SMUA5012 Urban Mobility Course description

Urban mobility refers to the combination of land use, transportation, and technology resulting in the movement of people, goods, and information in our cities. The goals of urban mobility are to create safe, efficient, and sustainable transport systems that meet the needs of all residents. This course will provide students with the opportunity to engage in focused and in-depth analysis of core topics within urban mobility, emphasizing synthesis and critical reflection for understanding and evaluating urban mobility systems from a holistic perspective. We then connect critical analyses to the larger social, physical, and environmental implications of transportation.

This course is a deep dive into the myriad aspects of urban mobility, its history, key components and functions, and metrics. Existing land uses and transport systems are the result of decades (and centuries) of development, as such this course will also help students to understand the wide variation in form and function of transport systems, and the range of challenges across these systems. Additionally, new technologies, such as increasing levels of connectivity and the emergence of autonomous vehicles, are sure to play important roles in urban mobility, but the implications of these technologies are not yet clear. This course gives students the requisite substantive knowledge and analytical skills to begin a career in urban mobility.

Language of instruction: English

None.

After completing the course, the student should have the following overall learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge:

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will achieve advanced knowledge about:

• The integration of land use and transportation planning
• Theories of urban mobility
• Multi-modal transportation planning
• Planning for safe, efficient, equitable, and sustainable cities
• New and emerging technologies in land use and transportation planning

Skills:

Upon successful completion of the course, the student is capable of:

• Critical analysis of existing research in urban mobility.
• Synthesizing substantive knowledge into actionable interventions.
• Translating theory to practice in urban mobility.
• Selecting and applying appropriate policy or infrastructure measures to achieve desired planning outcomes.

General competence:

Upon successful completion of the course, the student:

• Has a broad overview of the current state of urban mobility, its challenges, and future trends.
• Is able to present academic results and evaluations in a scholarly manner.

Blended course with lectures, seminar, guest lectures, workshops, and site visits.

The following coursework requirements must be approved in order for the student to take the exam:

• Individual reflection notes based on content from four course units. Each note should be approximately one page.

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

Project report and presentation:

Students complete a report, individually or in groups of maximum 4 students. The report should synthesize core concepts of urban mobility with real-world outcomes. The exam is in two parts:

• Project report: approximately 3,000-5,000 words, including figures and references. The report counts for 70% of the final grade.

• Oral presentation and discussion: Individually or in groups, with a duration of 10-15 minutes of presentation followed by 10 minutes of examination. The presentation counts for 30% of the final grade.

Grading is individual, even when work is conducted in teams. To ensure transparency, each group must submit a brief, signed statement outlining the contribution of each participant. All assessment components must receive a passing grade (E or better) for the student to pass the course.

Language is English.

Appeal:

1. The written report can be appealed.
2. The oral presentation cannot be appealed.

1. All aids are permitted for the written report, as long as the rules for source referencing are followed.

1. No aids are permitted for the oral presentation

Graded scale A-F.

Two internal examiners for the written project report.

Two internal examiners on the oral presentation and examination.

External examiners are used regularly.

Daniel Piatkowski