ENE6043 · Quantifying sustainability in urban systems

Overview

Our world is changing rapidly, making it crucial to determine whether our sustainability efforts are meeting our goals or unintentionally exacerbating the problems. Quantifying the effectiveness of our actions is essential to addressing these challenges. This unit provides you with practical skills for conducting sustainability quantification across various scales — from individuals to companies and nations. You will learn techniques and approaches for modelling and estimating sustainability indicators. These include process-based environmental modelling, bottom-up and top-down environmental footprint analysis using life-cycle assessment,and environmentally extended input-output analysis, along with multi-criteria decision analysis. You will apply these techniques to quantify various sustainability metrics such as carbon emissions, water usage, biodiversity loss, profitability, employment and poverty across diverse sectors, including construction, water, energy, transportation, food systems, healthcare, tourism, and others. Additionally, you will explore using artificial intelligence (AI) and digital twins to enhance sustainability quantification processes.

Offerings

Assessment

The Handbook lists an examination for this unit.

Continuous assessment: 50% Final assessment: 50% Final grades: PGO (pass grade only) or NGO (fail) This unit contains hurdle requirements that you must achieve to be able to pass the unit. You are required to achieve at least 45% in the total continuous assessment component and at least 45% in the final assessment component. The consequence of not achieving a hurdle requirement is a fail grade (NGO).

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

Learning outcomes

1. Define and describe appropriate metrics for quantifying urban sustainability.
2. Apply quantitative methods used in sustainability assessment.
3. Analyse and interpret sustainability metrics to gain insights into the complex interplay between economic, environmental, and social factors.
4. Evaluate the effectiveness and limitations of different sustainability quantification methods.
5. Critically reflect on novel and innovative approaches to revolutionise sustainability quantification.

Workload

The minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of 3-6 hours of scheduled learning activities and 6-9 hours of independent study per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher-directed learning, peer-directed learning and online engagement. Independent study may include associated readings, assessment and preparation for scheduled activities.

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.