Zoek in de site...

Specialisation in Local Environmental Change and Sustainable Cities

In the Master's specialisation in Local Environmental Change and Sustainable Cities you focus on the local level of sustainable transformations, in particular on the development of sustainable cities and regions. You analyse and reflect on sustainable futures, measures and instruments concerning waste, energy, water and transport, as well as climate-proofing cities and regions. This Master's specialisation will teach you to bridge the gap between science and society. You learn the significance of the latest results in environmental research and how that knowledge can be converted into concrete plans and policies that will bring about the required change. In this context it is crucial for you to understand how policymaking and legislation actually work and to gain insight into human behaviour.

Specialisation course: Cities, Water and Climate Change
This course discusses the relationship between city planning and development, climate mitigation and adaptation. Due to their high levels of energy consumption and mobility, cities are the main contributors to climate change.  At the same time, due to their population density, cities are also highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The course begins with a basic introduction to the issue of climate change. We will briefly discuss climate scenarios, the main causes and impacts of climate change, the corresponding uncertainties, the distinction between mitigation and adaptation, the multiple impacts of climate change, and the relationship between climate change and urban planning.

Master's Thesis
The Master's thesis is a crucial part of your curriculum and consists of an individual research project in which you investigate a topic of your choice in the field of Environmental and Society Studies. You should start thinking about a suitable topic for your thesis very early in the programme; we will help you make a thesis proposal in the course Research Methods and preparing Master Thesis. The goals of the Master's thesis are to mobilise and integrate the theoretical and empirical knowledge and methods from the preceding courses for use in your own research project.
The research project is conducted in an external setting. This means that you link your research to one of the available internships, or we can help you find an internship of your own choice. The research project and internship will be closely supervised, the first by our expert staff and the second by your internship supervisor on location.

Elective courses
As electives you can choose from all Master’s courses offered by the department of Geography, Planning and Environment. Other master’s courses might be permitted if they are relevant for Environment and Society Studies. Please consult the programme coordinator of ESS for this.