Sustainable Cities of Northern Europe

Program Overview

This course examines principles of sustainability as they apply to urban areas. We will explore 9 cities in 5 European countries: Stockholm and Malmo, in Sweden; Copenhagen, Aero, and Odense in Denmark; Hannover and Freiburg, in Germany; Strasbourg in France; and Zurich in Switzerland. Each is widely recognized for their efforts to become more sustainable.

We will explore innovations such as: compact, mixed use, transit-(and pedestrian) oriented planning; high quality urban design for walkable cities, car-free developments, urban waterfront and brownfield development, bicycle friendly urbanism, alternative housing models, renewable energy sources solar, wind, bio-fuels) and energy efficiency, recycling, reuse and reduction in solid waste, innovations in heating and cooling at the district scale, storm water management, natural areas restoration and preservation as part of the urban fabric, and similar topics that require a policy, planning and urban design response. Students will learn sustainable measures; to quickly “read” cities and recognize how they function; gain insights into how European communities have embraced sustainable concepts; and gain insights into how to translate these lessons to U.S. cities.

In each community, we will: (1) take a walking (and biking) tour of key parts of the city; (2) take specialized tours of innovative places, neighborhoods, and facilities often by testing local public transit or energy facilities; (3) learn from local officials and scholars about the country, region or community’s efforts; and (4) complete a series of hands on field exercises in urban design and sustainable planning. Students will keep a journal, do a series of visual and mapping exercises, and develop a substantial paper on a sustainability topic of the student’s choice.

This program carries a total of 8 units. Enrolled students must take 8 units of Landscape Architecture 191 OR 4 units of Landscape Architecture 191 AND 4 units of Environmental Science and Policy 173.

Graduate students may take 4 units of Landscape Architecture 297 and 4 units of 298. Auditing is not an option.

To get a real feel for this program and a visual tour, visit the instructor's blog from the 2009 program: http://ucdesustainability.blogspot.com/

Courses

Landscape Architecture 191 -  Workshop in Landscape Architecture. Faculty initiated workshops featuring advanced studies and applications of original work in landscape architecture.  LDA majors enrolled in this Summer Abroad program register for 8 units of LDA 191; however, non-LDA majors enroll in 4 units of LDA 191 and 4 units of ESP 173 (see below). Prerequisites: LDA 1, 70 and 170 or consent of the instructor. Graduate units are available (LDA 297 and LDA 298) per the consent of the instructor.

AND

Environmental Science and Policy 173 - Land Use and Growth Controls (4 units): Exposes students to the economic, political, and legal factors affecting land use and growth controls, and helps students critically evaluate written materials in terms of their arguments and supporting data. Prerequisites: Political Science 1, Economics 1A, intermediate statistics (Sociology 106 or Statistics 102 or the equivalent), and local government (Applied Behavioral Science 157, 158 or Political Science 100, 102 or 104) or consent of instructor.

For a full course description, including the prerequisites for Sustainable Cities of Northern Europe, view the UC Davis General Catalog. Note: in many cases the prerequisites are waived by consent of instructor, Jeff Loux (please contact him if you have any questions about your academic preparedness for this program). For more information on prerequisites for UC Davis courses, visit the Academics section of the Summer Abroad website.