About this course

The focus of the course is primarily on planning in urban regions for sustainable development. The course will introduce urban sustainability debates and provide a critical perspective on the prevailing growth-based sustainable urban development paradigm; discuss spatial mechanisms at the urban regional level, through which planning strategies can have positive and negative impacts on both environmental and social sustainability; and stimulate creative planning thinking and approaches to improve environmental sustainability and social justice. The course consists of 15-16 lectures and a research project work in groups. The course includes four themes: (1) Definition and driving forces of urban regions; (2) Coordinated land use and transport planning; (3) Urban regional land use; and (4) Urban regional planning and governance. In parallel to the lectures, students will write an individual essay of around 1000 words, and conduct a research project in groups, which leads to a report of ca.6000 words long.

Learning outcome

Upon successful completion of the course, the students will be able to:

Knowledge

  • debate different concepts and understandings of sustainable urban development;
  • identify social and economic driving forces of urban-regional spatial development;
  • explain relationships at an urban regional scale between land use, transport infrastructure and travel behavior;
  • identify and describe main strategies in land use and transport infrastructure planning at an urban regional scale for environmental sustainability;

Skills

  • obtain academic writing skills through preparing a research report involving analysis, critique and argumentation for or against spatial planning strategies;

Competence

  • critically assess concepts, methods and procedures in transport infrastructure planning;
  • analyze the consequences to environmental and social sustainability of land use solutions and proposals on the urban regional scale;
  • argue for or against certain land use, transport and housing solutions and polices based on certain values and norms;
  • propose alternative solutions and proposals for land use, transport infrastructure and housing development in urban regions based on certain norms and values.

  • Learning activities

    Lectures, seminar, project work, individual essay, supervision

  • Teaching support

    Each project group will be assigned a supervisor to facilitate their group work. The course responsible will normally be available via email.

  • Syllabus

    Introduction

    Mandatory:

    Davoudi, C. (2008). Conceptions of the city-region: a critical review. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Urban Design and Planning, 161(2), pp. 51-60.

    Brenner, N., Marcuse, P. & Mayer, M. (2009). Cities for people, not for profit. City, 13(2):176 -184.

    Supplementary:

    David Harvey and the City - An Antipode Foundation film. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPGvXhicF2M

    Theme 1: Land use and transport

    Mandatory:

    Næss, P.; Peters, S.; Stefansdottir, H. & Strand, A. (2018). Causality, not just correlation: Residential location, transport rationales and travel behavior across metropolitan contexts. Journal of Transport Geography, 69, pp. 181-195.

    Banister, D. (2008). The sustainable mobility paradigm. Transport Policy, 15: 73-80.

    Holden, E., Banister, D., Gössling, S., Gilpin, G., & Linnerud, K. (2020). Grand Narratives for sustainable mobility: A conceptual review. Energy Research & Social Science, 65, 101454.

    Supplementary:

    Styret for Osloregionen (2008). Samordnet areal- og transportstrategi for Osloregionen, s. 3-13. Oslo: Prosjektgruppen fra fylkeskommuner og delregioner.

    Næss, P. (2012). Urban form and travel behavior: experience from a Nordic context. Journal of Transport and Land Use, 5:21-45.

    Næss, P. (2016). Built Environment, Causality and Urban Planning. Planning Theory & Practice, 17(1), pp. 52-71.

    Næss, P., Næss, T. & Strand, A. (2011). Oslo’s farewell to urban sprawl. European Planning Studies, 19(1). 113-139.

    Theme 2: Transport planning and evaluation

    Mandatory:

    Nicolaisen, M. S. & Driscoll, P. A. (2014). Ex-post evaluations of demand forecast accuracy: A literature review. Transport Reviews, 34(4): 540-557.

    Næss, P. (2006). Cost-benefit analyses of transportation investments: neither critical nor realistic. Journal of critical realism, 5(1), 32-60.

    Næss, P. & Strand, A. (2015). Traffic forecasting at ‘strategic’, ‘tactical’ and ‘operational’ level: A differentiated methodology is necessary. disP, 51(2): 41-48.

    Banister D. & Hickman R. (2012). Thinking the unthinkable. Transport Policy, 29:283-293.

    Supplementary:

    Næss, P., Nicolaisen, M. S. & Strand, A. (2012). Traffic forecasts ignoring induced demand: a shaky fundament for cost-benefit analyses. European Journal of Transport and Infrastructure Research, 12(3): 291-309.

    Börjeson, L., Höjer M., Dreborg, K., Ekvall, T. & Finnveden, G. (2006). Scenario types and techniques: Towards a user’s guide. Futures 38: 723-739.

    Höjer M., Gullberg, A. & Pettersson, R. (2011). Backcasting images of the future city—Time and space for sustainable development in Stockholm. Technological Forecasting & Social Change, 78: 819-834.

    Theme 3: Sustainability-oriented planning in urban region

    Mandatory:

    Mouratidis, K. (2018). Is compact city livable? The impact of compact versus sprawled neighbourhoods on neighbourhood satisfaction. Urban Studies, 55(11), 2408-2430.

    Di Marino, M., & Lapintie, K. (2018). Exploring the concept of green infrastructure in urban landscape. Experiences from Italy, Canada and Finland. Landscape Research, 43(1), 139-149.

    Xue, J. (2017). Eco-metropolis planning conditioned by the growth ideology: the case of Greater Copenhagen. Urban Design and Planning, 1-10.

    Xue, J. (2021). Urban planning and degrowth: a missing dialogue. Local Environment, 1-19.

    Mete, S., & Xue, J. (2020). Integrating environmental sustainability and social justice in housing development: two contrasting scenarios. Progress in Planning, 100504.

    Næss, P. & Xue, J. (2016). Housing standards, environmental sustainability and social welfare. In: Næss, P. & Price, L. (eds.) Crisis System: A Critical realist and critical environmental critique of contemporary economics, pp. 130-148 London: Routledge.

    Supplementary:

    Lennon, M. (2019). Grasping green infrastructure: an introduction to the theory and practice of a diverse environmental planning approach. In S. Davoudi, H. Blanco, R. Cowell, & I. White, (Eds). Companion to Environmental Planning and Sustainability. London/New York: Routledge, pp 277-288.

    Xue, J. (2014). Is eco-village/urban village the future of a degrowth society? An urban planner's perspective. Ecological economics, 105, 130-138.

    Cavicchia R. & Cucca R. (2022). Urban Densification and its social sustainability. In: Brears R. (eds) The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Urban and Regional Futures. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.

    Marcuse, P. (2012). A critical approach to solving the housing problem. Cities for People, not for Profit: Critical Urban Theory and the Right to the City. New York, London: Routledge, 215-230.

    Post-growth planning podcast: http://www.postgrowthplanning.com/

  • Prerequisites

    MA level

  • Assessment method

    Combined assessment consisting of:

    • individual essay during the semester (weighted 40%)
    • project group assignment (weighted 60%)

    Combined assessment in the form of a grading scale A-F.



    Assignment 2 - Group assignment Karakterregel: Letter grades Portfolio Karakterregel: Letter grades Assignment 1 - Individual Karakterregel: Letter grades

  • About use of AI

    Group assignment: K2 - Specified use of AI

    In the group assignment, AI can be used to find literature. Students can, e.g., use Keenious, which NMBU subscribes to.

    Descriptions of AI-category codes.

  • Examiner scheme

    Two internal examiners evaluate and grade.

  • Mandatory activity

    Lectures, seminar, project work.

    A minimum of 80% attendance is required for lectures and seminars.

  • Teaching hours

    100 hours

  • Preferential right

    M-BYREG, M-EIE; M LA

  • Reduction of credits

    There is no overlap with other courses.

  • Admission requirements

    Minimum Requirements for entrance to higher education in Norway (general admission)