Cities, Climate Change and Sustainable Development Goals

Description [what is the course about, aims, etc.]

Climate Change (CC) will impact Cities, and more so of the highly dense cities of the global South, which has not yet met the MDGs (Millennium Development Goals) and hence have to go a long way in meeting the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) when the population movement is expected to increase till 2050. CC will adversely impact achievement of SDGs, which will unfold through the climate change impacts, population resilience, and adaptation and mitigation efforts of the governments, communities and private sector. This course dwells on these issues through understanding of concepts, theories, discussions and case studies.

Climate change has emerged as one of the most important and complex sustainability issues globally. Concentration of greenhouse gas emissions have increased markedly during the past century due to human activities, which will not only significantly affect climate but will also human well-being. As the world is urbanizing, the cities and towns will be exposed to significant climate change impacts ranging from sea level rise and coastal area innundation, flooding, water stress and heat/cold waves, which would then adversely impact human health, incomes, and overall wellbeing leading to multiple conflicts. For cities, climate change raises two major concerns: (i) the challenge of controlling the greenhouse gas GHG emissions, i.e. mitigation and (ii) Increasing adaptive capacity of communities and urban systems against impacts from climate change, in particular of the low income communities. There is also now an understanding that the socially and economically vulnerable would be adversely impacted more than the other populations. The unmet development needs (encompassed within the SDGs) along with addressing climate change related issues take us towards a new paradigm of development.

Since cities are continuously in the process of development, it becomes necessary to look at solutions that can be embedded in the existing processes. The course aims to (i) expos e students to climate change issues in cities and open up opportunities for innovative work in this emerging field and (ii) To understand urban responses to climate change including mitigation and adaptation and how these can be integrated into urban planning and development with emphasis on low-income communities and informal activities. The urbanization challenges and dynamics in India and her climate change related commitments would be in the centre of the discussions in the course.

Learning Outcomes [statements about knowledge, skills and competencies of students]

["Learning outcomes are statements of what a learner is expected to know, understand and/or be able to demonstrate after completion of a process of learning."  Further explanations on learning outcomes can be found here, here, or here.]

After completion of this course the students will be able to:

  • understand the phenomenon of climate change in general
  • understand the links of SDGs with urban development
  • link the SDGs and climate change impacts in the context of urbanisation in Indian context
  • understand mitigation interventions in the context of meeting the SDGs in Indian cities

Student Workload [time a student is expected to spend on the course, both in hours and in ECTS (25 hours ~ 1 ECTS)]

[how does you institution calculate the workload of students for this course, e.g. in % of academic year; how would this translate into ECTS]

On average, a student is expected to spend a total of about 1 hours of self-study for one contact hour for this course. The self study includes assignments of reading and project, and course materials reading. The course requires 2 contact hours per week and 2 self study hours (~ 3 ECTS) per week.

Course Structure [frequency, duration, format, etc.]

16 weeks, weekly sessions
lecture & seminar

Prerequisites [requirements for participation]

[Prerequisites for participation, e.g. this class has no prerequisites, limited number of places decided by ..., prior to enrolment course xy has to be completed]

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

Assignments [tasks, homework, tests, expected activities of students, etc.]

i) Paris Agreement – NDCs review
ii) SDGs review and link with urban and Climate change
iii) AR 5 – WGII chapters on human settlements
iv) AR 5 – WGIII chapters on human settlements
v) Case studies of integrated interventions – CC compatible and SDG compatible development interventions, examples from cities

Grading [assessment criteria and their weight]

i) Review of State and National level Commitments and Action Plans     20%
ii) Reading Materials presentation 1 20%
iii) Reading Materials presentation 2 20%
iv) Case studies of interventions 30%
v) Class participation 10%

Course evaluation [how does your institution evaluate the quality of the course]

The course is evaluated as per the CEPT's student feedback form.

Last modified: Tuesday, 2 July 2019, 8:16 AM