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Sustainability
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Sustainable Urban Planning and Design Education in Practice
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Sustainable Urban Planning and Design Education in Practice

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2020) | Viewed by 28555

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Paul Jones

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Associate Professor, Sydney School of Architecture, Design and Planning, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, Sydney. NSW 2006, Australia
Interests: The nature of myriad forms of informal urbanism in Asia and Pacific; Governance, urban planning and management systems in informal settlements; ‘Globalizing’ student education via modes of cross-cultural teaching and learning so as to better understand the contemporary Asia-Pacific city; The form and structure of informal settlements; Realigning planning responses to urban informal development (land, housing and services); Improved conceptualization and understanding of who makes and shapes the city; Localizing the SDGs and New Urban Agenda

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The world continues to urbanize with some 55% of the world's population now living in towns and cities. Small, medium and mega cities continue to grow and expand with nearly a quarter of cities having populations of one million or more residents. The rise of globalization and modernization has driven the urbanization process, providing cities with unprecedented social, economic, political and functional significance. This has led to both benefits and challenges, such as spatial inequities in terms of access to jobs, housing and land, as well as flourishing informality as seen in the rise of informal settlements and slums. Current urban planning and design education must understand and respond to the complexity and diversity of this development if it is to be ‘sustainable’.

Within this context, planning educators and scholars in both academia and practice play a pivotal role in shaping the skills and knowledge that future urban planners and designers require to address the problems of contemporary cities. In the learning process, there are many challenges being experienced. For example, the student cohort that educators and scholars are engaging with is rapidly changing, as is the range of tools and modes of education now available for planning educators to use in the learning process. As well, there is a wider array of stakeholders all competing for place and space in cities, and it is within this milieu that urban planners and designers must work. Students are the future planning and design leaders of tomorrow, and there is increasing recognition that students must develop a range of cross-disciplinary skills, knowledge and tools that address the issues and challenges of their domestic urban setting but also the wider global urban setting. For cities to be sustainable, educational practice must also be sustainable, robust, adaptive and educationally ‘fit for purpose’ in responding to the multiple needs of people, communities, private sector and government that shape the contemporary city.

This Special Issue aims to improve the practice of urban planning and design education by showcasing a range of sustainable educational approaches which address current urban issues essential to the knowledge, skills and learning outcomes that urban planning and design students require to plan and design the contemporary city. Papers are encouraged on all aspects of topical urban planning and design education, from issues and challenges surrounding use of appropriate planning theory to program pedagogy such as affordable housing, curriculum structure and program design, the challenges of engaging with rising multi-cultural student cohorts, the critical role of public engagement and outreach in student education, and the effectiveness of myriad modes of educational teaching from ‘e-learning’, podcasts and partnering with government and private sector, to the growing role and importance of domestic and international studios. This Special Issues aims to synthesize ‘good practice’ as embedded in current approaches whilst contributing to the practice-theory nexus in terms of what ‘good’ sustainable urban planning and design education means. In this context, papers are most welcome that address student engagement and learning with the concept of attaining inclusive cities, including understanding communities living in informal settlements and slums.

Prof. Dr. Paul Jones
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • urban planning and design
  • sustainable education
  • contempoary city
  • urbanization

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 626 KiB  
Article
Not So Much about Informality: Emergent Challenges for Urban Planning and Design Education
by Paulo Silva
Sustainability 2020, 12(20), 8450; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12208450 - 14 Oct 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2865
Abstract
This paper addresses the challenges faced by planning and design education programmes when focusing on more sustainable ways of dealing with global changes. While the dominant discourse addresses the fact that planning programmes discuss the Global South through the lens of planning theory [...] Read more.
This paper addresses the challenges faced by planning and design education programmes when focusing on more sustainable ways of dealing with global changes. While the dominant discourse addresses the fact that planning programmes discuss the Global South through the lens of planning theory and practice from the Global North, the proposal is to shift the debate and recognise that, from a complexity perspective, planning problems are not so different from region to region. The argument is that, although the theory has moved on, when discussing conceptual aspects of planning, spatial planning practice is still focused on objects rather than the relationship between them (be they buildings, streets, neighbourhoods or even cities). Assuming that urban territories are not objects and do not develop in a linear way, but rather evolve, the proposal is to reflect on how planning and design education addresses urban evolution. This paper suggests a revision of planning and design approaches to informality, given the participation in recent years of a joint studio in Bandung, Indonesia. The alternative perspective offered here involves a re-examination of concepts and deconstruction of dichotomies. The main findings rely on the interpretation of formalisation processes (in the Global North) through the lens of complexity theory, which has facilitated understanding of today’s informal settlements (in the Global South). It suggests the deconstruction of dichotomies, such as informal versus formal, thus, positing the need for a major shift on planning and design rules that focus less on objects and more on the relationship between them. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Urban Planning and Design Education in Practice)
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15 pages, 2820 KiB  
Article
Integrating Teaching and Learning with Inter-Disciplinary Action Research in Support of Climate Resilient Urban Development
by Darryn McEvoy, Usha Iyer-Raniga, Serene Ho, David Mitchell, Veeriah Jegatheesan and Nick Brown
Sustainability 2019, 11(23), 6701; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11236701 - 27 Nov 2019
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4604
Abstract
The capital cities of the South Pacific are experiencing rapid urbanisation pressures as increasing numbers of people migrate to the primary cities either in search of employment and greater access to healthcare and education, or as a consequence of environmental ‘push’ factors. However, [...] Read more.
The capital cities of the South Pacific are experiencing rapid urbanisation pressures as increasing numbers of people migrate to the primary cities either in search of employment and greater access to healthcare and education, or as a consequence of environmental ‘push’ factors. However, the limited capacity of municipal Governments to respond to the scale and pace of change is leading to a growth of informal settlements in peri-urban locations. Factors of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity combine to make these informal settlements the most vulnerable areas to natural hazards. In response to this critical urban resilience agenda, this paper looks at how participatory action research is providing inter-disciplinary scientific support for the implementation of urban resilience and climate actions in Honiara, Solomon Islands. Adaptation measures involve a combination of hard and soft actions; as well as activities designed to strengthen local capacity to respond to contemporary resilience challenges. Addressing the adaptive capacity component, this paper also highlights the opportunities for Australian universities to integrate teaching and learning with action research to achieve a substantive real-world impact in the Pacific region, as well as illustrating the capacity strengthening benefits that can be achieved through sustained engagement and collaborative partnerships with local organisations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Urban Planning and Design Education in Practice)
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12 pages, 2615 KiB  
Article
Mainstreaming the ‘Brown’ Agenda
by Pranita Shrestha
Sustainability 2019, 11(23), 6660; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11236660 - 25 Nov 2019
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 5647
Abstract
‘Sustainable development’ is a term that came into use after the Brundtland Commission’s report on global environment and development in 1987. This term is also referred to as an ‘oxymoron’ as it comprises two words ‘sustainable’ and ‘development’ that are in many ways [...] Read more.
‘Sustainable development’ is a term that came into use after the Brundtland Commission’s report on global environment and development in 1987. This term is also referred to as an ‘oxymoron’ as it comprises two words ‘sustainable’ and ‘development’ that are in many ways contradictory to each other—well illustrated by the clear divisions between the ‘green’ and the ‘brown’ agendas. This paper attempts to empirically represent this contradictory nature of the term through a specific case of ecological protection of a river versus human well-being of squatters within the context of a developing country in South Asia. The paper argues for the need to explicitly emphasize the justice aspect of sustainable development through mainstreaming the ‘brown’ agenda. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Urban Planning and Design Education in Practice)
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17 pages, 252 KiB  
Article
Toward the Integration of SDGs in Higher Planning Education: Insights from Integrated Urbanism Study Program in Belgrade
by Marija Maruna
Sustainability 2019, 11(17), 4519; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11174519 - 21 Aug 2019
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3022
Abstract
With the adoption of the UN Agenda 2030, UNESCO has put forward new recommendations to integrate Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into the teaching process. In particular, SDG 11—“Sustainable cities and communities”—is aimed at education in the field of urban planning. In parallel with [...] Read more.
With the adoption of the UN Agenda 2030, UNESCO has put forward new recommendations to integrate Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into the teaching process. In particular, SDG 11—“Sustainable cities and communities”—is aimed at education in the field of urban planning. In parallel with this, the Guidelines of the European Council of Spatial Planners ECTP-CEU have set out the skills needed for the planning profession. The goal of this paper was to verify the compatibility of the curricula of the master’s study program in Integrated Urbanism at the Faculty of Architecture, University of Belgrade, with the recommendations of the UN, UNESCO, and ECTP-CEU. A qualitative analysis of the structure and content of the course curricula was applied on three levels; curricula were compared to: (a) the expected skills in the planning profession, (b) the SDG 11 targets defined in UN Agenda 2030, and (c) the learning objectives, as formulated by UNESCO. The research results highlight several key aspects to improve the curricula, and include the concept of sustainability: (a) the structure of the course curricula, (b) interdisciplinarity, (c) partnerships with institutions and communities, (d) links with scientific research work, (e) practice orientation, (f) improving teachers’ competence levels, and (g) improving the accreditation process. These results can be used as guidelines to improve the curricula of the Integrated Urbanism study program in the next accreditation cycle, and also as a methodological approach to verify the compatibility and dimensions of higher planning education (HPE) in relation to the expected skills and global requirements of education for sustainable development (ESD). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Urban Planning and Design Education in Practice)
17 pages, 2815 KiB  
Article
The Case for Inclusion of International Planning Studios in Contemporary Urban Planning Pedagogy
by Paul Jones
Sustainability 2019, 11(15), 4174; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11154174 - 2 Aug 2019
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4123
Abstract
The pedagogy of urban planning education should include an understanding of the growth and complexity of city development issues, especially the best ways to respond to dealing with current and future challenges. At the same time, the nature of the city that urban [...] Read more.
The pedagogy of urban planning education should include an understanding of the growth and complexity of city development issues, especially the best ways to respond to dealing with current and future challenges. At the same time, the nature of the city that urban planners engage with continues to change, with one major challenge being the increasing growth of informal settlements. This paper asserts that an essential component of contemporary urban planning pedagogy is the inclusion of international planning studios and, importantly, studios which focus on major urban social and civic planning issues, such as informal settlements. The latter have been acknowledged as a major sustainable development challenge and are incorporated into the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To support this assertion, the paper outlines the case for international planning studios, reviews the literature on studios—including planning and international studios—and discusses the benefits and challenges of organizing an international studio grounded on embracing global development issues and learning objectives. This paper uses a case study of an international postgraduate Master’s degree planning studio, set within an informal settlement (kampung) in Indonesia, held annually since 2015 to illustrate the above. The latter studio is in collaboration between the University of Sydney and the Institute of Technology Bandung (ITB) University, Indonesia. The paper concludes with a summation for the case for international studios in contemporary urban planning pedagogy, including a set of principles that can be used by planning programs when designing an international planning studio. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Urban Planning and Design Education in Practice)
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14 pages, 2217 KiB  
Article
Towards an Informal Turn in the Built Environment Education: Informality and Urban Design Pedagogy
by Hesam Kamalipour and Nastaran Peimani
Sustainability 2019, 11(15), 4163; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11154163 - 1 Aug 2019
Cited by 29 | Viewed by 7418
Abstract
Informal urbanism, ranging from informal settlements to trading and transport, has become integral, but not limited, to the ways in which cities of the global South work. At stake here is the role of the built environment professions in responding to informal urbanism [...] Read more.
Informal urbanism, ranging from informal settlements to trading and transport, has become integral, but not limited, to the ways in which cities of the global South work. At stake here is the role of the built environment professions in responding to informal urbanism where a poor understanding of the complexities of informality can lead to poor design interventions. Providing a better understanding of how forms of informality work is then a key task for the built environment education, which arguably falls short in this regard. With a particular focus on urban design, we suggest that it is critical to move towards an informal turn in the built environment education to address informality and engage with the dynamics of informal urbanism. We first investigate the scope of urban design and then explore the ways in which urban design education can respond to informal urbanism in its curricula by developing an urban design program on informality as an illustration. The suggested approach can be considered as an initial step towards an informal turn in urban design education. We conclude that while urban design alone cannot solve social and economic problems, including poverty and inequality, its capacity to address the complex challenges of urbanization cannot be overlooked. Urban design education cannot remain isolated from the questions of informality anymore. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Urban Planning and Design Education in Practice)
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