COURSE UNIT TITLE

: ECOLOGY AND URBAN DESIGN RELATIONS

Description of Individual Course Units

Course Unit Code Course Unit Title Type Of Course D U L ECTS
URD 5031 ECOLOGY AND URBAN DESIGN RELATIONS ELECTIVE 2 0 0 7

Offered By

Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences

Level of Course Unit

Second Cycle Programmes (Master's Degree)

Course Coordinator

PROFESSOR DOCTOR ŞEBNEM GÖKÇEN

Offered to

Urban Design
M.Sc. Urban Design

Course Objective

This course intends to understand urban ecology and its implications on the design of physical environment, to define the main principles in ecologically-sensitive formation of designed space, to explain how and under which objective framework design can be influential upon urban ecology and to question the overall dynamics behind different experiences.

Learning Outcomes of the Course Unit

1   to define ecologically-sensitive design concepts
2   to define the ecologically-sensitive process in design
3   to understand the design experience in ecology
4   to technically analyze the existing cases of ecological design
5   to criticize various design approached in terms of their ecological sensitivity
6   to develop design skills in creation of ecologically-sensitive settlements.

Mode of Delivery

Face -to- Face

Prerequisites and Co-requisites

None

Recomended Optional Programme Components

None

Course Contents

Week Subject Description
1 Conceptual framework
2 Objective framework of protecting ecological balance and its relations to plans of different types and scales
3 Ecological land use planning, areas of intervention and planning criteria, implementation of planning and eco-cities
4 Provision of urban energy control: general principles
5 Use of reusable energy in design of space, solar city, zero-carbon city, smart growth
6 Ecological approaches in building design: green architecture
7 Ecological design criteria in building scale and spatial relations of the building with its near surrounding
8 Midterm exam
9 Management of urban ecosystems and urbanization (social and environmental context)
10 Sustainability and environmental quality
11 Sustainability and public health and citizen rights
12 Urban ecology: different cases
13 Urban ecology: different cases
14 In-class presentations

Recomended or Required Reading

Environmental Science, A Global Concern. Cunningham and Saigo. 2000.
Platt, R. H. 2004. Toward ecological cities: adapting to the 21st Century metropolis. Environment 46(5):10-27.
McGranahan, G., and D. Satterthwaite. 2002. The environmental dimensions of sustainable development for cities. Geography 87(3):213-226.
May, R. 2004. Editorial on the role of humanities in urban ecology: the case of St. Petersburg. Urban Ecosystems 7:7-15.
Bengston, D. N., et al. 2004. Public policies for managing urban growth and protecting open space: policy instruments and lessons learned in the United States. Landscape and Urban Planning 69:271-286.
de Hollander, A., and B. Staatson. 2003. Health, environment and quality of life: an epidemiological perspective on urban development. Landscape and Urban Planning 65:53-62.
Marcotullio, P. J. 2003. Globalisation, urban form and environmental conditions in Asia-Pacific cities. Urban Studies 40(2):219-247.

Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods

Lectures, discussions, poster design, readings.

Assessment Methods

SORTING NUMBER SHORT CODE LONG CODE FORMULA
1 MTE MIDTERM EXAM
2 ASG ASSIGNMENT
3 FIN FINAL EXAM
4 FCG FINAL COURSE GRADE MTE * 0.25 + ASG *0.25 +FIN *0.50
5 RST RESIT
6 FCGR FINAL COURSE GRADE (RESIT) MTE * 0.25 + ASG *0.25 +RST *0.50


Further Notes About Assessment Methods

None

Assessment Criteria

Defining and understanding activities will be assessed by the mid-term exam.
Analysis, interpretation activities and development of design skills will be assessed by the poster homework.
Critical analysis will be assessed by the final exam.

Language of Instruction

Turkish

Course Policies and Rules

To be announced.

Contact Details for the Lecturer(s)

sebnem.gokcen@deu.edu.tr
burcu.silaydin@deu.edu.tr

Office Hours

Tueasday 10:30 - 12:00

Work Placement(s)

None

Workload Calculation

Activities Number Time (hours) Total Work Load (hours)
In-class presentation 1 2 2
Lectures 12 2 24
Preparation before/after weekly lectures 8 5 40
Preparation for Mid-term Exam 1 25 25
Preparation for Final Exam 1 25 25
Preparing Poster Assignment 1 48 48
Midterm exam 1 2 2
Final exam 1 2 2
TOTAL WORKLOAD (hours) 168

Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes

PO/LOPO.1PO.2PO.3PO.4PO.5PO.6PO.7PO.8PO.9PO.10PO.11PO.12PO.13PO.14
LO.11
LO.21
LO.31
LO.41
LO.51
LO.61