Postgraduate Course: Regenerating Place (fusion on-site) (EFIE11177)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh Futures Institute |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | This course will explore the inter-relation of place, people and nature in urban regeneration, using the framework of green infrastructure (GI). GI can be an integral part of regeneration projects, improving air quality, providing shade, offering surfaces for drainage, while also having the potential to provide locally grown food and access to nature for human health and wellbeing. This can lead to social, economic, and ecological renewal.
This course begins with critical reflection on the place of GI in urban regeneration and then delves into the detail of a particular place in Edinburgh to give you the opportunity to gain skills to develop local case studies of your own.
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| Course description |
By taking this course you will become familiar with concepts and principles of Green Infrastructure (GI) and how they relate to other areas of sustainability, particularly its role in regeneration projects.
You will have the opportunity to review current methods and approaches to assessing urban GI, which include GIS and other technologies that assist in visualising GI data. Using blog posts to reflect upon readings and methods, you will bring this knowledge together by developing a fieldwork study in Edinburgh, with local community engagement.
Remote students will be provided with an immersive experience of the city of Edinburgh through audiovisual recordings and digital/surveying technologies, for instance, while also being able to attend fieldwork sessions virtually. You will learn how to establish remote stakeholders, gaining an understanding of the ethics of working with such engagement.
Edinburgh Futures Institute (EFI) - On-Site Fusion Course Delivery Information:
The Edinburgh Futures Institute will teach this course in a way that enables online and on-campus students to study together. This approach (our 'fusion' teaching model) offers students flexible and inclusive ways to study, and the ability to choose whether to be on-campus or online at the level of the individual course. It also opens up ways for diverse groups of students to study together regardless of geographical location. To enable this, the course will use technologies to record and live-stream student and staff participation during their teaching and learning activities.
Students should be aware that:
- Classrooms used in this course will have additional technology in place: students might not be able to sit in areas away from microphones or outside the field of view of all cameras.
- Unless the lecturer or tutor indicates otherwise you should assume the session is being recorded.
As part of your course, you will need access to a personal computing device. Unless otherwise stated activities will be web browser based and as a minimum we recommend a device with a physical keyboard and screen that can access the internet.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2023/24, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 20 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 2,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 3,
Fieldwork Hours 6,
Formative Assessment Hours 3,
Other Study Hours 4,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
80 )
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| Additional Information (Learning and Teaching) |
Other Study: Scheduled Group-work Hours (hybrid online/on-campus) - 4
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Summative Assessment:
The course will be assessed by means of the following assessment components:
1) 500 Word Reflective Statement
An individual short reflective statement of 500 words submitted before commencement of the intensive period, showing engagement with course material (readings/methods) and consideration of approach(es) that the student would like to take when looking at urban GI (ecological, social, economic).
2) 1200 Word Illustrated Essay
An illustrated essay, 1200 words in length, undertaken individually, that explains and reflects on the student's identification of key issues and potential interventions in the study site. It will feature curated outputs from the intensive to illustrate and reflect the student's analysis. This output will be submitted three weeks after the end of the intensive period. |
| Feedback |
There will be 2 formative feedback sessions; one during the 2-day intensive, with presentation/discussion of group Miro board work, and one in the post-intensive period, with discussion of planning and output of the essay.
Summative feedback will be given on the short reflective essay prior to the intensive, written to inform and guide students during the intensive.
Feedback will be given on the illustrated essay. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Critically assess different approaches to GI in urban regeneration.
- Deploy and reflect on the use and adaptation of qualitative and quantitative tools in complex neighbourhood contexts.
- Develop collaborative skills with peers and stakeholders to address socio-ecological challenges.
- Synthesize qualitative and quantitative information clearly and creatively.
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Reading List
Essential Reading:
Dennis, M., Cook, P. A., James, P., Wheater, C. P., & Lindley, S. J. (2020). Relationships between health outcomes in older populations and urban green infrastructure size, quality and proximity. BMC Public Health, 20(1), 626. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-08762-x
Farrugia, S., Hudson, M. D., & McCulloch, L. (2013). An evaluation of flood control and urban cooling ecosystem services delivered by urban green infrastructure. International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services & Management, 9(2), 136-145. https://doi.org/10.1080/21513732.2013.782342
Hewitt, C. N., Ashworth, K., & MacKenzie, A. R. (2020). Using green infrastructure to improve urban air quality (GI4AQ). Ambio, 49(1), 62-73. https://doi.org/10.1007/S13280-019-01164-3
Hoffimann, E., Barros, H., & Ribeiro, A. I. (2017). Socioeconomic inequalities in green space quality and Accessibility-Evidence from a Southern European city. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(8), 0. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14080916
Khalaim, O. (2021). Adapting to Climate Change: Green Areas in Cities as Cooling Safeguards. In Handbook of Climate Change Management (pp. 1-15). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22759-3_2-1
Kruuse, A. (2011). GRaBS Expert Paper 6 the green space factor and the green points system. http://www.grabs-eu.org
Lahoti, S., Kefi, M., Lahoti, A., & Saito, O. (2019). Mapping Methodology of Public Urban Green Spaces Using GIS: An Example of Nagpur City, India. Sustainability, 11(7), 2166. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11072166
Sarabi, S. E., Han, Q., Romme, A. G. L., de Vries, B., & Wendling, L. (2019). Key Enablers of and Barriers to the Uptake and Implementation of Nature-Based Solutions in Urban Settings: A Review. Resources 2019, Vol. 8, Page 121, 8(3), 121. https://doi.org/10.3390/RESOURCES8030121
Sinnett, D., Smith, N., & Burgess, S. (2015). Handbook on Green Infrastructure: Planning, Design and Implementation. Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781783474004
Taylor, L., & Hochuli, D. F. (2015). Creating better cities: how biodiversity and ecosystem functioning enhance urban residents' wellbeing. Urban Ecosystems, 18(3), 747-762. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-014-0427-3
Recommended Reading:
Cheshmehzangi, A., & Griffiths, C. J. (n.d.). Development of Green Infrastructure for the City: A Holistic Vision towards Sustainable Urbanism. https://doi.org/10.12966/ae.05.01.2014
Jorgensen, A., & Gobster, P. H. (2010). Shades of Green: Measuring the Ecology of Urban Green Space in the Context of Human Health and Well-Being. Nature and Culture, 5(3), 338-363. https://doi.org/10.3167/nc.2010.050307
Lafortezza, R., Davies, C., Sanesi, G., & Konijnendijk, C. C. (2013). Green infrastructure as a tool to support spatial planning in European urban regions. In IForest (Vol. 6, Issue 1, pp. 102-108). https://doi.org/10.3832/ifor0723-006
Nieuwenhuijsen, M., & Khreis, H. (2017). Green space is important for health. In The Lancet (Vol. 389, Issue 10070, p. 700). Lancet Publishing Group. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)30340-9
Norton, B. A., Coutts, A. M., Livesley, S. J., Harris, R. J., Hunter, A. M., & Williams, N. S. G. (2015). Planning for cooler cities: A framework to prioritise green infrastructure to mitigate high temperatures in urban landscapes. Landscape and Urban Planning, 134, 127-138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2014.10.018
Pakzad, P., Osmond, P., & Corkery, L. (2017). Developing Key Sustainability Indicators for Assessing Green Infrastructure Performance. Procedia Engineering, 180, 146-156. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.PROENG.2017.04.174
Rusche, K., Reimer, M., & Stichmann, R. (2019). Mapping and assessing green infrastructure connectivity in European city regions. Sustainability (Switzerland), 11(6). https://doi.org/10.3390/SU11061819
Schewenius, M., McPhearson, T., & Elmqvist, T. (2014). Opportunities for increasing resilience and sustainability of urban social-ecological systems: Insights from the URBES and the cities and biodiversity outlook projects. Ambio, 43(4), 434-444. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-014-0505-z
Threlfall, C. G., Mata, L., Mackie, J. A., Hahs, A. K., Stork, N. E., Williams, N. S. G., & Livesley, S. J. (2017). Increasing biodiversity in urban green spaces through simple vegetation interventions. Journal of Applied Ecology, 54(6), 1874-1883. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.12876
Tieges, Z., McGregor, D., Georgiou, M., Smith, N., Saunders, J., Millar, R., Morison, G., & Chastin, S. (2020). The Impact of Regeneration and Climate Adaptations of Urban Green-Blue Assets on All-Cause Mortality: A 17-Year Longitudinal Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(12), 4577. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17124577
Further Reading:
Byrne, J. A., Lo, A. Y., & Jianjun, Y. (2015). Residents¿ understanding of the role of green infrastructure for climate change adaptation in Hangzhou, China. Landscape and Urban Planning, 138, 132-143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2015.02.013
Emmanuel, R., & Loconsole, A. (2015). Green infrastructure as an adaptation approach to tackling urban overheating in the Glasgow Clyde Valley Region, UK. Landscape and Urban Planning, 138, 71-86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2015.02.012
Lõhmus, M., & Balbus, J. (2015). Making green infrastructure healthier infrastructure. Infection Ecology & Epidemiology, 5(1), 30082. https://doi.org/10.3402/iee.v5.30082
Matthews, T., Lo, A. Y., & Byrne, J. A. (2015). Reconceptualizing green infrastructure for climate change adaptation: Barriers to adoption and drivers for uptake by spatial planners. Landscape and Urban Planning, 138, 155-163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2015.02.010
Møller, M. S., Olafsson, A. S., Vierikko, K., Sehested, K., Elands, B., Buijs, A., & van den Bosch, C. K. (2019). Participation through place-based e-tools: A valuable resource for urban green infrastructure governance? Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, 40, 245-253. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2018.09.003
Salomaa, A., Paloniemi, R., Kotiaho, J. S., Kettunen, M., Apostolopoulou, E., & Cent, J. (2017). Can green infrastructure help to conserve biodiversity? Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy, 35(2), 265-288. https://doi.org/10.1177/0263774X16649363
Schebella, M., Weber, D., Schultz, L., & Weinstein, P. (2019). The Wellbeing Benefits Associated with Perceived and Measured Biodiversity in Australian Urban Green Spaces. Sustainability, 11(3), 802. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11030802 |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Research and Enquiry:
Graduates will be able to conduct independent research, think analytically and critically: developed by investigating complex dynamics found in real contexts through qualitative and quantitative data, and evaluating information thoroughly.
Personal and Intellectual Autonomy:
Graduates will be able to think creatively and engage in independent learning: developed by being challenged with complexity and incentivised in thinking outside the box.
Personal Effectiveness:
Graduates will be able to work collaboratively: developed through group discussions, recognising and capitalising on individuals' different thinking, working with people from a range of cultures and backgrounds.
Communication:
Ability to develop oral, written and the visual communication of complex ideas and arguments: developed through a range of activities that involve public speaking, presentation and the writing of analytical reports. |
| Keywords | Urban Design,Green Infrastructure,Regeneration,Cities,Nature-Based Solutions,Sustainability,EFI,PG |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr John Brennan
Tel: (0131 6)50 2324
Email: John.Brennan@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Yasmine Lewis
Tel:
Email: yasmine.lewis@ed.ac.uk |
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