SMUA4500 Inclusive Sustainable Smart Cities Course description

The current Smart City paradigm is characterized by a human-centric approach, in which a variety of technological tools help to improve quality of life for people. The main aim of the smart city is to enhance the existing built environment, through a circular management of resources shaping sustainable cities. Nowadays smart cities are geared towards facing future multifaced environmental, social, economic and political challenges of societies. Residents are coming to the forefront in the co-creating of cities, expressing their needs with increasing interest and influencing the design of livable, sustainable cities.

Citizen Science, defined as the participation of the general public in the urban planning process with digital tools and through modern information and communication technology (ICT) has been developed as a strategy for people to integrate civilians’ ideas and wishes in the urban planning process. It adds human observation, cognition, experience and local knowledge into a scientific scheme that improves the planning, design, management and transformation of cities as a bottom-up approach where public stakeholders are key factors for better building together Smart Cities. Achieving sustainable, smart cities, frameworks such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), or the New Urban Agenda (UN Habitat III) have proven as solid guidelines over the years. Inclusive sustainable smart cities also foster the creation of just cities.

The main focus of this course is to gain an understanding of smart cities and connect it to the debate of sustainable cities and public engagement in theory and practice using digital tools. Further, to assess in a systematic manner smart cities (SCA) and apply digital participatory practices, aimed at increasing a greater sensitivity to the planning and design process of smart cities to shape policies. This, from the broader paradigm of smart cities through a practical application to a case study. This course will strongly collaborate with the course ‘Geographic Information System (GIS)’.

None.

No formal requirements over and above the admission requirements.

Upon completing the course, the student should have the following outcomes:

Knowledge:

Upon successfully completion of the course, the student has gained knowledge to:

• ­understands key concepts of smart sustainable urban development and planning

• can explain and critically reflect on the human-centred approach of sustainable urban planning of smart cities including different approaches to digital citizen’s engagement and participatory processes

• present current international charters, norms, goals and policies such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the New Urban Agenda (UN Habitat III), that guide urban planning and development policy and practice

Skills:

Upon successfully completion of the course, the student can:

• is able to apply digital tools for gathering primary and secondary data using online engagement platforms, crowd mapping, sensor networks or other digital tools and platforms.

• is able to apply smart city assessment tools (SCA) through a case study to evaluate different indicators and stakeholder engagement as well as strategic needs of smart cities 

•  can conduct spatial and thematic analysis as a knowledge base for the planning of sustainable smart cities as a basis for impact assessment and scenario development

• Can make thematic maps and create strategies for assessment to approach a problem-solving strategy for identified urban problems and defined questions in the context of sustainable smart cities

General competence:

Upon successfully completion of the course, the student is able to:

• can apply thematic and data analysis and develop strategies as a tool to develop sustainable smart cities using a problem-solving approach

• can communicate with specialists and the public planning problems, analytical results and potential solutions to these

• is able to reflect on her/his own role as urban expert, particularly concerning professional and ethical positions and has a strong sense of responsibility for her/his profession

The course is delivered through lectures and workshop to provide theoretical content and preliminary hands-on experience. The workshops include invited lecturers, discussions and presentations. The students will also be given a group project during the semester. 

Two individual assignments must be approved.

Students who fail to meet the coursework requirements can be given up to one re-submission opportunity.

1. Group project assignment: Project report prepared in groups of 2 students (or more), approx. 20 - 30 pages (excl. appendices), weighted 80%.

2. Oral presentation of the project, weighted 20%

All assessment parts must be awarded a pass grade (E or better) to pass the course.

Assessment parts: 1) can be appealed, 2) cannot be appealed

Graded scale A-F.

1) Two internal examiners,

2) Two internal examiners

 External examiners are used regularly.

Claudia Hedwig Yamu, Email: claudia.yamu@oslomet.no