Planning for Sustainable Cities

FaculteitFaculty of Geosciences

NiveauMaster

Studiejaar2026-2027

Beschrijving

Course goals

In this reading-intensive course students will learn from academic debates and case studies on sustainable cities and regions, examine efforts by planners and policy makers to improve urban environments, develop skills related to sustainable spatial development and apply it to specific cases. The key objectives are:

To develop a critical understanding of what constitutes “urban sustainability”, the tensions inherent to conceptualizations of urban sustainability and the role cities might play in the creation of a more sustainable planetary future;
To be familiar with indicators of sustainability, their application and limitations.
To understand the variegated forms of urbanism (and urban sustainability);
To critically reflect upon sustainable planning literature, sustainable planning practices and transformative planning approaches.
To understand how the concept of “sustainable cities” relates to other visions such as “compact cities”, “circular cities’, “low-carbon cities”, “resilient cities” and “smart cities”;
To enhance skills in critically assessing sustainability strategies in the governance and planning of cities.

Content

Are cities leading the way to sustainable futures, or are they rather an engine of capital accumulation and zone of environmental degradation? How do “sustainable cities” look like in different urban contexts in the global North and South? How can we assess urban sustainability, can we learn from “best practices” and through which planning approaches can urban sustainability transformations be achieved and consolidated? How do recent debates on “just”, ”compact” “resilient”, “circular”, “smart” or “net-zero” cities or “urban degrowth” relate to those on sustainable cities?

This reading-intensive course introduces students to the notion of sustainable cities implying that sustainable use of natural resources involves not only environmental concerns but equally social justice and economic development. We will closely examine the discourses, the political economies, and governance structures that shape urban sustainability ambitions, both in in the global North and South. Drawing on recent work in planning, urban studies, and geography, students will discuss the tensions in aligning economic (de)growth, environmental integrity, and social equity. At the same time, we will identify current planning practices and perspectives in developing sustainable cities. In this course, we will examine different typologies of cities based on influential schools in urban studies, normative urban visions that shape contemporary sustainability debates, strategic planning approaches to change cities, and explore recent initiatives to develop low-carbon, circular, resilient and smart cities as essential approaches to urban sustainability. By doing so, this course adds substantive knowledge to students and helps to refine research ideas required for the master’s thesis.

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