290048 SE Seminar in Human Geography: Urban Sustainability Transformations (2020W)

The contents of the seminar address current political, ecological, social, and thus highly topical challenges of cities with regard to sustainable development according to the Agenda 2030 and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Against this background, the seminar offers an overview of the current state of discussion and enables participants to critically reflect on the complexity of urban sustainability transformations. The seminar will introduce conceptual approaches as well as discuss practical examples from around the world. Thus, the theoretical basic knowledge is deepened through a strong application orientation.

The aim of the seminar is to describe and critically evaluate the specific challenges of selected cities with regard to urban sustainability transformations. The respective roles/tasks of different urban actors and sectors will be analyzed with regard to integrative research, planning and development approaches. Reflection and analysis will take place in the context of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs (targets and indicators). Based on the selected case cities, students will critically assess urban sustainability transformations in the context of current change processes.

Note: The seminar will be held in English. Discussions may also take place in German if no foreign students are participating. The seminar will take place in hybrid form: a) Online events on a weekly basis with changing inputs, discussion forums and moderation, b) Face-to-face events in small groups (block events)