The course’s overall goal is to provide students with knowledge about the content of spatial plans, the methods and tools that can be used to support spatial planning decisions, and the main stages of the spatial planning process, with a focus on environmental sustainability issues including renewable energy, environmental degradation, and climate change aspects. Spatial planning activities and choices have a strong role in shaping city and territory future development patterns. For this reason they must integrate all the relevant aspects related to sustainability to respond to the global climate and environmental crisis. This is fully aligned with The European Green Deal presented by the European Commision in 2019 and connected policies (e.g., Biodiversity Strategy, Soil Strategy), with spatial planning having a strong role in contributing to European Green Deal’s main ambitions (e.g., reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, sustainable resource use, protection and valorization of natural capital, protection of citizens from environment-related risks and impacts, reduction of social inequalities). Within this framework, the course is going to train students in understanding the structure, role and content of spatial planning instruments; understanding the operational stages of the planning process; identifying and analyzing the main information on the biophysical and human environment of a geographical context, particularly with reference to contemporary environmental sustainability issues; applying methodologies to support the formulation of planning proposals, with a particular focus on the formulation of planning solutions and tools aimed at promoting renewable energy, reversing environmental degradation, and mitigating and adapting to climate change. The course is divided into two modules, one more theoretical module on spatial planning and its role towards decarbonization and one more practice-oriented module on the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to support environmental analysis aimed at informing more sustainable spatial planning decisions:
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Module A. Spatial planning, renewables and decarbonization (6 ECTS);
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Module B. GIS tools for environmental analysis and planning support (6 ECTS).