Hiroshima University Syllabus

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Japanese
Academic Year 2024Year School/Graduate School Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering (Master's Course) Division of Advanced Science and Engineering Transdisciplinary Science and Engineering Program
Lecture Code WSQN2301 Subject Classification Specialized Education
Subject Name Urban Environmental Science
Subject Name
(Katakana)
 
Subject Name in
English
Urban Environmental Science
Instructor SHARIFI AYYOOB
Instructor
(Katakana)
シャリフィ アユーブ
Campus Higashi-Hiroshima Semester/Term 1st-Year,  Second Semester,  3Term
Days, Periods, and Classrooms (3T) Weds5-8:IDEC 206
Lesson Style Lecture Lesson Style
(More Details)
 
Online lecture (instructor's lecture, students' presentations, group discussions) 
Credits 2.0 Class Hours/Week   Language of Instruction E : English
Course Level 5 : Graduate Basic
Course Area(Area) 25 : Science and Technology
Course Area(Discipline) 13 : Civil Engineering
Eligible Students Master course students
Keywords Urban sustainability; urban form; climate change; urban climate action plans; green infrastructure 
Special Subject for Teacher Education   Special Subject  
Class Status
within Educational
Program
(Applicable only to targeted subjects for undergraduate students)
 
Criterion referenced
Evaluation
(Applicable only to targeted subjects for undergraduate students)
 
Class Objectives
/Class Outline
We are currently living in an urban planet. Cities consume between 60-80% of global energy and are, therefore, major contributors to global climate change. This course will focus on issues related to urban sustainability and climate change and aims to familiarize students with the role that cities can play in achieving sustainable development goals. The course is likely to be held in collaboration with Arizona State University (the 'Innovation in Society' course of the 'School for the Future of Innovation in Society').
This course will provide the students with knowledge and skills required to understand and analyze urban issues and will enable them to play a key role in future urban policy making processes through offering innovative and systematic solutions. It will also provide the students with an opportunity to get engaged in joint activities with students from another university.

Course goals and objectives:
By the end of the term the students are expected to:
• Understand the significance of cities in achieving global sustainability
• Be familiar with the multi-scaled nature of cities
• Understand how different components of the urban system may contribute to/detract from sustainability
• Be capable of engage in activities aimed at assessing sustainability of cities

This will be a discussion-based course and students are expected to actively participate in class activities and discussions. More specifically, the students will engage in joint activities with students from the School for the Future of Innovation in Society (Arizona State University) to discuss innovative solutions for addressing urban sustainability challenges.
 
Class Schedule lesson1 Introductions and overview of the course
lesson2 Global environmental change and its challenges
lesson3 Urbanization trends and trajectories
lesson4 Brief history of urban sustainability
lesson5 Climate change and cities
lesson6 Urban climate action plans
lesson7 CO2 emissions accounting in cities
lesson8 Sustainable urban forms I
lesson9 Sustainable urban forms II
lesson10 Urban green infrastructure
lesson11 Sustainable neighborhoods
lesson12 Sustainability assessment
lesson13 Student presentations and discussions I (joint presentations)
lesson14 Student presentations and discussions II (joint presentations)
lesson15 Synthesis and final exam 
Text/Reference
Books,etc.
Rosenzweig, C., Solecki, W. D., Hammer, S. A., & Mehrotra, S. (Eds.). (2011). Climate change and cities: First assessment report of the urban climate change research network. Cambridge University Press.
Rosenzweig, C., Solecki, W. D., Romero-Lankao, P., Mehrotra, S., Dhakal, S., & Ibrahim, S. A. (Eds.). (2018). Climate change and cities: Second assessment report of the urban climate change research network. Cambridge University Press.
Sharifi, A. (2019). Resilient urban forms: A macro-scale analysis. Cities, 85, 1-14.
Sharifi, A. (2019). Resilient urban forms: A review of literature on streets and street networks. Building and Environment, 147, 171-187.
Grubler, A., Bai, X., Buettner, T., Dhakal, S., Fisk, D. J., Ichinose, T., ... & Shah, N. (2012). Urban energy systems.
Seto, K. C., Güneralp, B., & Hutyra, L. R. (2012). Global forecasts of urban expansion to 2030 and direct impacts on biodiversity and carbon pools. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 109(40), 16083-16088.
 
PC or AV used in
Class,etc.
 
(More Details) In principle, this will be an in-person course. PowerPoint slides will be used for presentations.  
Learning techniques to be incorporated  
Suggestions on
Preparation and
Review
Class materials will be shared with the students in advance. Students are expected to read requested materials before each class. 
Requirements This course welcomes graduate students with basic knowledge of urban planning  and sustainability. 
Grading Method Attendance (30%), Case study presentation and active engagement in the class discussions and group activities (45%), Final exam (25%) 
Practical Experience  
Summary of Practical Experience and Class Contents based on it  
Message  
Other   
Please fill in the class improvement questionnaire which is carried out on all classes.
Instructors will reflect on your feedback and utilize the information for improving their teaching. 
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