Topic outline

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  Cities, Climate Change and Sustainable Development Goals 

  The course dwells on climate change and its impact on cities, as well as on the Sustainable Development Goals through understanding of concepts, theories,  discussions and case studies

  
  
   Source: CEPT

  Instructor(s) Darshini Mahadevia
  

  As Taught in Monsoon 2017

  Level Master Students of Planning, Architecture, Technology and Management; Final Year Bachelor Students of Planning and Architecture

  Type lecture and seminar

  • Syllabus Page
• Module 1: Introduction to climate change and sustainable development
  
  

  Module 1: Introduction to climate change and sustainable development
• Session 1
  
  

  Session 1

  Introduction to climate change

  • Climate change phenomena (Science), impacts, adaptation, mitigation, key terms
  • Meeting the challenge of climate change by other actions
  • Linking Development and Climate Change Related Efforts, Sustainable Development, Conventional vs Sustainable approach; Notion of equitable development

  Materials

  • IPCC introductory video – 1 on the Science of Climate Change and other technical terms.
  • UNEP & UNFCCC (2002): Understanding Climate Change: A Beginner’s Guide to the UN Framework Convention and Its Kyoto Protocol, UNFCCC, Geneva.
• Session 2-3
  
  

  Session 2-3

  Concepts – Millennium Development Goals, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), their achievement status globally and in India, and link with cities

  • Linkages: SDGs and Climate Change
  • Direct linkage with SDGs 1, 7, 11, 13
  • But also with Goal 2 (climate change and food security), 5, 10, water, coastal ecosystems, institutional reforms (Not essential to go into details)
  • India’s MDG achievements
  • SDGs and Cities and their Links with Cities

  
  Materials

  • UN Sustainable Development Goals
  • UN Millenium Development Goals Report 2015
  • Mahadevia, Darshini (2013): Urban Poverty in India and Post-MDG Framework, Oxfam India Working Paper Series, No. XVII, April.
• Session 4-5
  
  

  Session 4-5

  Climate change and cities – CC’s impacts on Cities and Cities/ urbanization impacting CC

  Visiting Faculty, Dr. Minal Pathak

  • Concepts – Climate Change and its Impacts on cities;
  • Impacts on Global South and Cities within, including impacts on economy and overall well-being.
  • Local solutions to meet global targets. Integration local-national-global
  • Development lags due to exclusive or inequitable urban development causing larger impacts

  
  Materials

  • Rosenszweig, C.; W.D. Solecki, S.A Hammer, & S. Mehrotra, (Eds.) (2011): Climate Change and Cities: First Assessment Report of the Urban Climate Change Research Network, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (Chapter 1 compulsory, Chapter 2 optional)
  • Revi A. (2008): “Climate Change Risk: An Adaptation and Mitigation Agenda for Indian Cities”, Environment and Urbanization, 20: 207
  • AR5 WGII & WGIII – Chapters on Human Settlements
  • AR II & AR III (Chapters on mitigation and adaptation)
• Modul 2: Adressing climate change: Options and Pathways
  
  

  Modul 2: Adressing climate change: Options and Pathways
• Session 6
  
  

  Session 6

  Low Carbon Development – Need, Options and Pathways
  
  

  • Shared Socio-economic Pathways (SSP) for 2 degree and 1.5 degree change in temperature in relation to pre-industrial era
  • Paris Agreement (NDC)
  • Concepts – Mitigation, low carbon cities

  
  Materials

  • Assessment Report 5, WGII, video
  • UNEP (2012) Bridging the Emissions Gap. Executive Summary,
  • UNEP (2016) Bridging the Emissions Gap. Executive Summary
  • Case Study: Foster + Partners (2014) Masdar City 
  • Case Study: Gemeente Amsterdam (2013) Towards a low carbon city (Amsterdam) 
• Session 7
  
  

  Session 7

  India’s Policies (Mitigation)

  • Global Agreements and Targets on Mitigating Climate Change
  • Tasks for Cities in general & Tasks for Cities in India in Particular in the context of the National Commitments (NDCs – Nationally Determined Commitments)
  • 1.5 degree scenario’s implications for India in general and cities in particular

  
  Materials

  • IPCC Website data on the NDCs
  • GoI 2011, National Action Plan on Climate Change. Executive Summary.
  • GoI 2015, India’s Nationally Determined Commitments (INDCs) http://www4.unfccc.int/submissions/INDC/Published%20Documents/India/1/INDIA%20I NDC%20TO%20UNFCCC.pdf
  • Dhar S., M. Pathak, & P.R. Shukla (2013): “What Does a 2 degree Scenario Mean for India” in Low Carbon City: A guidebook for City Planners and Practitioners. UNEP Riso Centre. (suggested reading) (Section 4)
• Session 8
  
  

  Session 8

  Case Presentation by Students from Literature Search

  Sections of Assessment, Reports (Mid term). Students will select from the list
  
  
• Session 9
  
  

  Session 9

  Adaptation and Resilience Efforts in Cities and SDG links using case studies

  • What if the world fails to deliver on its promises- in the event of catastrophic climate change, what are the measures for adapting to residual climate change?
  • The session discusses the challenges to adaptation, options and possibilities with a focus on cities in developing countries

  
  Materials

  • AR 5 WGII video
  • Rosenszweig, C.; W.D. Solecki, S.A Hammer, & S. Mehrotra, (Eds.) (2011): Climate Change and Cities: First Assessment Report of the Urban Climate Change Research Network, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. (Chapters 4 to 7)
  • Pathak M. et al. (2015) “Integrating Climate Change in City Planning: Framework and Case Studies”, in Mahendra Dev S. and S. Yedla (eds) Cities and Sustainability: Issues and Challenges. Springer.
  • Bhat et al., (2013) Addressing flooding in the city of Surat beyond its boundaries. Environment and Urbanization Vol 25(2): 429–441
  • NYCEDC (2013): A Stronger, More Resilient New York
• Section 10-11
  
  

  Section 10-11

  Sectoral Interventions for climate compatible development

  • How will climate change impact key urban sectors?
  • What are the major contributing sectors where is the potential for action?
  • Discussion on co-benefits of sectoral actions, SDGs’ achievements and both mitigation and adaptation, which have strong links with the development agenda and hence the SDGs.
  • Both, mitigation and adaptation have strong links with development agenda.
• Session 10
  
  

  Session 10

  Transport

  • Transport and Contribution to Climate Change – Global and National scenarios
  • Mitigation Pathways and Initiatives at Global level and in India
  • Transport Infrastructure adaptation to Climate Change

  
  Materials

  • UNEP (2012): The Emissions Gap Report 2012, United Nations Environment Programme
  • UNEP (2016). A Toolkit for Preparation of Low Carbon Mobility Plan, United Nations
  • United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) | Nairobi Convention
  • Mahadevia, D., R. Joshi and A. Datey (2012): Accessibility and Sustainability of Bus Rapid Transit in India, UNEP Risoe Centre on Energy, Climate and Sustainable Development, Technical University of Denmark, Roskilde.
  • Dhar, S., M. Pathak and P.R. Shukla (2015): Transport Scenarios for India: Harmonizing Development and Climate Benefits, UNEP DTU Partnership, Copenhagen.
  • Shukla, P.R., S. Dhar, M. Pathak & K. Bhaskar (2014): Electric Vehicle Scenarios and a Roadmap for India, UNEP-DTU Partnership, Copenhagen.
• Session 11
  
  

  Session 11

  Housing and vulnerability

  • Contribution of Housing to GHG emissions
  • Future floor space demand, and energy impacts (from materials, energy consumption from air conditioning, etc) in India
  • Housing vulnerability and adaptation issues
  • Case of Guwahati – conflict of housing rights vs environmental agendas

  
  Materials

  • Assessment Report 5 - IPCC WGII & III chapters on buildings
  • Domingos José De Almeida Neto and Léo Heller (2016): “Which is riskier: life on the floodplain or in housing imposed from above? The case of flood-prone areas in Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil” Environment and Urbanization Vol 28(1): 169–182
• Session 12
  
  

  Session 12

  Green cover and urban heat island impacts

  • Heat and vulnerability
  • Likely heat scenarios due to climate change in Indian case
  • Impacts on well being

  
  Materials

  • Case Study: Ahmedabad Heat Action Plan
  • Amsterdam Rain proof.
  • Rotterdam water square 
• Module 3: Implementation and Mainstreaming
  
  

  Module 3: Implementation and Mainstreaming
• Session 13-14
  
  

  Session 13-14

  Governance Issues related to Resilience, Adaptation and Mitigation, role of State, Market and Civil Society (To bring Indian cases)

  • Link with goal 16 (participation and inclusiveness in decision making)
  • National sub-national integration

  
  Materials

  • Bulkeley H, Schroeder H et al., (2009) Cities and Climate Change: The role of institutions, governance and urban planning. 
  • Rosenszweig, C.; W.D. Solecki, S.A Hammer, & S. Mehrotra, (Eds.) (2011): Climate Change and Cities: First Assessment Report of the Urban Climate Change Research Network, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (Chapter on governance)
  • Colenbrander et al. (2016) Can low-carbon urban development be pro-poor? The case of Kolkata, India. Environment and Urbanization.
• Session 15-16
  
  

  Session 15-16

  Case Study preparation by students taking examples from Indian Cities and presentation.

  The cases will focus on impacts, adaptation and resilience building efforts made and required