AH2303 Transport and Sustainable Development 7.5 credits

• Educational level

  Second cycle

• Academic level (A-D)

  D

• Subject area

• Grade scale

  A, B, C, D, E, FX, F

• Course page on KTH Social

Learning outcomes

After the course you should be able to:

• account for sustainability concepts and indicators, discuss visions of sustainable transport and compare with properties of present transport systems.
• describe alternative energy futures and their relations to climate change and explain the role of transport systems in different scenarios.
• discuss the potential for technological development in transport and infrastructure systems in relation to different energy scenarios.
• describe how scenarios and backcasting can be used to analyse sustainable transport systems
• apply scenarios and forecasting for analysis of sustainable transport options
• analyse relationships between urban development and mobility patterns and their implications for sustainability
• identify environmental impacts of transport and apply the environmental impact assessment approach on a transport project
• account for the strategic environmental assessment approach and apply it on a transport plan
• select and synthesise policies and strategies for approaching sustainable transport.

Course main content

• Sustainability concepts and indicators. Visions of sustainable transport systems and assessment of the present situation.
• Energy futures and climate change – the role of the transport system.
• The potential for technological development in transport and infrastructure systems in relation to various energy futures.
• Scenarios and backcasting as tools for analysing sustainable transport.
• Scenarios and forecasting as tools for analysing sustainable transport.
• Sustainable urban development and mobility.
• Environmental impacts of transport and methods of assessment (e.g. environmental impact assessment – EIA).
• Strategic assessment of sustainability in the transport sector (e.g. strategic environmental assessment – SEA).
• Strategies and policies for approaching sustainable transport

The content of the course is presented in lectures on methodology and applications. Further training on concrete examples is provided in tutorials in the form of case studies, exercises or study visits. In a project assignment, the student will analyse the sustainability impacts of a plan, a policy or a project in a transport context. The resulting analysis should be summarised in a report to be presented and discussed in a seminar.

Eligibility

For admitted students to the Master of Science in Civil Engineering and Urban Management (CSAMH) or the Master of Science in Transport and Geoinformation Technology (TTGTM), there are no additional requirements.

Other students should have:

• A completed bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, urban planning, geomatics, geography, engineering physics, computer science, statistics, economics, and/or mathematics, including at least 6 university credits (hp) in each of the following or their equivalents: Programming Techniques, Linear Algebra, Calculus in One Variable, and Probability & Statistics; and
• Documented proficiency in English corresponding to English B.

Literature

Preliminärt kommer kurslitteraturen att baseras på artiklar i vetenskapliga tidskrifter och andra källor på Internet. En komplett litteraturlista kommer att ges på hemsidan före kursen.

Examination

• PRO1 - Project, 2.5 credits, grade scale: P, F
• TEN1 - Examination, 5.0 credits, grade scale: A, B, C, D, E, FX, F

Requirements for final grade

(TEN1; 5 cr) A-F
(PROJ1; 2.5 cr) P/F.
The course grade will be determined by the grade of the written examination.

Offered by

ABE/Transport and Location Analysis

Examiner

Joel Franklin <joelfr@kth.se>

Add-on studies

Second year courses in the Master’s Programme in Transport Systems are appropriate follow-up courses.

Version

Course plan valid from: Autumn 13.
Examination information valid from: Spring 08.