Abstract:

At the beginning of the third millennium, more than 50% of the population lives in urban areas. By 2020, 75% of the world's population will be urban; In 135 metropolitan areas the number of residents will exceed 4 million.

The accelerated urbanization process creates severe hardships that affect the urban way of life; increasing unemployment and infringes on personal security; poor housing conditions; the deterioration of urban infrastructure and basic services (health, education); budget deficits; lack of open spaces, damage to the quality of drinking water, air pollution and other environmental hazards; unregulated urban development; transportation and transportation problems; and greater exposure to disasters. 75% of greenhouse gases are emitted by cities. The main sources include transportation, energy production, collection and treatment of waste and construction.

The course is designed to introduce students to the basic concepts and tools for understanding sustainable local development issues. The course presents the issues and problems, both globally and nationally, that cities face today and the policy frameworks that are being developed and implemented to address these.