The aim is to make the student able to work with strategic planning in relation to transitions of technical infrastructures in cities. We will focus on interactions between the city and its infrastructure. We will apply a transformative approach, which positions the planner as an active agent of change, who can contribute to configure a desired development of technical infrastructure through strategic choices; e.g. in direction of environmental sustainability, social equity or greater urban quality. We will work with implementation of visions for future development with starting point in specific sociotechnical analyses of the city and its infrastructure.

• analyse the development of cities' infrastructure from a relevant academic transition perspective
• include and apply relevant urban planning theories in a strategic transition process
• carry out and account for an empirical analysis of a city and its infrastructure
• interpret the city and its infrastructure as coherent technical and social structures in society
• outline relevant visions for transition of cities' infrastructure with starting point in theoretical and empirical considerations
• point out innovative and creative initiatives and solutions that support the wished vision
• develop a proposal for a strategic plan for development of cities’ infrastructure that fulfill academic requirements regarding documentation, source criticism and independent reflections
• evaluate the strategic plan in terms of implementation challenges
• communicate and convey strategic considerations, both academically and popularly

Throughout the course the students will work with development of a strategic plan for an independently chosen city and its technical infrastructure. This project work is supported by academic lectures and discussions in order to learn to develop strategic plans. The students will learn basic elements in strategic urban planning and transition theory. The students will also learn about the work processes involved in preparing strategic plans in order to be able to independently search, identify and apply relevant theory, make concrete methodological choices for the empirical analysis and communicate and argue for a desired strategy. The students will be actively involved in the teaching. Examples of projects could be: working with transition towards collective transport systems, waste sorting as a social experiment or a more recreative way of handling rainwater. It is possible to work at different urban scales and with different themes. The course is relevant for engineering students, who wish to work with development of innovative visions and solutions that challenge established systems and ways of thinking in relation to planning of cities and technical infrastructure; e.g. in relation to future climate adaption and prevention of supply- and traffic systems.

Please contact the teacher for information on whether this course gives the student the opportunity to prepare a project that may participate in DTU´s Study Conference on sustainability, climate technology, and the environment (GRØN DYST). More information http://www.groendyst.dtu.dk/kursustilmelding.aspx