ES3202: Resilient Urban Systems

Course Aims: The urban population is growing globally, creating or exacerbating major global environmental issues such as climate change and biodiversity loss. To understand the role that cities can play in mitigating these issues, this course aims to equip students with the basic knowledge and tools to analyze urban landscapes using the frameworks of resilience and ecosystem serivces. We will cover the major challenges that cities face in the 21st century and the role that natural infrastructure –forests, parks, trees, green roofs– can play in addressing these challenges. Through a group project, students will apply this knowledge in practice by articulating the potential for natural infrastructure and presenting an urban ecosystem services assessment for a case study of their choice.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO): By the end of this course, you (as a student) will be able to: 1. Describe the major challenges and opportunities faced by cities in the Anthropocene   2. Explain how natural infrastructure can address urban challenges using the analytical frameworks of resilience and ecosystem services 3. Apply modelling tools to assess ecosystem services provided by natural infrastructure in cities 4. Collaborate with other students to produce and present an assessment of urban ecosystem services in a case study  

Course Content: The course comprises two parts: i) a series of lectures aiming to provide the basic theoretical knowledge on urban challenges and natural infrastructure –what it is and how it benefits people; ii) practical activities aiming to consolidate this knowledge through discussions and hands‐on modeling experience (see weekly schedule for details). A visit to a Government Agency in Singapore will complement the course by providing some local examples of the concepts studied in class.

No of AUs: 3AU

Semester given: Semester 1

Pre-Requisite: ES2802

Course OBTL

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