Urban Environmental Management

Course Code
Course
Number of Credits
Description/Course Objective
Semester
ED79.01  Urban Environmental Management Systems
3
 The objective of the course is to impart knowledge on theories, techniques and methods in urban planning and regeneration within the context of the environment as underlying ethos that urban and environmental management require both scientific and managerial expertise to integrate spatial and other forms of intervention, particularly those related to urban and regional planning and to policy and management for environmental protection.  Therefore, the course deals with both conventional as well as state of the art environmental management systems to create an overall framework and broad applications within which the other specialized areas of the Urban Environmental Management are discussed. Aug Sem
ED79.03  Urban Planning and the Built-Environment
3
 The objective of this course is to provide students with a comprehensive overview of urban planning systems and its application in designing and managing urban built-environment.  The course covers the theories and practices of the modern city planning examining several subtopics – such as land use planning, zoning laws, community design and development, and the idea of urban sustainability – in light of some basic dimensions of urban analysis such as historical, economic, political, social, cultural, and spatial issues. Aug Sem
ED79.13  Strategic Environmental Assessment for Urban Development
3
 The interdisciplinary and complex nature of urban environmental problems requires basic understanding of science and technological aspects affecting decision making of many professionals including planners and managers. Environmental literacy is challenging due to the complexities of the physical systems that make up the environment, and the roles of individual and institutional decision making with regard to the economy, ways of living, and technology choices. Interactions among the components of the environment including humans are complex and span space and time.  Therefore, the objective of this course is to provide students with an understanding of principles of environmental science, basic atmospheric physics, source of pollutants, engineering and environmental economics that affect environmental decision-making.
ED79.14 Governance and Urban Management
3
 Governance assumes great significance in the context of urban development and management. This course introduces the relevant legislation and institutions in urban governance with a special focus on urban management issues and domains. The objective of this course is to provide students with knowledge on aspects of good governance, citizenship and the role of service delivery, some of cross-cutting themes include governance, inclusion and exclusion, and other stakeholder groups and their interactions in the context of the social agenda of cities’ sustainable future. Aug Sem
ED79.15 Urban Economics and Finance
3
 In view of the importance of urban economics and finance for urban planning, management and environmental management, this course is designed to provide an understanding of the operation of urban economics, local government finance and financing of urban infrastructure and services. The course aims to provide a critical understanding of the economics governing urban development and the contexts within which the city economy operates. The course covers privatization of various forms of public-private partnerships, the potential of foreign direct investment (FDI) and cost recovery through user charges are assuming increasing significance in the urban service provisions. Its central concern is to identify methods of enhancing urban productivity and mechanisms of promoting sustainability and equity at the city level. 
ED79.19 Assessment and Implementation of Development Projects
3
 The aim of this course is to develop knowledge and analytical skills related to management of development projects focusing on assessment and implementation stages of project management. The methods and techniques which will be provided cover the applications in urban development and environmental management projects and interventions such as community-based development, networking, training and applied research. 
ED79.21  Mega-City Development and Management
3
 With more than half of world’s population now living in urban areas, urbanization as a trend will have diverging impacts and influences on future humankind’s living environment. As a result of such an exceptional increase in the scale of individual cities over the course of decades, the urban phenomenon of this century will be mega-cities, high-density metropolises or mega urban regions of more than 10 million inhabitants. Asia is already home to more mega-cities than any other continents, most of which are in emerging economies. The management of these mega-cities, the provision of shelter, services, and a livelihood to their inhabitants in an economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable manner, will be a major challenge in the coming years. With this in view, the course aims to provide students with an integrated understanding of the consequences of urban growth and appropriate strategies and plans essential to sustainable development and management of mega-cities.
ED79.22 Urban Environment Planning and Management Workshop
3
 The objective of the course is toprovide theoretical aspects and managerial techniques required in an interdisciplinary teamwork situation, with a view to face challenges and to overcome them successfully. Competencies required to synthesize the acquired knowledge, using innovative approaches such as Logical Framework Analysis and supporting methods including Gender Analysis and Environmental Assessment, are intended to be given through workshops and field studies of real world cases focusing on selected themes like livelihood, modes of governance, environmental sustainability, regulatory processes etc.
ED79.23 UEM Research Methods and Techniques
1
 The course is intended to familiarize students with the logic of research design and its core elements, and a broad range of data analytical methods and techniques in urban planning and environmental decision-making as well as socio-spatial research. 
ED79.9007  Selected Topic: Urban Governance and Economics for Holistic Waste Service Delivery
2
 Students will understand a shift in waste management policy, politics, infrastructure, institution, and administrative systems that affect the use, development, and management of wastes in a holistic manner. Students will also be introduced to the discussions involving different spheres and scales of waste governance (public, private, and civil society sectors, and municipal to national, regional, and international tiers) of waste governance. The course will also deal with the economic aspect as a clear policy driven through capturing potential green economy opportunities in the waste sector. This course is therefore to identify the costs of inaction in or improper waste management as well as job opportunities as part of the green economy, and explores various avenues for innovative and profitable financing waste management services. This course will also explore stakeholder integration in order to actively participate for achieving sustainable waste management, and to explore opportunities for social sustainability and inclusivity for holistic waste management. 
ED79.9008  Selected Topic: Spatial Analysis for Urban Environmental Management
2
 This course will focus on introducing students to the use of geographic information system (GIS) and remotely sensed data for urban and environmental analysis. Students will learn to work with urban spatial databases including data sets pertaining to land use/land cover, parcel records, census demographics, environmental issues, disaster and climate change impacts, etc. Technical topics and practical applications to be covered include finding and understanding sources of information for metropolitan spatial databases, integration of data from a variety of sources, database structure and design issues, spatial analysis capabilities, data quality and data documentation. While learning GIS and Remote Sensing analytical skills, students will complete a mapping/analysis project of their choosing.
ED79.9011  Selected Topic: Global Cities and Climate Change
2
 The objective of this course is to provide students with practical insights and up-to-date knowledge on the interconnected themes of climate change, urbanization, energy and food, and to familiarize them with the extent of the challenges facing the Asia Pacific region and some of the possible solutions. This course has been jointly developed by the partner institutes and universities including Asian Institute of Technology, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, University of Hawaii, Waseda University, University of the Ryukyus, and the National University of Samoa.
ED79.9012  Selected Topic: Urban Environmental Planning and Management Workshop
3
 The objective of the course is toprovide theoretical aspects and managerial techniques required in an interdisciplinary teamwork situation, with a view to face challenges and to overcome them successfully. Competencies required to synthesize the acquired knowledge, using innovative approaches such as Logical Framework Analysis and supporting methods including Gender Analysis and Environmental Assessment, are intended to be given through workshops and field studies of real world cases focusing on selected themes like livelihood, modes of governance, environmental sustainability, regulatory processes etc.
ED79.9013  Selected Topic: Urban Environmental Management Research Methods and Techniques
2
 Rapid urbanization and external risks including climate change creating new risks and challenges in the area of sustainable urban development and management. Urban resilience is a versatile concept, which helps frames the difficult process of tackling the environmental, social, and economic challenges of modern cities in a positive way. However, similar to other broad concepts such as sustainability, resilience is inherently vague. This course is designed to prepare people for careers and leadership roles in resilience assessment in an urban context. It is designed to provide students with the multidisciplinary knowledge and skills required to understand successful approaches, tools and practices for the assessment of urban resilience. The course also covers specific topics to support the integration of resilience into sustainable urban development and management, particularly multiple-scale and multi-sectoral resilience assessment methods and capacity building.