from Chalmers, but also guests from other universities and practice.
  • Literature seminars. During the seminars, the central theories addressing the relation between urban form and urban life are discussed as well as the research-informed design approach used in the course.
  • Design project. The skills learned during the GIS laboratories and workshops and the knowledge from the lectures and literature seminars will be synthesised and applied in the design project.

Literature

Literature will be announced at the start of the course.

Examination including compulsory elements

The grade is a weighted average of the following aspects (weight in brackets):
  1. Written report and oral presentations (compulsory attendance at 90%-presentation and final presentation) of the design project including active use of the lectures and related literature in the text (50%, group work)
  2. Compulsory attendance at the GIS laboratories, alternative written assignment (10%, individual work)
  3. Written reports for workshop 1 and 2 (10%, group work)
  4. Written report for workshop 3 (20%, individual work)
  5. Written assignment in the form of a reflection on the difference between a design process based on an artistic approach and a scientific approach (10%, individual work)
  6. Attendance: less than 70% attendance pulls down the grade

The course examiner may assess individual students in other ways than what is stated above if there are special reasons for doing so, for example if a student has a decision from Chalmers on educational support due to disability.