Course content

Social, environmental, economic and political instabilities have become central concerns for urban governance and planning, which impede the ability of professionals and decision-makers to make projections and predictions that are capable of effectively guiding future urban development. The growing income inequalities and chronic poverty magnify these uncertainties and make urban areas more vulnerable and fragile. Students enrolled in the course will be introduced to the theories of uncertainty and contingency in urban planning, and of urban risks, vulnerabilities, capacities and resilience, with a particular focus on housing, social and physical infrastructure, mobility, environment, livelihoods and social capital. Local and international case studies of cities dealing with natural hazards, climate change, epidemics, financial instabilities, armed conflicts, forced migration and other shocks and stresses will be presented and discussed. Students will also have an opportunity to learn about and practice frameworks and methods related to the course content with a local and/or international case study.

Learning outcome

Knowledge: The candidate will have an advanced understanding of the concept of contingency planning in the contexts of different social, environmental, economic and political instabilities and shocks. Skills: The candidate will be able to prepare area-based contingency plan proposals for different situations of crises and uncertainties General Competency: The candidate will be able to recognize different kinds of uncertainties and crises, and analyze their repercussions on urban development and planning.

Learning methods and activities

The course teaching will combine classroom lectures, reading discussion sessions and site visits in Trondheim. Students will engage in two major assignments: 1) group project on contingency planning for a hypothetical crisis situation in selected areas of Trondheim, and 2) individual research paper on a chosen international case study.

Specific conditions

Recommended previous knowledge

While previous experience in urban development and/or planning is useful, this is not a requirement.

Required previous knowledge

Completed three years basic bachelor courses in a relevant field.

Course materials

A compendium will be provided. Indicative readings include: Indicative references: Abbott, J. 2005. Understanding and managing the unknown: The nature of uncertainty in planning; Kato, S., & Ahern, J. 2008. ‘Learning by doing’: adaptive planning as a strategy to address uncertainty in planning; Meerow, S., Newell, J. P. & Stults, M. 2016. Defining urban resilience: A review; Rauws, W. 2017. Embracing uncertainty without abandoning planning: Exploring an adaptive planning approach for guiding urban transformations; Wisner, B., Gaillard, J. & Kelman, I. 2012. Framing disaster: theories and stories seeking to understand hazards, vulnerability and risk.