After successful completion of the course, students are able to develop a scientific basis on the topic of "Climate Twins". By integrating a combined perspective of spatial planning and urban climatology, the focus is on discussing the concept of "Climate Twins" as an optimizing approach to its relevance with regard to the urgent climate change adaptation question and to classify it in the research and planning discourse. In addition, the students in the seminar will deal with methodological, application-oriented as well as content-related further developments of the concept, with the aim of building it up as a scientific, application-optimized and innovative basis for an investigation system, which can be used for further research projects. Due to the real societal and spatial planning reference of the seminar with regard to the urgency of climate change adaptation in urban areas, the seminar enables the participants to specialize methodically and in terms of content in the master's program.
Seminar Topic | Summer Term 2023
CLIMATE TWINS | A "research journey" to climate change-adapted cities
The effects of climate change are manifold, far-reaching and omnipresent. Thus, they are now an integral part of the spatial planning discourse. In order to find innovative solutions for cities adapted to climate change, the "Climate Twins" approach is dedicated to the comparison of urban climatic situations, but with two perspectives: City A is, from a climatic point of view, the future image of city B. This is to illustrate where on earth the predicted climate for a particular city can already be found today.
The seminar uses these comparisons to first establish a scientific foundation on this topic. Integrating a combined perspective of spatial planning and urban climatology, the focus is to discuss the concept of "Climate Twins" as an optimizing approach to its relevance to the urgent climate change adaptation question and to place it in the research and planning discourse. In addition, the students in the seminar will deal with methodological, application-oriented as well as content-related further developments of the concept, with the aim of building it up as a scientific, application-optimized and innovative basis for an investigation system, which can be used for further research projects. Due to the real social and spatial planning reference of the seminar with regard to the urgency of climate change adaptation in urban areas, the seminar enables the participants to specialize methodically and in terms of content in the master's study.
The structure of the course follows this logic and focuses on the following topics:
1. BASIC STUDY | Investigation systematics based on the following central questions:
Spatial structures | What are specific climate-adapted and climate-oriented urban and spatial structures that can and should be explored for climate change adaptation? What are the specific spatial planning criteria to define the predicate "climate change adapted"?
2. PROOF OF CONCEPT | Proof of concept using selected "Climate Twins" as case studies
The developed investigation system is tested on the case studies, focusing on the central questions of the investigation system
3. EXPERIENCE VALUES | Feedback loop to enable an iterative research process using the following questions:
Which criteria could be developed well with which methods, and which less well? What difficulties or obstacles have arisen in transferring solutions for climate change adaptation from one city to another? Are there planning criteria for defining climate-adapted cities that are still missing and should be supplemented?
Important information:
The course takes place on Mondays and/or Wednesdays 14-16 h or 15-17 h, location: Seminar room Karlsgasse 11 EB EG 1 (and EB U1-1).
IMPORTANT: Use the semester timetable in the TUWEL course for exact dates and locations!
The seminar is available for 15 students of spatial planning who would like to focus on spatial planning as well as climatic issues and topics within the framework of the master's program. The seminar counts as a supplementary subject of 3 ECTS within the elective "module 3: City and Landscape in Climate Change. Planning and intervention practice".
In the summer term 2023 the option is available in combination with the courses
- 280.A38 UE Design HARD AM LIMIT
- 280.A39 EX City and Landscape HARD AM LIMIT
- 280.A40 VU Practical Planning Discourse HARD AM LIMIT
to do the entire elective module 3 with 18 ECTS.
Registration period: 13th February 2023 until 28th of February 2023 (7 PM) via TISS. Registrations until Sunday, 05th March 2023 are possible depending on the number of participants and by mail request
The seminar will be held in presence, in case of a changed energy or corona situation there may be changes in the format (e.g. change to pure distance learning)
If you have any questions, please contact Bianca Pfanner by mail: bianca.pfanner@tuwien.ac.at