Guide in PDF format

Sustainable Rural and Urban Planning

Code: 106781
Credits: 6

2026/2027

Degree programme	Type	Course
Environmental Sciences	OB	2

Contact lecturer

Name :: Francesc Muñoz Ramirez
Email :: franc.munoz@uab.cat

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

No requirement is required.

Objectives

This course has three main objectives:

First, to analyze the socio-environmental dimension of current urban and territorial 
dynamics and their future trends.

Secondly, to know and reflect on the main instruments of public intervention for the 
planning of the territory and the management of its resources, using concepts of 
economic viability applied to different territorial scales.

Finally, deepen the development of the necessary skills to be able to propose 
environmentally adapted and socially just solutions in relation to current and 
future problems that characterize the evolution of the territory and, in particular, 
of the urbanized space.

Learning outcomes

SM52 (Pinpoint the most important methodologies in territorial planning and management.) Pinpoint the most important methodologies in territorial planning and management.
SM54 (Critically analyse the different political and economic models of environmental management.) Critically analyse the different political and economic models of environmental management.

- Rurs vs. Urbs: countryside and city in the tradition of urban and territorial planning. 
From urban extensions to the garden-city.

- Rural and urban spaces in the context of the current post-metropolis. 
From the 'urbanization of the countryside' to the 'dispersed regional urbanization'.

- Territorial dynamics and spatial transformation in the rural world 
(evolution in three moments, XIX to XXI centuries):

a) Support territories of the urban process;

b) Rurbanization;

c) Environmental rural tourism and energy production (energyscapes).

- Territorial dynamics in relation to urbanized spaces (evolution in three moments, 
XIX to XXI centuries):

a) The industrial city;

b) Metropolitan areas;

c) Dispersed regional urbanization.

- The planning system: territorial plans and urban plans.

- The planning process: urban plans development (urban land and urbanizable land).

- Planning with the environment: Strategic Environmental Evaluation (an introduction).

- Sustainable planning: sustainability, resilience and climate change as 
current requirements for urban and territorial planning.

- Sustainability criteria for rural spaces today.

- Sustainability criteria for urban spaces today.

- From sustainability to the 'Low-Carbon' and 'Post-oil' perspectives: 
towards 'climate-proof' urban and rural spaces.

Learning activities and methodology

Title	Hours	ECTS
Lessons (readings presentations and discussions included)	36	1.44
Tutorial	7	0.28
Essays elaboration (group work)	45	1.8
Study work	50	2
Tutorials & hands-on sessions (exercises and fieldtrips included)-Seminars	12	0.48

- The expositive classes (directed activity) also incorporate discussion on text readings and 
debates regarding the key aspects of the subject.
- The applied classes (directed and supervised activity) refer to the practical activities and 
exercises to be carried out in groups during the course, 
emphasizing the resolution of practices and the elaboration of results.

Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title	Weight	Learning outcomes
Essays to be submitted	25%	SM52
Exams on theoretical aspects	50%	SM54
Assignments (exercices and hands-on practical tasks)	25%	SM52

- The theoretical written tests correspond to the two partial exams that are proposed

during the course. They go also hand in hand with a course work on the territory of the UAB campus.

- The tests and tasks of a practical nature correspond to the partial elaborations that

will be required during the practical sessions and exercises of the subject (group work).

- The delivery of reports and assignments correspond to the final elaboration of

the results of the practical group work.

- A mínimum qualification of 5 is stablished in regard to the theoretical written

tests (average grade considering the two partial exams proposed).

- The recuperation will consider both the theoretical written tests and the course work on the territory of the UAB campus.

- To be able to attend the reassessment (recovery), you must have attended

2/3 of the subject's assessment activities.

- It will be considered that a student will obtain the qualification of \"Not Assessable\"

if does not present the assignments (tests and tasks of a practical nature, and reports and group work),

and/or does not appear in any partial exam.

Important note on the practical exercises

The practical part of the subject is organized in the form of a series of practical exercises that will be carried out in groups and taking advantage of class time in order to minimize work time outside of class hours. The operation of this part of the subject will be as follows:

- The practices are designed to be done during class hours. However, and considering possible force majeure problems, groups will have the entire school week to submit the practice. Once the next practice has begun, it will no longer be possible to submit the previous practice if it has not been submitted and will be evaluated as 'not submitted'. Therefore, it is not possible to submit practices outside the weekly deadline established for their preparation.

- In order to pass this practical part of the subject, all practices must be submitted without exception.

- The practical exercises of the subject are not recoverable. Therefore, if the student does not present or fails the practical exercises, this grade will be final and there will be no recovery of this evaluation evidence.

Single evaluation

- The students who have taken advantage of the single evaluation modality

must take a final test that will consist of a theory exam in which

they must develop a topic and answer a series of short questions.

Next, you will have to do a problem test where you will have to solve

a series of exercises similar to those that have been worked on in

the Classroom Practice sessions.

- The student's grade will correspond to the weighted average of the three previous activities, where the theory exam will represent 60% of the mark and the problems exam 40%.

- If the final grade does not reach 5, the student has another opportunity to pass the subject through the recovery exam that will be held on the date set by the coordination of the degree.

Use of AI:

In this subject, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is allowed as an integral part of the development of the work, provided that the final result reflects a significant contribution of the student in personal analysis and reflection. The student will have to clearly identify which parts have been generated with this technology, specify the tools used and include a critical reflection on how they have influenced the process and the final result of the activity. The non-transparency of the use of AI will be considered a lack of academic honesty and may lead to a penalty in the grade of the activity, or greater sanctions in cases of intentional malpractices.

Bibliography

Bibliography

Chamberlin, S. (2009). The transition timeline for a local, resilient future. Vermont: Chelsea Green.

Esteban, J. (2011). La ordenación urbanística: conceptos, herramientas y prácticas. Barcelona: Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya.

Estevan, A.; Naredo, J. M. (2004). Ideas y propuestas para una nueva política del agua en España. Bilbao: Bakeaz.

Fernández Durán. R. (2006). El Tsunami urbanizador español y mundial. Bilbao. Marcial Pons.

Folch, R. (coord.) (2003). El territorio como sistema. Conceptos y herramientas de ordenación. Barcelona: Diputació de Barcelona.

Galiana, L.; Vinuesa, J. (2010). Teoría y práctica para una ordenación racional del territorio. Madrid: Síntesis.

Gifreu, J. (2012). L'ordenació urbanística a Catalunya. Barcelona: Marcial Pons.

Hopkins, R. (2008). The transition handbook: from oil dependency to local resilience. Vermont: Chelsea Green.

Ivancic, Aleksandar (2010) Energyscapes. Gustau Gili: Barcelona.

Mata, R.; Tarroja, À. (2006). El paisaje y la gestión del territorio. Barcelona: Diputació de Barcelona.

Moya, L. (ed.). (2011). La práctica del urbanismo. Madrid: Síntesis.

Muñoz, Francesc (2008) Urbanalización: paisajes comunes, lugares globales. Gustau Gili, Barcelona.

Muñoz, Francesc (2010) ) \"La densidad urbana: de la ciudad de concentración al campo urbanizado\". A Fuster Sobrepere, Joan (ed.) La agenda Cerdà. Construyendo la Barcelona metropolitana (75-114). Barcelona: Ajuntament de Barcelona/Lunwerg.

Muñoz, Francesc (coord. 2011) Estratègies vers la ciutat de baixa densitat. De la contenció a la gestió. Col·lecció 'Estudis', 9. Diputació de Barcelona.

Nel·lo, Oriol; Muñoz, Francesc (2004). \"El proceso de urbanización\". A Romero, Joan (coord.) Geografía Humana. Procesos, riesgos e incertidumbres en un mundo globalizado (255-332). Barcelona: Ariel.

Nel·lo, O. (dir.) (2010). La política de paisatge a Catalunya. Barcelona: Departament de Política Territorial i Obres Públiques.

Nel·lo, O. (2012). Ordenar el territorio. La experiencia de Barcelona y Cataluña. València: Tirant lo Blanch.

Nel·lo, Oriol; Mele, Renata (eds. 2016) Cities in the 21st Century. Routledge: London.

Pujadas, R.; Font, J. (2007). Ordenación y planificación territorial. Madrid: Síntesis.

Riba, Carles (2011). Recursos energètics i crisi. La fi de 200 anys irrepetibles. Barcelona: Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya.

Riddell, R. (2004), Sustainable Urban Planning. Oxford: Blackwell.

Saladié, O.; Oliveras, J. (2010). Desenvolupament sostenible. Tarragona. Publicacions URV.

Sanjuán, M. (2005). Gestió local de l'aigua. Barcelona: Fundació Pi i Sunyer.

Sassen, Saskia (2011) Ciudad y globalización.Textos urbanos. Vol. VII. El Quinde. Quito.

Satterthwaite, D. (2001). Sustainable Cities. London: Earthscan Publications.

Turiel, Antonio (2020) Petrocalipsis. Crisis energética global y cómo (no) la vamos a solucionar. Ed. Alfabeto.

World Cities Report (2016). Urbanization and Development. Emerging Futures. UNHABITAT.

World Cities Report (2020). The Value of Sustainable Urbanization. UNHABITAT.

Internet links (digital documents and webpages)

The City Journal.

https://www.city-journal.org/

The European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture (Mies van der Rohe Award by the Mies van der Rohe Foundation, Barcelona):

https://eumiesaward.com/archive

SOS Brutalism (German Architecture Museum, Frankfurt):

http://www.sosbrutalism.org/cms/15802395

https://www.dam-online.de

The Historic Chart of Barcelona (Museum of History of Barcelona, MUHBA).

https://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/museuhistoria/en/

The Prelinger files:

https://archive.org/details/prelinger?tab=collection

The European Prize for Urban Public Space:

www.publicspace.org

Comments on the visual representation of the modern city (Gustave Caillebote):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lQepko6yzE

‘Industrial urbanization and urban change’.

https://www.coursera.org/lecture/urban-development/industrial-urbanisation-and-urban-change-m3UD5

‘The making of the industrial city as a social structure’.

https://www.coursera.org/lecture/urban-development/the-making-of-the-industrial-city-as-a-social-structure-oeEd4

Software

Basic user-level programming: text editing, spreadsheet, 
basic digital cartography, basic tools for the presentation 
of visual information (ppt and adobe).

Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching	Group	Language	Semester	Shift
(TE) Theory	1	Catalan	second semester	morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars	1	Catalan	second semester	morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars	2	Catalan	second semester	morning-mixed