Handbook

Cities are overwhelmingly the place in the future where humanity will be found. The subject draws directly on a report for the Future of Cities Project commissioned by the UK Government's Foresight Department in order to engender prescient policies for societies facing climate change and other global challenges. Students will apply various methodologies to examine different social futures. The cities the subject will focus on are sustainable, seamless, smart and secure. Using two progressive social science methodologies, namely psycho-geography and scenario forecasting, the subject will encourage students to undertake empirical research oriented towards policy and governance audiences. The scenarios will be informed by major uncertainties going forward in the extent of global mobilities and the continuation of economic growth. Six key aspects of the city guide the subject's structure: city type, infrastructure, energy system, mobility patterns, activities and aspirations and values. Students completing this subject will foster skills pertinent to policy making, town and city planning, sustainable development and urban renewal.