Admission requirements
Required:
- Environmental Science
Please note: students should have a bike at their disposal during the entire block and be prepared to spend time outdoors in all weather conditions.
Description
Imagine the world in thirty years. How will cities look like then? Likely they will be home to substantially more people and facing increased climate-related risks compared to now. Biodiversity will be a critical element to make cities livable, adaptable to climate change, and support humans’ physical and mental wellbeing. But how can we effectively integrate biodiversity into urban design?
To tackle this question, this course explores ecological and evolutionary processes in urban environments, with the ultimate goal of applying them to urban design and planning. We will examine cities as spaces where green infrastructures can mitigate societal and environmental challenges by building with nature. Beyond lectures, we will use The Hague as a “living laboratory” to apply ecological theories to field observations and case studies via excursions and group work.
Course Objectives
After successful completion of this course, students are able to:
Explain how ecological and evolutionary processes in urban environments manifest;
Describe environmental and societal challenges that today’s urban areas are faced with;
Describe ecoystems services and disservices in cities
Apply the above knowledge and skills to evaluate an urban environment and design synergistic interventions that improve it’s ecological value, adaptability to climate change and other benefits
Reflect on the concept of urban rewilding, nature-based solutions, and nature-inclusive and climate-adaptive urban design in the local context of The Hague.
Timetable
Timetables for courses offered at Leiden University College in 2025-2026 will be published on this page of the e-Prospectus.
Mode of instruction
The course involves interactive lectures, student discussions and presentations, and student-led excursions. Students play an active role in the teaching and learning process: each week they will be responsible for co-designing and co-creating ideas and activities with the goal working on the learning outcomes together. Students are expected to prepare for class by reading and reflecting on assigned readings and making take-home assignment.
Assessment Method
Participation: 10%
Group-led excursion: 25%
Take-home assignments: 30%
Project presentation: 20%
Quiz: 15%
Reading list
Readings will be listed in the syllabus
Registration
Courses offered at Leiden University College (LUC) are usually only open to LUC students and LUC exchange students. Leiden University students who participate in one of the university’s Honours tracks or programmes may register for one LUC course, if availability permits. Registration is coordinated by the Education Coordinator, course.administration@luc.leidenuniv.nl.
Contact
Dr. Elisa van Cleemput, e.e.a.van.cleemput@luc.leidenuniv.nl
Remarks
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