Aim
The aim of the course is to give an orientation on sustainable development with a focus on the built environment in an international perspective. The aim is to generalize and tie together knowledge from previous courses by relating issues of sustainable development to the design of the built environment.

Knowledge and understanding
For a passing grade the student must

• describe the most important documents related to international development and poverty reduction in the built environment

• describe the main features of urbanization in an international perspective

• describe challenges for a sustainable, urban development

Skills and abilities
For a passing grade the student must

• in writing and with references to the course literature, be able to carry out a broad analysis of a housingarea on themes related to sustainable development of the built environment

• in drawings and with references to the course literature be able to design a building and part of a housing area on themes related to sustainable development of the built environment

Judgement and approach
For a passing grade the student must

• show an interest to discuss the built environment from the perspective of sustainable development

• be willing to try out new methods in their continued studies

Contents
The course gives an insight on sustainable development of the built environment from an international perspective with a focus on low-income groups. The course contains both literature studies and a design proposal of a building and part of a housing area.

The course provides an introduction to the global goals and strategies for a sustainable development of the built environment, such as the UN-habitat Agenda, the World Urban Forum and the Millennium Development Goals. Concepts of Urbanization, urban growth, and the distribution of the urban population in different regions of the world will be introduced. The course focuses on themes of sustainable development of the built environment related to social, environmental and economic aspects.

The course aims to analyze and interpret the design of housing and public space related to themes of sustainable development of the built environment. The following themes are included: use of public space, issues of safety and security, gender and physical planning, energy sonsumption and passive climatization of buildings and urban space, slumupgrading, finance for low-income housing and organized self-help housing.

Examples include projects, case-studies and research from Algeria, Costa Rica, , Honduras, Morocco, Nicaragua, the Phillippines Sri Lanka, Sweden, South Africa and Tunisia.

Literature
Tannerfeldt, G. & Ljung, P. 2006. More urban Less Poor, an introduction to urban development and management. Earthscan. ISBN: 13:978-1-84407-381-8
Mc Carney P.L. 2006. Our future: Sustainable cities - turning ideas into action, Background paper WUF3. Available from website:http://www.wuf3-fum3.ca
Sida Policy, Fighting Poverty in an Urban World, Support to Urban Development, http://www.sida.se/sida.jsp/sida.jsp?d=1575&a=24313&language=en_US
United Nations Human Settlements Programme: http://www.unhabitat.org/
United Nations Millennium Development Goals: http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/
United Nations World Urban Forum: http://www.wuf3-fum3.ca/
Building issues: http://www.hdm.lth.se/bi/INDEX.HTM