Today, more than 50% of the world population live in urban settings after an unprecedented increase in urbanization since 1800. This is expected to rise to 70% in 2050. The urbanization of the human population, the future of planetary health and the interaction between environmental change and human health will depend substantially on policies enacted in cities.
Urbanicity provides both risks and opportunities in times of ill planetary health. Cities oftentimes generate the bulk of global economic activity and emit about 75% of the global energy-related greenhouse gases. They are also hotter than their rural surroundings, vulnerable for droughts, flooding and fires. Related to that, crime, poverty and common mental disorders (e.g., depression, anxiety, substance abuse) have found to be more prevalent in urban areas. On the other hand biodiversity increases in well-planned or abandoned urban areas where green spaces provide support for both humans and nonhumans. And we adapt to changing circumstances; high-heat warning systems and interventions keep people cooler and more hydrated in their homes. Parks, gardening, urban rewilding, restoration of wetlands, picking gardens, city farming, waterways and upstream forest ecosystems enrich the living urban world. Cities are hotbeds for social innovation, for cultural diversity, for healthcare inventions and eco-responsible entrepreneurship. They serve as hubs for research and education, for conservation, or protection of endangered species. In order to create sustainable, resilient and inclusive cities, different voices must be heard and included in the planning and development process. Local stakeholders and their contexts, needs and interests should be used to inform local capacities, institutions and processes. This enables local ownership with long-lasting results for all cities. The challenge is to decarbonize slash retrofit them, share resources, expand social networks and design nature-based solutions to address the realities of the Anthropocene epoch.
Apart from understanding such realities, multidisciplinary problem analysis and solution-based thinking play a key role in this course. How to improve urban living conditions for citizens with an accent on gender equality and social justice while at the same time improving urban living conditions for nonhumans with a particular emphasis on biodiversity. Together with stakeholders, and inspired by high profile guest-lecturers from a range of disciplines, students will undertake case studies and seek solutions for an urgent, practical and well-defined urban-ecological challenge. The case studies are offered by the course or may be proposed by students themselves.
This problem-based approach opens new ways of safeguarding the environmental city limits within which humanity can safely operate, while nudging, influencing and shaping over time. Feasible real-world solutions are what we aim at. They will be presented at a conclusive conference in ARTIS. The best may win the notorious VU Planetary Health Award.
This course has been developed in co-creation with experts and honours students during the course called ‘Rebuilding Education’ (2022-2023).
For more information and course details, go to 'Curriculum' at the top of the page.