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Sustainable Cities and Societies
Whether you're an aspiring urban planner, environmental advocate, or simply passionate about building a better world, the Sustainable Cities and Societies summer course is your gateway to understanding and contributing to the sustainable cities movement.
Enroll in our brand-new graduate course and join a community of like-minded peers. This course is designed to provide you with a practical and theoretical understanding of sustainability principles, both social and ecological. Through a comprehensive overview of sustainability in urban contexts, students will be part of a collaborative learning environment where they can share and learn from each other's experiences.
Enroll in our brand-new graduate course and join a community of like-minded peers. This course is designed to provide you with a practical and theoretical understanding of sustainability principles, both social and ecological. Through a comprehensive overview of sustainability in urban contexts, students will be part of a collaborative learning environment where they can share and learn from each other's experiences.
Teaching period:
-
Application period:
1.2.2024 – 31.5.2024
Course format:
Campus
Duration:
2 weeks
full-time
Course level:
Graduate
Professional
Field of study:
Art and design
Credits:
5 ECTS
Organiser:
School of Arts, Design and Architecture
Tuition fees:
1490€ tuition fee
This course delves into the topic of sustainable cities and societies from a range of concepts, theories and practices that relate to urban planning and design. The course considers cities as socio-ecological systems, and unpacks how the social, technical and environmental dimensions of urban environments are interconnected in issues such as social equity and justice, inclusive and adaptive decision-making, community engagement, and resilience.
The course proceeds through a series of lectures and collaborative workshops, which encourage participants to link theoretical insights into the practices of planning and design. Participants will explore the concepts of resilient and sustainable cities, outline future pathways and transformation challenges, and develop strategies to foster the transitions towards sustainability.
Ways of working
During these two weeks on campus, students will participate in interactive, hands-on workshops centred around strategies and processes for creating sustainable cities and designing community-driven green spaces. Lectures will also cover topics such as biodiversity, sustainability transitions, and urban development. Lastly, students will have the chance to immerse themselves in case studies through joint visits to selected spots around the city to get to know initiatives and the people behind urban innovations.
Information for Summer School Applicants
Pre-assignments (online): Reading assignment, reflective paper and poster
Intensive weeks on campus: August 5th to 16th, 2024
- Daily teaching sessions 09-12
- Supported project work in teams 13-16
Post assignment (online): Reflection
At the end of the course, students will be able to
- Comprehend the sustainability principles and elements in urban transformations,
- Apply concepts of socio-ecological sustainability in the practices of urban planning and design,
- Develop inclusive and collaborative decision-making processes for urban sustainability transformations,
- Identify future challenges and propose socially resilient strategies to overcome the emerging urban challenges amidst sustainability crises.
The total course workload of 135h (5 ECTS) consists of:
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Contact teaching: 30h (Lectures, discussion, group work, feedback)
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Project work in teams: 50h
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Individual work: 55h divided as follows: 25 (pre-work) + 10 (during the course) + 20 (post-work)
The course is graded as pass/fail.
The course assessment is based on attendance, active participation in sessions, the completion of the individual assignments and group work.
Please note that this course is designed for visiting students and can not be included in Aalto degree studies.
Applicants to this course are expected to be at the late stage of their bachelor’s programme or have a finished bachelor’s degree or the equivalent of 180 ECTS completed in the undergraduate degree.
Prepare to attach the following to your application a motivation letter answering the following questions:
- How do you define sustainable cities and societies?
- Why are you interested in this course? How does it relate to your background or current interests?
- What do you expect to get from this course? How would you incorporate your learnings from this course into your further studies or professional life?
- What is an ideal teamwork for you? Please provide examples.
The recommended length for the motivation letter is 150-250 words.
If you need a visa, we recommend applying by May 15th 2024
- This is to ensure that we have enough time to process your application and that you have time to make the tuition fee payment, book a visa appointment and wait for the application to be processed.
- You can apply and be accepted to the courses after April 15th. In that case, we recommend that you pay at your earliest convenience so that we can deliver your invitation letter to you promptly.
- According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland, the processing time for a visa application is 15 days. However, the processing time may be longer if a more detailed application examination is required.
Tuition fee
The tuition fee is 1490€ (including VAT 24%). The tuition fee is to be paid by credit card or a Finnish online bank. If the fee is not paid by the due date, the application will be considered lapsed.
Reduced tuition fee (-20%) for students from partner institutions of Aalto University. Please prepare to prove your student status with a study transcript before paying the tuition fee.
Unfortunately, Aalto University Summer School does not offer scholarships for participants.
Learn about the Aalto University Summer School cancellation terms. You will receive the full terms before making the payment and confirming the course participation.
Teacher Information
Anahita Rashidfarokhi is a postdoctoral researcher in the field of sustainable built environment and urban planning, with a focus on social-ecological resilience. Anahita’s academic journey has equipped her with a transdisciplinary foundation, allowing her to explore the complex and interconnected challenges of sustainable urban planning and practice. Her research interests lie in the transformative potential of research for creating positive societal impacts. Anahita has extensive experience working with academic and non-academic partners to co-create knowledge.
With a focus on developing practical solutions for sustainability integration and transition in the built environment, Anahita’s doctoral research delved into sustainability perceptions, actions, and motivations of built environment actors, resulting in the development of practical tools and frameworks to support their sustainability transition endeavors. In her postdoctoral career, she has continued to research practical solutions for enhancing built environment resilience amidst multifaceted and interconnected crises in the future.
In the Complex Landscapes research group at University of Helsinki, Anahita is involved in the EU Horizon project, UGPplus, which contributes to understanding how urban greening policies, measures and strategies can be integrated at all governance levels and across planning departments across diverse European cities.
Elif Erdoğan Öztekin is a postdoctoral researcher, affiliated with the Department of Architecture at Aalto University. Elif has a background in architecture and design, and her expertise is in the field of design for sustainability transitions.
In her doctoral research, she tackled the agencies of design in leading sustainability transitions and societal change processes, by examining how and to what extent design practices facilitate learning. She did field research in several community initiatives across Europe that designed, built and managed the transformation of their settlements with sustainability targets.
In her current postdoctoral research project, she focuses on the in-situ practices of co-creating urban nature futures which relates to participatory urban planning and transition governance. She adopts transdisciplinary research principles and an action research methodology. In this direction, she utilizes an experimental approach in the pursuit of developing working methods for cities. While doing so, she collaborates closely with the city of Helsinki, urban actors and local communities in the co-production of knowledge and action.
Contact
Summer School team
Graduate Summer School application (external link)
Use this form to apply to Aalto University Summer School graduate courses
Graduate summer courses
We offer multidisciplinary academic summer courses for students and professionals with completed undergraduate degrees.
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