Frameworks for Sustainable Alternatives (VidZ3000) 9ects february 3 – April 11, 2014 Lecturer: Assoc. Prof. Kristīne Āboliņa

Participants: 3^rd year B.Sc. students of Environmental Science from Faculty of Geography and Earth Sciences and other interested 3^rd, 4^th or 5^th year students

Faculty of Geography and Earth Sciences, Alberta street 10
Lectures: Mondays 14.30-18.00 (room 216)

Practical works: (room 304)

1. group: Tuesdays 10.30-14.00

and Wednesdays 14.30-18.00 (workshop)

2A . group: Tuesdays 14.30-18.00

and Thursdays 14.30-18.00 (workshop)

2B group: Tuesdays 14.30-18.00

and April 7-11 (workshop)
The aim of the course is to give an overview of sustainable development, its necessity on a global and local scale, its basic principles and dimensions and the spectrum of different alternatives. Insight about the need for development evaluation, including the use of sustainability indicators is provided. Special attention is paid to good practice examples at different implementation levels and scales, as well as key aspects of urban sustainability and social behaviour aspects. The challenges of sustainability, especially in Latvia, will be addressed mainly through group work and discussions to develop skills in the application of the basic principles of sustainable development. 32 hours are devoted to workshops in teams, where students with individual tasks elaborate alternatives for specific environmental or development issues, and finally give presentations of their solutions.
Learning outcomes: Students will have a theoretical overview of sustainable development, its necessity on a global and local scale, its basic principles and dimensions and the spectrum of different alternatives. Insight about the need for development evaluation, including the use of sustainability indicators is provided. Special attention is paid to good practice examples at different implementation levels and scales, as well as key aspects of urban sustainability and social behaviour aspects. The challenges of sustainability will be addressed mainly through group work and discussions to develop student skills in the application of the basic principles of sustainable development. During 32 hours of workshops students will be trained in teamwork, and with individual tasks elaborating alternatives for specific development issues will develop their abilities to co-operate in multicultural environment, to argue their opinions and use strategic and holistic thinking as well as internet resources.
Requirements for awarding credit points: The final mark will consist of the results of home works and assignments (30%), results of workshop in teams (30%) and knowledge of theory that will be evaluated from final written examination (40% from final mark). The examination will consist of short questions about basic principles of sustainability theory, as well as students will be asked to provide an opinion or solution to defined problems or case studies. Students will have both practical individual and group work assignments. Students that actively participate and co-operate with their classmates and have very good results in assignments and practical work during the study term can be exempted from the final examination.

Compulsory reading: Baltic University Programme Sustainable Development course materials: http://www.balticuniv.uu.se/sustainabledevelopmentcourse
Further reading

1.Grant J. Planning the Good Community: New Urbanism in Theory and Practice. Routledge, 2006.

1. ted.com

2. The World Wide Web Virtual Library: Sustainable Development. www.ulb.ac.be/ceese/meta/sustvl.html - 106k
3. http://www.zeri.org/ZERI/Home.html

4. Interviews with local citizens

Topic 1/2

Different models of development, the need for sustainable development. Environmental, economic, social and governance dimensions of development. Global, regional and local data about development. The meaning of carrying capacity. Consumption and demography aspects. Climate change mitigation and adaptation. Latvia in the global context regarding sustainability.

Topic 3/4

Basic principles of sustainable development. Definitions of sustainable development base on different world-views. Principles elaborated by Daly, Stratti, socio-ecological principles of sustainable development and their applications.

Topic 5

Social aspect of sustainable development. Poverty, its connections to economics, governance and planning. Segregation as a relevant issue globally and in Latvia.

Topic 6

Methods for behaviour change. Individual and social lifestyle and influencing factors. 10 myths about behaviour change. Components of individual lifestyle and their significance for promotion of sustainability. Searching for alternatives at the individual, urban and state level.

Topic 7

Topic 8

Topic 9

Topic 10

Urban metabolism, organisation of space and flows in it. Traditional and other ways of spatial development, the understanding of development, examples from Latvia and the world. Climate adaptation issues. The impact of spatial organisation/development on lifestyle and possible alternatives for it, social well-being and municipal financial sustainability. The concept of neighbourhoods.

Topic 11

The recognition of urban development aspects spatially, at different scales. Alternatives.

Topic 12

The concept of mobility and transport, their differences and relations. The impact of different transport modes on the environment and society, interactions of transportation modes at different spatial scales. Key methods for developing solutions to transport problems and their added value, examples in the world, Europe and Latvia. Childstreet, pedestrian street.

Topic 13

Sustainable alternatives for improving mobility in Riga. Opportunities for inhabitants in Latvia regarding accessibilty to mobility services. Mobility planning for neighbourhoods.

Topic 14

The importance of development evaluation, examples. Sustainable development indicators, their application and associated paradoxes. Quality indicators, subjective indicators. Strengths and weaknesses of quantitative indicators. European Common Indicators for cities.

Topic 15

Types of indicators, their selection and elaboration. European Common Indicator framework and development in Riga. The elaboration of development indicators for specific issues and the definition of alternatives.

Topic 16

Overview of sustainable development examples in Latvia, selected by students.

Topic 17

Definition of tasks for group workshops taking into account the specific interests of students and topical development planning issues.

Topic 18

Practical assignment for students working in groups of four – development proposals for courtyards or neighbourhoods using sustainability principles. Framework for group work – acquired theoretical knowledge, team work, co-operation with local inhabitants, taking into account broader context.

Topic 19

Groups 1 and 2A in workshops will elaborate and implement a project for responsible consumption and will have the possibility to participate in Nordic Responsible Consumption Case Call.