wcm280 - Reinventing Environmental Planning (Vollständige Modulbeschreibung)

1. Describe and explain the main changes occurring in environmental planning over the past decades (1a, 1e, 1g, 2f)
2. Describe and explain the main challenges our governments and societies are currently confronted with in relation to the urban development, nature and biodiversity, climate change, air pollution and energy (1a, 1g, 3a, 3f)
3. Present and discuss the main arguments in support of recent changes in environmental planning, while drawing from theoretical concepts and debates in planning and policy sciences on governance renewal (1b, 1g, 4c, 6a)
4. Present and discuss the doubts and risks associated with renewing environmental policy based on a ‘post-contingency’ perspective (1e, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2f, 3a, 3g, 4c, 6a)
5. Discuss and evaluate the possible planning and governance strategies that can be applied to respond to these main challenges, while understanding of the arguments in favor and against these responses (1d, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2h, 3d, 3f, 3g, 6a, 6d)
6. Make well-argued choices for possible planning and governance strategies when faced with practical environmental issues, while showing sensitivity to how these strategies relate to the characteristics of the issues and circumstances (1c, 1d, 1f, 2a, 2b, 2h, 3d, 3f, 3g, 5a, 6a, 6d)

The course discusses recent changes in the field of environmental planning related to the emergence of sustainable development as a prime governance guideline. The course explains how sustainable development challenges the reliance on reactive and regulatory based policies that have long been common in environmental planning in many countries. Sustainable development is presented as a call for more proactive policies that integrate environmental concerns in overall governance activities. These calls for governance renewal are connected to wider shifts in both planning theory and practice, away from command and control policies towards a richer variety of policy approaches, inspired by for example market processes, public and private partnerships, communicative rationality and multi-level governance. While discussing recent changes in environmental planning, students are invited and stimulated to develop a critical and constructive attitude, while drawing on a ‘post-contingency’ perspective for identifying various theoretical arguments and doubts regarding these changes. Students will subsequently be shown examples of changes in environmental planning, related to five dominant environmental issues: urban development, nature and biodiversity, climate change, air pollution and energy. Students will be invited during a written exam to critically discuss and reflect on recent changes in environmental planning. Finally, through assignments, students need to show their ability to make theoretically supported and well-argued choices between different planning strategies and measures when faced with different issues and circumstances.

This course is part of the second year of the Double Degree Master Water and Coastal Management and takes place in Groningen.

See https://www.rug.nl/ocasys/frw/vak/show?code=GEMREENVPL for more information about this course.