Postgraduate Course: Future Infrastructure Climate Change Challenges (fusion on-site) (EFIE11341)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh Futures Institute |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | *Programme Core Course: Future Infrastructure, Climate Change and Sustainability (MSc/PGD/PGC)*
Please Note:
This course is only available to students enrolled on the Future Infrastructure, Climate Change and Sustainability (MSc/PGD/PGC) degree.
This course will explore the global challenges to infrastructure including habitat, transport, coastal defences, buildings and communities for cities and rural areas. It will provoke discussions on the existing and future threats, key sectors, the significance and speed of change and geographic reach. It implements a collaborative approach through dialogue, knowledge exchange and acquisition of data underpinned by evidence and inter-related synergies. |
| Course description |
During this course, the student will first be able to discuss and reflect on the existing challenges and scale of the task ahead for global infrastructure needs for adaptation and resilience. This will provide a context to the overall requirements but also recognise the constraints and levels of support needed. This then allows the student to assess future implications and the potential changes required for society's infrastructure.
Utilising local to international case studies the students understand the socio-economic, planning and environmental concerns and the global scale of the task ahead that this course will debate and explore.
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 |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 6,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 8,
Online Activities 4,
Formative Assessment Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
78 )
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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) Group Presentation (Thematic Climate Challenge Factor) (20%)
2) 10 minute Recorded Individual Oral Presentation (with max 15 PowerPoint Slides) (80%)
Focus: Local (to student) Climate Challenge Infrastructure Topic - analysing and reviewing the key issues and impacts arising. |
| Feedback |
Written feedback to submitted presentation coursework and consultation responses.
Verbal feedback after the presentations.
Formative assessments in the form of debates and discussions will be provided with feedback after such sessions and during the discussions.
Post intensive tutorials on coursework will also provide opportunity to feedback on methodology, topics chosen and also interim feedback to enquires from students on their progress and to support that the CW submission is on track and meets the expectations of the CO.
Coursework support and feedback will be via multiple 1hr sessions at different times in 24hr clock to support international students and their home locations. These are group sessions where students select the best time for them from the 4 available time options. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate a critical understanding of the infrastructure climate change challenges and the significance of resilience and adaptation.
- Apply critical analysis of data-driven evidence and applicable case studies, demonstrating an understanding of the complexity and societal impacts arising.
- Critically review proposals by government bodies and infrastructure providers towards resilience and adaption for cities and smaller communities.
- Develop skills to present and argue the system based thinking approach of investigating such complex infrastructure challenges.
- Demonstrate some originality and creative insight in understanding the synergies and also the differences in a multi-complex challenge and how infrastructure approaches will need to adapt.
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Reading List
Indicative Reading List:
Essential Reading:
UNEP Adaptation Gap Report 2022: Too Little, Too Slow - Climate adaptation failure puts world at risk. United Nations (2022). https://www.unep.org/resources/adaptation-gap-report-2022
Huddleston, P., T. Smith, I. White and C. Elrick-Barr. Adapting critical infrastructure to climate change: A scoping review. Journal of Environmental Science & Policy, Volume 135, Pages 67-76, (2022) ISSN 1462-9011. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2022.04.015.
McKinsey & Co. Climate risk and response: Physical hazards and socioeconomic impacts. Case Study: Will infrastructure bend or break under climate stress? (2020) https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/sustainability/our-insights/will-infrastructure-bend-or-break-under-climate-stress#/
Smith, A.. U.S. Billion-dollar Weather and Climate Disasters. Historical Context: Hazard and Socioeconomic Risk Mapping (2021). NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/monitoring-content/billions/docs/billions-risk-mapping-2021-ams-forum.pdf
Recommended Reading:
IPCC Synthesis Report AR6: Climate Change 2023. 'Longer report': Sections 4.2 and 4.3. (2023) United Nations. https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/syr/
M. Santamouris. On the energy impact of urban heat island and global warming on buildings. Energy and Buildings. Volume 82, Pages 100-113, (2014). ISSN 0378-7788. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2014.07.022.
Defra. Climate Resilient Infrastructure: Preparing for a Changing Climate. UK Government. (2011) HM Stationary Office https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/69269/climate-resilient-infrastructure-full.pdf
The Global Risks Report 2023. Insight Report. 18th Edition (2023). World Economic Forum. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Global_Risks_Report_2023.pdf
Smith, S. The world needs to build 2 billion homes in the next 80 years. (2018) World Economic Forum
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/03/the-world-needs-to-build-more-than-two-billion-new-homes-over-the-next-80-years
Further Reading:
Global Infrastructure Trends. Part 4: Developments in sustainability. Price Waters Cooper. https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/industries/capital-projects-infrastructure/publications/infrastructure-trends/global-infrastructure-trends-developments-in-sustainability.html
Sustainable Infrastructure. Global Infrastructure Hub. (2023) G20 Initiative https://www.gihub.org/sustainable-infrastructure/?gad=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw4NujBhC5ARIsAF4Iv6fgNFeTflaru9uRqfevI7Dui4NxridSfmp7BP2arSLXrZnU-FtYluEaAlbgEALw_wcB |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
The course contributes to the following graduate attributes and skills:
- Creative problem solvers and researchers.
- Critical and reflective thinkers with ability to consider future horizons.
- Effective and influential contributors.
- Skilled communicators. |
| Keywords | Climate Change,Infrastructure,Resilience,Futures,Environment,Adaptation,EFI,Level 11,PG |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Sean Smith
Tel:
Email: Sean.Smith@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Yasmine Lewis
Tel:
Email: yasmine.lewis@ed.ac.uk |
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