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PLAN40390

Academic Year 2026/2027

Sustainable Cities (PLAN40390)

Subject:
Planning
College:
Engineering & Architecture
School:
Architecture, Plan & Env Pol
Level:
4 (Masters)
Credits:
10
Module Coordinator:
Professor Enda Murphy
Trimester:
Spring
Mode of Delivery:
Online
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

The overall goal of this module is to introduce students to the role of cities in promoting future sustainable development. The module explores the multifaceted role that cities plays in interacting with ideas of sustainability across the social, economic, environmental and governance pillars of the UN sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This module is a core module for those registered for the M.Sc. in Sustainable Development run in partnership with UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN); it is also a core module on the Masters of Regional and Urban Planning. All students registered for this module will have full access to the digital resources of the SDG Academy as well as access to the UN SDSN Network.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

On completion students will be:

1. Understand the nexus between cities and future sustainable development;
2. Understand how cities influence the four key pillars of the SDGs;
3. Be familiar with best practice approaches to improving sustainability in cities.

The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Autonomous Student Learning

180
Lectures

20
Total

200

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
- Lecture
- Group work
- Multimedia videos

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade Component repeat (in-module) Offered
Group Work Assignment: Group work assignment assessing a city of the group's choice and determining and appropriate policy analysis and transformation pathway to a sustainable future. Week 12 Graded Yes
70
 Yes
Individual Project: Students are required to complete one SDG Academy MOOC on Sustainable Cities including in-MOOC quizzes. Week 10 Pass/Fail Grade Scale No
30
 Yes

As part of UCD's student support, under the Additional Consideration policy, extensions may be available for the following assessments in the module: Assignment (including essay/poster), Portfolio, Reflective Assignment, Report(s), and Individual Project.


Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Summer No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Online automated feedback

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Spring Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Mon 14:00 - 15:50
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