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Blekinge Institute of Technology
Department of Spatial Planning
Revision: 3
Reg.no: BTH-4.1.14-0184-2026
Course syllabus
Introduction to Sustainable Urban Planning and Design
Introduction to Sustainable Urban Planning and Design
15 credits (15 högskolepoäng)
Course code: FM2621
Main field of study: Spatial Planning
Disciplinary domain: Technology
Education level: Second-cycle
Specialization: A1N - Second cycle, has only first-cycle course/s as entry requirements
Language of instruction: English
Applies from: 2026-02-24
Approved: 2026-02-24
1. Descision
This course is established by Dean 2022-12-16. The course syllabus is approved by Head of Department of Spatial Planning 2026-02-24 and applies from 2026-02-24.
2. Entry requirements
Admission to the course requires Bachelor’s degree in spatial planning, architecture, landscape architecture, architecture and visualization or equivalent, including 30 credits in planning and 30 credits in urban design. English 6.
3. Objective and content
3.1 Objective
The aim of the course is to introduce the programme and familiarize students with the field of sustainable urban planning and design. It provides foundational concepts and practices for understanding contemporary urban challenges and debates related to sustainability at both global and local scales.
3.2 Content
The course introduces and discusses central concepts and practices in sustainable urban planning and design that form a common foundation across the programme, including sustainability, resilience, circularity, and approaches to preservation and transformation. These are explored in relation to selected sustainability challenges, for example climate change, societal transformation, energy and mobility, and migration and segregation. Lectures and workshops are combined with project-based work, through which students engage with urban planning and design practice in a specific context.
4. Learning outcomes
The following learning outcomes are examined in the course:
4.1. Knowledge and understanding
On completion of the course, the student will be able to:
- Identify and explain sustainability key concepts and challenges in relation to urban planning and design.
- Describe how sustainability debates reshape the practice of urban planning and design.
4.2. Competence and skills
On completion of the course, the student will be able to:
- Apply general sustainability concepts in the analysis of urban planning and design cases.
- Develop design proposals that support the sustainable transformation of built environments.
4.3. Judgement and approach
On completion of the course, the student will be able to:
- Reflect on the role and limitations of urban planning and design in addressing sustainability challenges.
- Select appropriate planning and design tools for sustainability-oriented projects.
5. Learning activities
The course is structured in two parts: an introductory phase that establishes the key concepts, debates, and practices in sustainable urban planning and design through lectures, seminars, and workshops; and a studio-based phase combining lectures, field visits and project-based design work.
6. Assessment and grading
Modes of examinations of the course
| Code | Module | Credit | Grade |
| 2610 | Workshop | 6 credits | GU |
| 2620 | Project | 9 credits | AF |
The course will be graded A Excellent, B Very good, C Good, D Satisfactory, E Sufficient, FX Failed result, a little more work required, F Fail.
The examiner may carry out oral follow-up of written examinations.
The information before the start of the course states the assessment criteria and make explicit in which modes of examination that the learning outcomes are assessed.
An examiner can, after consulting the Disability Advisor at BTH, decide on a customized examination form for a student with a long-term disability to be provided with an examination equivalent to one given to a student who is not disabled.
7. Course evaluation
The course evaluation should be carried out in line with BTH:s course evaluation template and process.
8. Restrictions regarding degree
The course can form part of a degree but not together with another course the content of which completely or partly corresponds with the contents of this course.
9. Course literature and other materials of instruction
Bott. H., Grassl, G. and Anders, S. (ed.) (2020). Sustainable Urban Planning: Vibrant Neighbourhoods – Smart Cities – Resilience. Basel: Birkhäuser/Edition Detail. (e-book)
Castán Broto, V., Robin, E. & While, A. (ed.) (2019). Climate Urbanism – Towards a Critical Research Agenda. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan. (e-book)
Ytterligare kursmaterial tillhandahålls under kursens gång.