SMUA4500 Smart Cities Emneplan

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)’.

Individual or group portfolio examination. The portfolio consists of:

• Design-process documentation including end-product (model studies and iterations responding to the problem definition or research area), timeline with outline of process, documentation of model-studies and presentation of end-product.
• End-reflection in appropriate media (written, video, poster etc.) on the design-process and end-product.

The examination result can be appealed.

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 current knowledge on key concepts, approaches and conditions of sustainable smart cities. 
• 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.
• Has advanced knowledge of methods for sustainable smart cities. 

Skills:

Upon successfully completion of the course, the student 

• Is able to collect and analyse primary quantitative and qualitative data using online digital tools for crowd mapping with a volunteered geographic information (VGI) approach.
• 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 
•  Is able to make thematic maps and present analytical results from primary data to approach a problem-solving strategy for a problem statement on the base of sustainable smart cities. 
• 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

• Can apply data analysis as a tool and develop strategies 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, seminars, practicals, excursions, and fieldwork to provide theoretical content and preliminary hands-on experience. The students will be given a group project during the semester. 

The course is about research through practice and about gaining knowledge from explorative design-processes.The course will focus on working directly with materials, spatial interaction, developing model-studies and examining process. Exploration is emphasized throughout the course and the student is expected to generate a comprehensive series of model output and to develop aesthetic, re¿exive skills in design.

Admission to the Master's programme.

After completing the course, the student is expected to have achieved the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student

• has developed advanced abilities in visual- and material articulation and aesthetic application .
• has gained advanced knowledge of material engagement and how the world of things, artifacts, and material signs can be embodied through practical exploration.
• has gained advanced knowledge about interplay between material-aesthetics and object­-semantics.
• has gained knowledge about aesthetic strategies, methods and theory within a practical design research project.

Skills

The student is capable of:

• independently running a discovery-led process and stating a relevant research question.
• developing and recognizing relevant practical working methods.
• developing concept- and material model studies within a specific context.
• analyzing and reflecting on form and material application using relevant terminology.
• dissecting and refining design models systematically
• analyzing and synthesizing experience from observations and various perceptions.
• exhibiting and presenting their research using relevant terminology and tools.

General competence

The student

• is familiar with the theoretical basis of a practice based-research.
• understands the need for and use of practical exploration.
• is familiar with the terminology and language of practice-based research

The most important teaching and learning methods for this course are discussions, group work, lectures, studio courses and tutoring.

1) Two internal examiners,

2) Two internal examiners

 External examiners are used regularly.

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