LAA340 Design and Management of Urban Blue-Green Infrastructures

LAA 340 directs the spotlight on how the blue-green infrastructure, i.e. all vegetated areas including areas with water, can be used according to plan in the development of cities and towns. Such areas will gain increased importance in the coming years so that cities and towns are developed in a more sustainable direction. In the autumn of 2022, the Norwegian parliament adopted changes to the Planning and Building Act, which give municipalities the option to impose blue-green stormwater measures both for new developments and on already built-up properties.

The course deals with how blue-green areas can contribute to social, economic and ecological/environmental sustainability in the most efficient way possible, and a key concept here is the multifunctional blue-green infrastructure with nature-based solutions. In order to achieve these goals, it is necessary to show concretely how the blue-green infrastructure can be adapted, designed and managed to contribute to increased nature experiences in the city and at the same time solve future problems related to climate change by creating robust cities with good adaptability

The course consists of a knowledge base as well as compulsory tasks and exercises. The knowledge base will run more or less the entire semester and includes the following topics: a) Blue-green infrastructure in a town planning perspective. b) Today's challenges, linked to urban growth, public health and climate change. c) Blue-green infrastructure with values and functions, d) Ecological prerequisites as a basis for design e) The rainfall field as a planning unit, f) How do we plan and manage the blue-green resource today at different levels? g) Good national and international role models.

Tasks and exercises are divided into two: In part 1, group work for registration and analyses, a joint fieldwork is included in the task area. Each group prepares a blue-green poster for a catchment area in the case municipality.

In part 2, the students works individually or in small groups a 2 (3) with a self-chosen, self-formulated and self-programmed assignment topic based on proposals from the assignment municipality and the fieldwork in part 1. The students must prepare and get approved a concise program/project plan for their own project with clear problem and goal of the project. What level of detail and progress plan with an overview of the need for further analyses/registrations. The final project must provide an overview of the entire process from problem formulations and objectives, necessary analyzes which must be justified and summarized, alternative concepts/ideas including justifications for the final choice, necessary planning/project material. The assignment must include short descriptions and illustrations that communicate analyzes and proposals in a professionally sound manner.

Parts 1 and 2 make up approx. 1/3 of the workload, part 3, the individual part, 2/3.

Knowledge:

By the end of the course, the student will have advanced knowledge about a) How blue-green infrastructure can contribute to the sustainability and resilience in the face of climate change, b) How landscape architects can help preserve and develop the blue-green infrastructure in urban areas, c) Catchment based planning and design, d ) How biodiversity can be preserved and enhanced, e) Identification of and solution to complex design and management-oriented tasks related to blue-green infrastructure f) Good reference facilities at home and abroad.

Professional skills:

Students will be able to a) Apply knowledge and skills in the context of an unfamiliar place to carry out advanced tasks, b) Conduct own learning in an independent manner, c) Communicating academic issues, analysis, synthesis and conclusions d) communicate extensively and effectively their independent work according to professional standards in the field.

General competences:

Students will be able to a) Reflect on and improve their own professional practice, b) Analyze and critically situate their work relative to existing theories, methods and interpretations within landscape architecture , c) Analyze and relate critically to different sources of information and apply them to formulate and structure the scientific reasoning. d) reflect on relevant technical and ethical issues.