About this course

The course will not be offered in 2026.

The subject is under development with planning for a pilot project in the fall of 2026.for the development of the course to 15 ECTS credits. The goal in the early phase is to explore the use of instruments using drones and 3D visualization for mapping and analysis of various landscape interventions related to large development projects in the landscape. Students with both landscape expertise, area expertise and natural science expertise are needed to be able to perform good analyses and set priorities. Interfaces and buffer zones can be important parameters for mapping. The ILKA method (integrated landscape character analysis), physical inspections and computer technology will be used as an interdisciplinary approach method in the early phase. This will likely require starting in the August block.

Students will work in groups with specific cases that are in an early planning phase. Different sustainability perspectives will be explored and discussed. The project assignment can be angled towards natural interventions, cultural landscape changes or people's experiences related to the landscape.

The landscape we live in has always been and will always be changing. This is due to both natural conditions and human influence. In recent years, transformations in the landscape have occurred at a speed that is both accelerating and leading to major challenges for society and the natural environment. Land use change is the factor that leads to the greatest loss of nature.

Norway has joined the European Landscape Convention. This emphasizes the importance of creating sustainable development based on a balance between social, economic and environmental needs. On what premises are changes in the landscape taking place?

The Convention points out that "the development of production techniques in agriculture, forestry, industry and mining and in regional and urban planning, transport, infrastructure, leisure and tourism, as well as general changes in the world economy, in many cases accelerate changes in the landscape". The agreement obliges countries to map landscapes in their territory, to analyze the character of the landscapes and the forces and threats that lead to their change.

The course's objective is for students to develop their analytical ability to study major landscape changes that occur, identify and understand the driving forces behind the development, know and apply planning tools used in the planning phase to manage this, and be able to discuss the changes in light of the concept of sustainability.

Learning outcome

Knowledge:

The student must acquire knowledge of:

  • Different approaches that are relevant for an interdisciplinary analysis of landscapes with the various consequences of an intervention, and how this can promote understanding and communication among people
  • Important overall guidelines, legislation and guidelines that are relevant for physical planning of projects affecting large areas in Norway
  • National, regional and municipal planning and how the public participates at different levels
  • The role of important professional bodies in social planning. This could be, for example, the Swedish Road Administration, the Norwegian Railways and NVE
  • The importance of the tools for managing social development, such as map databases, digital shaping tools and how they affect our perception of reality.
  • How to exercise specialist expertise to stimulate interdisciplinarity and sustainable solutions?
  • The aesthetic dimension versus the instrumental one.

Skills:

The student must have acquired skills in:

  • Defining a task area and formulate relevant issues for the development of a group project
  • Analyzing historical changes in a larger landscape area over time, point out which driving forces have worked and understand the consequences of these
  • Pointing out the biggest driving forces for landscape changes today
  • Working at different scales and using different tools such as inspections, conversations, interviews, drawings, figures, sketches, sections, photos, tables, perspectives and scientific sources to visualize landscapes and promote a message.
  • Using precise concepts and good language to create good written reports
  • Being able to make oral presentations to convey a project content in a clear and simple way to promote dialogue with various people involved

General competence:

The student must have completed:

  • Ability to work in interdisciplinary teams with complex issues towards a common goal
  • Critical thinking and being able to reflect on one's own professional practice and understanding of one's own role
  • Expertise in the involvement of people and ethical issues related to this

  • Learning activities

    Lectures, theoretical studies, field visits, use of drones for mapping and visualization, workshops/seminars, work in project groups

  • Teaching support

    Subject literature, tutorials, oral reviews, feedback from student to student

  • Syllabus

    The students must know, be able to look up and understand the content of these documents:

    • The Council of Europe's landscape convention (signed by Norway in 2004)
    • UN's Sustainable Development Goals (updated 2023)
    • Stortingsmelding 40 (2020-2021), Norway's action plan to achieve the sustainability goals by 2030, (adopted 2022)
    • UN Convention on Nature (2022)
    • Convention on the Preservation of the World's Cultural and Natural Heritage (ratified by Norway 1977)
    • State planning guidelines o Coordinated housing, land and transport planning o Climate and energy planning and climate adaptation o Differentiated management of the beach zone along the sea
    • Plan and Building Act
    • The Energy Act
    • National transport plan - NTP
    • Consequence analyzes V712, Norwegian Road Administration
    • M-1941 Impact assessments for climate and the environment - Norwegian Environment Agency
    • Landscape analysis for planning roads and railways ILKA (Integrated landscape character analysis) - A manual
    • The landscape is the arena - Integrated landscape character analysis, a method description

    Bibliography with an overview of additional relevant literature, will be on CANVAS.

  • Prerequisites

    Competence corresponding to the first three years of study at university/college. As the subject will provide competence in interdisciplinary problem solving, it is an advantage to have students from different disciplines.

  • Recommended prerequisites

    It can be an advantage to have knowledge of spatial physical planning, but it is not a requirement.

  • Assessment method

    The assessment criteria will be discussed in the pilot project

    From LAA310 - 10 credits: Portfolio with letter grade A-F: Assessment is based on a small individual writing assignment including a seminar, as well as a written group project assignment to be presented orally.

    An individual assessment can be given (adjusted grade compared to the rest of the group). This is based on the writing assignment and individual's work effort and ability to cooperate. In order to be able to take into account work effort and cooperation skills, it is required that the group has submited a report on these criteria.



    Portfolio Karakterregel: Letter grades

  • About use of AI

    K3 full use of KI in accordance with NMBU's guidelines

    Descriptions of AI-category codes.

  • Examiner scheme

    An external examiner participates in the evaluation of the assessment system itself. External examiner participates together with the internal examiner in grading the examination answers for the group project.

  • Mandatory activity

    Field inspection, execution, workshops/seminar and oral presentation of project assignment. There must also be a common time list showing the individual's work effort in the group project and an individual assessment form that shows the cooperation in the group.

  • Notes

    The course is changing and will increase from 10 to 15 credits. It will become one of the mandatory elective courses at the master's level at ILA. A pilot will be prepared during the fall of 2027 and will be tested the same year. The course will start in the August block and end in there fall parallel.

  • Teaching hours

    Lecture time with guidance and workshops/seminar approx. 40-45 hours, inspection/fieldwork approx. 10-25 hours, external visit approx. 8 hours, reviews approx. 10-15 hours

  • Preferential right

    LANDSAM and MINA at master’s level M-LA, M-BYREG and M-NF. It's prefered to have a balanced distribution of students from different directions to achieve good interdisciplinarity.

  • Admission requirements

    Minimum requirements for entrance to higher education in Norway (generell studiekompetanse)