Mobility, Transport and Sustainability

Transport is an element in almost every social and economic activity we take part in and is the result of such activity. For this reason, the transport system can be seen as the blood system of our society. The transport system shapes society’s mobility and at the same time the mobility of society (in space and time, but also in social and economic terms) shapes the demand for transport and hence the transport system. The complex relationship between transport and mobility is currently at a state that contradicts the principles of sustainability. This state can be termed “high-carbon mobility” and it makes the transition to “low-carbon mobility” a primary policy goal that its importance and implications are wider and beyond the transport system itself. The course "transport, mobility and sustainability" will discuss in turn the various elements of the mobility and transport system in order to understand the causes and consequences of high-carbon mobility and in order to promote the transition to low-carbon mobility. The course is based on reading background material before each lecture and discussing it then in class. The course also includes active participation of the students in the form of presentations and writing short opinion columns on matters related to the course. At the end of the course each student will have to write an essay on a selected topic related to the course.

Assessment:

40% - Attendance, participation and submission of course work (on time)

30% - Writing a book review

30% - Writing an essay on a selected topic