Topics in Human Geography VIII-E2 (Governing urban sustainability challenges)
| Numbering Code | U-LAS05 20051 LE39 | Year/Term | 2022 ・ Second semester |
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| Number of Credits | 2 | Course Type | Lecture |
| Target Year | Mainly 2nd year students | Target Student | For all majors |
| Language | English | Day/Period | Thu.1 |
| Instructor name | TRENCHER, Gregory (Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies Associate Professor) | ||
| Outline and Purpose of the Course | This lecture and discussion course will examine different types of strategies that governments, industry and society can use to accelerate the transition of societal and technological systems towards greater sustainability, particularly in urban areas. We will focus on three sets of challenges and technologies: (1) smart cities, (2) urban transport and (3) energy and water usage in buildings. In addition to applying theoretical frameworks from social science fields such as human geography and sustainability transitions, we will explore these three themes through detailed case studies. | ||
| Course Goals | Students will learn about how different kinds of public policy instruments can be used to tackle different types of sustainability challenges as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each. Students will also improve skills in discussion, oral presentations and problem-solving through a policy-making project. Students will be expected to contribute their ideas and express themselves in small group discussions and classroom exercises. | ||
| Schedule and Contents |
1. Introduction 2. Governance strategies for sustainable mobility: Global trends and fuel-cell vehicles in Japan 3. Governance strategies for sustainable mobility: Fuel cell vehicles in California 4. Accelerating socio-technical transitions: BEV diffusion in China 5. Guest lecture (socio-technical lock-in in developing cities in Asia) 6. Governing energy usage in cities and buildings: Part 1 7. Governing energy usage in cities and buildings: Part 2 8. Phase-out: An old trick for new challenges? 9. Smart cities overview & Case 1 10. Student research task preparation 11. Smart cities: Case 2 12. Student research task preparation 13. Student presentations 14. Student presentations 15. Feedback |
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| Evaluation Methods and Policy |
Attendance and participation 20% Written assignment on building energy efficiency 20% Research project: Group presentation 30% Research project: Individual report 30% |
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| Course Requirements | A willingness to participate in class discussions and group work. | ||
| Study outside of Class (preparation and review) | Revision of class presentations is expected as well as preparation for assignments. | ||
| References, etc. | No text required. Readings and lecture notes will be distributed in class. | ||
