Strengthening Communities
Sustainability Education through International Interdisciplinary Study Visits
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Bob Gilmour
It is well recognized that sustainability education is enhanced when students studying a variety of disciplines are working together in team projects. The addition of different cultures introduces new dimensions to the educational process. This paper looks at the first two years of an Erasmus + funded project that develops a range of learning environments for students studying a variety of disciplines in Universities in Scotland, Finland and the Netherlands. It highlights how environmental management, civil engineering, business and marketing students work together on a renewable energy themed project that not only instills the fundamentals of the individual disciplines, but emphasises the importance of interdisciplinary work. Central to the projects are the development of a ten day intensive study trip (ISP) that provide numerous opportunities for students to be pushed beyond their comfort zone. This has included planning, designing and building a mini windfarm as well as designing and building solar power charging schemes. Students undertake self reflective tests pre and post ISP and the results of these highlight the significant sometimes “transformational experiences” that many students claim to have. Many students report the development and enhancement of attributes and skills that will increase their employability opportunities.
Do Public Facilities Provoke Undesirable Developments in Vulnerable Areas in South Korea?
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Hyungjun Park, Juchul Jung, Dalbyul Lee, Sunmin Jun, Gyoungjun Ha
Land use planning paradigm spurs discussions about public facilities. Transit-oriented development and traditional neighborhood development provide planning insights through transit stations, parks, and schools. These public facilities increase connectivity and accessibility between job and housing and decrease CO2 emissions from automobiles. Public facility planning is definitely one of sustainable approaches for environmental planning. Therefore, many planners and scholars employ public facilities for sustainability in urban planning. In natural hazard mitigation, paradigm is integrated with land use planning paradigm. They avoid risk before urban development. Much previous research suggests resilience by urban planning. Their policy implications focus on the practice of land use planning, including critical facilities location. UNISDR spurs to countries for adopt the approach to resilient communities with public facilities. However, Coase's theory showed the challenges of transition in society for environmental problems. Transition cost and negotiation are not easy. Products do not change or adapt to new types. Keyboard (QWERTY) and Video tape (VHS) are powerful examples. Even though many companies developed technologies, people do not accept and choose them. People sustain existing products and habits in their life and communities. In the perspective of these economic discussions, politicians still see public facility planning as a tool for economic development. In this paper we explore how public facilities planning does not change the directions of urban development to sustainability in South Korea. As a result, do public facilities influence undesirable developments? Which public facilities accelerate development in vulnerable areas?
Social, Transformative, and Sustainable Learning: A Study of a Jamaican School and Community
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Romina De Angelis
This paper has a twofold purpose: (i) exploring contributions of locally developed sustainable learning models to global Environmentally Sustainable Design (ESD) framework, and (ii) linking local contributions to national and international contexts. ESD critics advise to consider diverse sustainable learning practices from developing countries to shape ESD theories and practices in inclusive and participatory terms. Accordingly, this study explored innovative perspectives from the Global South and contributes to addressing gaps within ESD policies and approaches. The exploration was carried out through the ethnographic study of social, transformative, and sustainable learning in a school and community, in a Jamaican rural village. Two theoretical approaches were employed. Transformative learning and social learning theories guided the investigation. Findings from this research brought to light: – implications of (i) how local knowledge and community values interact with dominant Western approaches to ESD and (ii) how these two perspectives challenge each other, thus, informing academic and policy ESD discourses of the yet unexplored lessons that this experience reveals; – raising awareness among policy makers of gaps between local and international ESD policies and practices, which are relevant to ESD policy planning in Jamaica and globally, as they constructively challenge ESD paradigms and institutional arrangements; – potential of broadening education and learning beyond the school unit to include the surrounding community, with a view to strengthening the connections between policy and practice. This helped bridge methodological gaps in ESD literature – largely focused on traditional case-studies and confined to exploring education and learning within school environments.
Cultural Symbiosis for Heritage-led Urban Revitalization : Integrating Sustainability into Local Context
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Namhee Joo
Within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted in 2015 by the UN, culture has a crucial role. To make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable, the target calls for strengthening efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage. This paper considers Seoul, the capital of South Korea, which contains three UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). Although there is a perspective considering heritage an obstacle to development, attempts have been made to integrate the conservation of cultural heritage and urban development. Seoul has a 600-year history where royal palaces and traditional villages and urban scapes coexist. It has adopted a concept of ‘the restoration of history and humanities’ to resolve local since 2016. It constructs pedestrian-centered roads, culture centers for traditional music, and clothes and revitalizes the experiences of history and culture with public involvement. In addition, it sheds new light on the value of Pagoda Park where the Declaration of Independence was read aloud developing an audio guide using smart phones and augmented reality and VR applications. The city prevents gentrification by supporting the residents’ community and supports the preservation of traditional Korean-style housing and regionality through urban planning. In particular, when it comes to decision making, ‘history and humanities governance’ is at all stages with local residents' association and scholar participation. Like New Urban Agenda at UN Conference on Housing and Sustainable Development in 2016, it shows what good governance and responsible citizenship for cultural sustainability is.
