Urban areas are now home to over half the world’s population, or 4.5 billion people and it is projected that by the end of the century close to 9 billion people or 85% of the global population will be urbanised. As such urban areas are both significant sources of greenhouse gas emissions and vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Climate change is increasingly viewed as evidence of the unsustainable nature of contemporary cities; therefore, cities and urban policy have a key role to play in the creation of climate change solutions and in progressing the global sustainable development agenda more widely. This module will provide a critical exploration of: the idea that cities can be both drivers and victims of climate change; the complex and wicked nature of climate change and associated sustainability issues within urban areas; vulnerability and resilience to the impacts of climate change; the meaning and nature of both sustainable cities and smart cities and their role in the climate change agenda; urban politics and the governance of climate change; the relationship between climate change and environmental and social justice and cities as spaces for environmental activism; mitigation and adaptation strategies that urban areas can implement in response to climate change; and the benefits and challenges of developing greener and more circular urban economies. The module will also provide an opportunity to design a strategy (identify a set of initiatives) to enhance the responsiveness and resilience to climate change of a specific urban area or neighbourhood.

1. The group assessment will require students to produce a set of materials that could be used by an urban community group or organisation to explain to their members (e.g. local residents, employees) the potential impacts of a changing climate on them. This could be in the form of a set of web pages, a blog, a video or a narrated slide-set (Learning Outcomes 1 & 5).

2. The individual report follows from the group assessment and will require students to create, and justify, a set of recommendations on how an urban community group or organisation could respond to climate change (Learning Outcomes 1 – 5).

Formative assessment opportunities are available throughout the module - structured class activities will allow students to discuss ideas introduced in the module and relate them to the module assessments providing them with the opportunity to self-evaluate their understanding of module materials. Students will also be provided with the opportunity to discuss their ideas for the module assignments and receive feedback on their plans.

This module will be delivered through a combination of independent and online learning, scheduled class sessions, and planning, researching and producing the module assessments.
Materials and resources that introduce the main themes and key concepts covered in the module, as well as supporting the development of the key skills required to complete the assessment will be made available via the VLE. These may be on the form of pre-recorded lectures, a set of directed readings, links to videos or appropriate micro-certification packages, or a mixture.
Workshops and seminars will provide students with the opportunity to: (i) debate and further explore the ideas introduced in the learning materials; (ii) discuss how they will use them to address the module assessment; and (iii) receive guidance on completing the assessment.
Students should spend the independent learning hours working through the learning resources and self-instructional materials provided in the VLE, completing preparatory and follow-up activities for the class sessions, and completing the module assessments.

Module Learning Outcome
1. Recognise the complex relationship between urban environments and climate change.

University Learning Outcome
Knowledge and Understanding

Module Learning Outcome
2. Identify the approaches by which sustainability, climate adaptation initiatives and low carbon agendas are put into practice by urban areas in response to the environmental and socio-economic challenges of climate change.

University Learning Outcome
Knowledge and Understanding

Module Learning Outcome
3. Critically evaluate a range of different climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.

University Learning Outcome
Enquiry

Module Learning Outcome
4. Produce a set of recommendations on how to increase the responsiveness and resilience of an existing urban area, community group, or organisation to climate change.

University Learning Outcome
Application Problem solving

Module Learning Outcome
5. Critically discuss ideas presented in the literature relating to the role of urbanisation, urban policy and governance in both shaping and responding to the impacts of climate change and communicate ideas and knowledge clearly.

University Learning Outcome
Analysis Communication

VLE with virtual classroom facilities for access to on-line learning resources.
High quality teaching space for face-to-face class sessions, where appropriate, with usual audio-visual facilities.
Library resources, both online and physical, to support module learning activities and research for assignments.

Allam, Z. et al. (2020) Cities and Climate Change: Climate Policy, Economic Resilience and Urban Sustainability. Palgrave Macmillan.
Bulkeley, H. (2012) Cities and Climate Change. Routledge Critical Introductions to Urbanism and the City. Dekker, S. (2018) Cities Leading Climate Action: Urban Policy and Planning (Routledge Advances in Climate Change Research).
Taylor, P. (2020) Cities Demanding the Earth: A New Understanding of the Climate Emergency. Bristol University Press.

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In this module students will explore the idea that cities can be both drivers and victims of climate change, the complex and wicked nature of climate change and the associated urban sustainability issues, the vulnerability and resilience of cities to climate change, the meaning and nature of both sustainable cities and smart cities and their role in the climate change agenda. This exploration will include an introduction to urban governance, the relationship between climate change and environmental and social justice and cities as spaces for environmental activism as well as the variety of ways in which urban areas can respond to climate change. Students will bring all this together by producing a strategy to enhance the responsiveness and resilience to climate change of a specific urban area or neighbourhood.