Sustainability challenge: the future city of 1.5 degrees

Cities have a significant impact on sustainability and the environment. They offer unique settings that are highly challenging and, at the same time, provide excellent opportunities for change. In this course, you will explore what the sustainable city of the future will look like and how to get there.
In this challenge-based course, students work on real-life problems and work with societal stakeholders. BSc students from Utrecht University, Wageningen University and Eindhoven University will collaborate in an interdisciplinary approach. Each student brings his/her own expertise. In groups you will work on out-of-the-box, scientifically sound solutions for the city of 1.5 degrees. Some lectures and workshops are offered in the Virtual Classroom. You define your approach in a plan of work. The final result will be a concept design to address the challenge, which will be visually presented and substantiated by a written report. Typically these concept designs require some technical knowledge (e.g. of emission, houses, streets, neighborhood, infrastructure, installations) as well as socio-economic knowledge on boundary conditions and implementation trajectories. The course is open for students from all disciplines/educational programs.

Note: for technical reasons, only 16 students of TU/e can participate. Note: as it is a cooperation of TU/e with UU and WUR, we can not strictly follow TU/e planning (weeks, time slots)

After completing the IUSC course you will be able to

• Describe your project’s dimensions of sustainability from a transdisciplinary perspective using the relevant SDG’s.
• Critically analyze/examine real-life sustainability challenges in a specific city on a systems thinking level.
• Develop, present and critically discuss a scientifically sound and sustainable solution, using a trans-disciplinary perspective and a design-based approach.
• Reflect on transdisciplinary, inter-university online collaboration in the context of this course and your personal role.

Note: students of UU do the course for 7.5 ECTS, students of Wageningen for 6 ECTS: those students will have to put in extra work and this extra work will be examined by additional deliverables.

Students have successfully completed all mandatory elements of the first year of the major

• provided through Canvas