Msc. Environmental and Infrastructure Planning. University of Groningen. Programme objective and profile

Transcription

1 Msc. Environmental and Infrastructure Planning University of Groningen Programme objective and profile The Master of Environmental and Infrastructure Planning (EIP) aims to deliver university graduates with the knowledge and skills to design policy solutions and land-use management strategies for problems in the field of environment (for example, climate change), water (for example, flooding) and infrastructure (for example, mobility growth). The programme emphasizes the integration of these fields, and internationally comparative learning. An ability to identify, review and suggest useful strategies from abroad, and comparing cities, regions and countries worldwide, is central. The program has been set up to accommodate internationally acknowledged driving forces in the fields of environmental, infrastructure, water, and spatial planning in general. These driving forces include (e.g., Frank, 2006; Verhage, 2010; Klosterman, 2011; Teitz, 2011; Vigar, 2012; Fischler, 2012; Balassiano, 2011; Schoenwandt et al., 2012): Global pressures including urbanisation and the potential impacts of climate change. Worldwide, the need is recognized (for future planners) to develop spatial strategies and measures to cope with the negative impacts of these pressures. The increasing need to maintain and create sustainable and resilient regions and cities. Capacities in planning practice to establish appropriate governance arrangements can be seen as a useful reaction to a society that is in a perpetual state of flux. An increasingly pertinent international exposure and scope in the field of spatial planning. The profile of professional planners has changed through ongoing processes like globalization and European integration. In addition, activities by planners are increasingly set in international academic settings and in comparative and cross-boundary planning practice. Demand for professionals with theoretically grounded skills to address complex problems in planning practice. Planners require sensitivities to diversity, and the skills to argue policy dilemmas, politically contentious situations, or planning problems with contradictory interests. Intensifying significance of context and place: planners face an increasing need to acknowledge contextual factors (both physical and institutional) for doing planning. The growing importance of context also implies that policy initiative should be tailor-made (i.e., area-oriented, place-based), and follow thoughtful processes of institutional design. The Master EIP anticipates on these developments in society and planning theory by offering a programme that is built around four main objectives: institutional design, comparative learning, linking theory and practice, and place-based understanding. Intended learning outcomes The main driving forces are translated in concrete learning outcomes for the Master EIP. The overall domain specific learning outcomes include: 1

2 Students will be able to contribute to society through their ability to design policy solutions for spatial problems in the field of environment, water, and infrastructure. The Msc. EIP highlights the institutional design of policies and processes, or policy solutions, for example through the so-called Institutional and Policy Design courses (IPD courses). The focus on institutional design implies that students design institutions: regulation, procedures, and routines with the aim to do typical planning tasks like organize and implement plans or projects, or establish strategies to influence behaviour. International comparative learning. This learning outcome implies that students develop the ability to identify and suggest, persuasively, useful strategies from abroad as the basis for institutional design. The practice of comparing cities, regions and countries, therefore, is a central element in defining courses like `Comparative Research and Planning Practice`. An additional consideration is that students understand global drivers behind planning problems, including environmental pressures. Within Msc. EIP, comparative learning implies that students understand international diversity, assess the possibilities for learning from international planning practice work, and do comparative inquiry on environmental, infrastructure and water issues. Creating associations between theory and practice. The idea behind this outcome is that students excellence will result from their capability to link generic and specific insight. The program, therefore, offers theoretical courses both through overview lectures ( Planning Theory ) and through interactive arrangements ( Interactive Workshop ), thereby establishing theoretically grounded skills to address complex problems in planning practice issues during other course work. The balance between theory and practice is inherent in the program as all courses are underpinned by both theoretical concepts and practical application. The Transitions in Water Management module, for example, assumes the theoretical notion of transitions with identifying current changes in water management and discussing dilemmas in the attempts to manage these water transitions. Students will be contextually sensitive in their actions. The program emphasises planning and policy making as processes of place-dependent choices. The international focus of the Master EIP adds to the importance of designing context sensitive spatial interventions. This implies sensitivity of the students for the physical, institutional, geographical and societal context. The program provides students with different insight to deal with complex environments, among others in the substantive courses on water, environment, and infrastructure. Framework of reference The intended learning outcomes are in line with the requirements of the international professional planning field and the academic planning discipline. These requirements are captured in the following frameworks: The Department of Planning and Environment is a full member of the Association of the European Schools of Planning (AESOP). In the past, the main international reference framework was the 1995 AESOP statement on planning education. Meanwhile, AESOP has established a clearer definition of the required qualities of planning schools. The report Quality issues in a 2

3 changing European higher education presents a draft of a checklist with these required qualities (Verhage, 2010; p. 64). This list serves as a guide intended learning outcomes and organisation of the Msc. EIP. For further international benchmarking, the department uses, among others, the standards for planning schools of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning and is leading research work from the Journal of Planning Education and Research (see references under Programme objective and profile ). Within the Dutch context, the intended learning outcomes of the Msc. EIP elaborate on the reference frame of the disciplineoverleg sociale geografie en planologie (Disciplinary Consultation Social geography and spatial planning, VSNU 2012). Another key set of references is given by the Double Degree Master arrangements the program is employing. There are three arrangements, two with the Institut Teknologi Bandung (Indonesia), and one with the Carl von Ossietzky Universität, Oldenburg (Germany). These arrangements imply that Msc. programs are mutually attuned, and based on a common understanding of development in the field. They are based on both educational and research cooperation (including NWO and KNAW based research projects). The frames of reference are as follows: Double Degree (DD) Master Degree Program in Development Planning and Infrastructure Management (with School of Architecture, Planning and Policy Development; Institut Teknologi Bandung). This programme was established in 2003, mainly for international exposure and comparative learning for planning students and policy practitioners in the field of development and infrastructure management. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for this arrangement was established between both universities and also the Indonesian Ministry of Planning in In 2012, an updated MOU was signed. Double Degree Master Degree Program in Transportation Planning and Management (with School of Architecture, Planning and Policy Development; Institut Teknologi Bandung). This program extends the initial program on development planning into the field of transportation planning. There is an agreement from 2010 and an MOU from MSc. Water and Coastal Management (cooperation with the University of Oldenburg). The framework for this Master of Science program has been set down to combine a focus on sustainability research (an emphasis on environment, ecology and sustainable management) with an emphasis on planning and policy making (Msc. EIP), for a shared coastal zone (northern Netherlands - northern Germany). The complete two year program is accredited by ASIIN Germany. 3

4 Link between research and education and planning practice The Msc Environmental and Infrastructure Planning (EIP) program follows a research agenda from the Department of Spatial Planning and Environment. This research agenda concentrates on the relationships between institutional innovation (improved policy making) and spatial transformation (changing cities and regions). Most lecturers in EIP are directly involved in more fundamental research questions, and tend to raise similar questions in their teaching: Clarifying notions of sustainability, quality of life (wellbeing), adaptiveness, and resilience (e.g., in Dilemmas in Infrastructure Planning and Adaptive Governance ); Explaining spatial transformation in terms of urban and regional change (e.g. in Transitions in Water Management and in Reinventing Environmental Planning ); Propose realistic strategies and policy improvement for issues of infrastructure, water, and the environment (typical for the IPD courses); Conceptualise these insights for input to the theoretical debate and the empirical understanding of international planning practice (focus in Planning Theory and Interactive Workshop ). In addition to the attention to research within courses, also through Master s Thesis work research and education are directly linked. A common method in Msc. EIP is via the 'call for proposals/thesis opportunities'. Students then actually participate in, or contribute to larger research projects. Some examples include theses about sustainable road infrastructure (projects funded by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment, supervision by dr. Taede Tillema and Prof. Jos Arts), or thesis work on the governance of urban regions (World Bank and KNAW projects, supervision by Prof. Johan Woltjer), on water and adaptive governance (NWO and CSC projects, supervision by dr. Margo van den Brink and Prof. Johan Woltjer) or on energy transitions (projects from SenterNovem and EU, supervision by dr. Chris Zuidema and Prof. De Roo). Students can define their own angle of research fitting broadly these projects and themes. There is also a substantive emphasis on planning practice and the confrontation of students with real life planning problems. The EIP program, therefore, contains a mixture of more theoretical and practical courses. Theoretical concepts are used to analyse real life planning issues. In recent years, specific efforts have been put in place for more emphasis on issues from planning practice in the program. Two IDP courses are taught by highly qualified practitioners, and also guest lectures are included, for example in the Planning Methods and Evaluation course. Students are doing case studies concerning real life planning issues. A part of the master thesis research is carried out within the context of research programmes with policy partners. Internship is supported and stimulated. 4

5 Methodological instruction At this moment, the instruction of research skills and methods mainly is integrated in the existing courses, for instance in the Interactive Workshop (literature review) and Comparative Research and Planning Practice (international case study). It is a well-considered choice not to position research methods and skills as a set of separate courses as methods are better illustrated with substantive application (see Table). Text box: Integration of research methods in Msc EIP courses Dilemmas in Infrastructure Planning: Planning Theory: Interactive Workshop: Transitions in Water Management: Reinventing Environmental Planning: Planning Methods and Evaluation: Adaptive Governance: Case study research, evaluation, valorisation Operationalising and conceptualising theory Reviewing literature, writing, presenting Phenomenological inquiry, discourse approach Policy analysis, case study analysis Problem structuring, policy evaluation Policy analysis, institutionalist approach Comparative Research and Planning Practice: Comparative research, institutional design Master s Thesis Writing, general methods, policy recommendations 5

6 Structure of the programme Msc. EIP is a one year program of 60 ECs. The program consists of three thematic courses, two theoretical courses, a principal course on comparative research,and more applied courses on policy design and electives. Figure 2 gives the structure of the programme. EIP is linked to the Dutch Master programme entitled Sociale Planologie (in English: Socio-Spatial Planning ). Interfaces are in place, specifically through the Planning theory course, but also through the IPD courses. The curriculum has been developed to achieve the intended learning outcomes presented in section 1. Intended learning outcomes are covered by the different courses. Figure 2 Structure of the programme Table 2 shows a more detailed overview of the study programme. The field of EIP is introduced in its international setting during the opening course entitled Dilemmas in infrastructure planning, and through the EIP interactive workshop and Planning theory course. These educational activities together provide the student with a comprehensive overview of EIP in its academic context. The Interactive Workshop course also serves as a meeting and exchange platform for all participants. Furthermore, they constitute a theoretical orientation on the field of EIP and its potential areas of research and application. Semester 1a Dilemmas in Infrastructure Planning (5 EC) Introduction to EIP, general perspectives on infrastructure and transportation issues 6

7 Planning Theory (5 EC) EIP Interactive Workshop (5 EC) Decision making models, planning paradigms and their history Tutorial discussing influential classic texts and relevant examples on urban-rural relationships, institutional design, environmental politics, mobility, megaprojects, and ecology Semester 1b Choice between two courses on institutional and policy design (IPD): IPD 1: Planning Methods and Evaluation (5 EC) IPD 3: Programmamanagement in theorie en praktijk (5 EC, in Dutch) Other Elective Master Thesis (10EC) Insight and application of planning methods at different stages of policy making, including problem structuring, policy design, evaluation and implementation Planning and program management for Dutch cities, project management e.g., Population & development, Spatial Analysis with GIS, Spatial economics, Real Estate Establishing a relevant angle of research, in relation with ongoing research, completing a research proposal and methodology Semester 2a Comparative Research and Planning Practice (5 EC) Transitions in Water Management (5 EC) Reinventing Environmental Planning (5 EC) International planning practice work, case studies, policy comparison and transfer Transitions and strategies in various aspects of water and coastal management, and implementation strategies (including resilience) in planning practice Expose linkages between environmental planning (e.g., energy, water, nature, health, urban development) and their geographies Semester 2b Choice between two courses on institutional and policy design (IPD): IPD 4: Coalition Planning (5 EC) Coordination, coalition building, collaboration in spatial planning IPD 5: Adaptive Governance (5 EC) Risk management, societal hazards (food, disease, climate, social cohesion), adaptive policy making Other Elective e.g., City matters, Planning for quality, Advanced survey analysis, Qualitative data analysis, Social impact assessment, Infrastructure, economy and space Master Thesis (10 EC) Completing an individual research project Table 2 Overview of the study program

8 Building on this basis, attention turns to an essential element in both EIP and the Dutch Sociale planologie program: their focus on the skill to establish relevant policy designs. Students will be asked to select courses on institutional and policy design (IPD). Fundamental planning and design skills are embedded in all IPD courses, while confronting students with issues of planning practice as well. Each substantive course will revisit these planning skills in a variety of ways. Students with a particular interest in other skills may also elect other optional courses, like GIS. At the beginning of the second semester, again a series of substantive courses are on offer. A fundamental course to EIP is Comparative Research and Planning Practice, offering both a methodological (comparative research) as well as a substantive angle (international planning practice). Further theoretical and policy insights are established in Reinventing Environmental Planning and Transitions in Water Management. The Master s Thesis approach consists of two steps of each 10 ECs (total 20 EC). During the first semester, the first step is made into understanding frontline research in the field, and establishing a relevant angle and methodology for the Master thesis project. During step 2 the thesis develops into a testimony of mastering an individually selected subject. The topics for a Master thesis link to on-going research by members of staff, and to lines of investigation at international partners. A major change in the programme of compared to the programme of , has been the introduction of a second admission possibility for students in the programme in February. As a consequence, key courses are concentrated in semester 1a and 1b. The master s research project is carried out in semester 1b and 2b. The structure of the program in the first and the second part of the study year is the same. International classroom The teaching environment for Msc. EIP is largely international. Classes typically involve students of mixed international composition, ranging from yearly about 20 students from the Netherlands, about 15 from other parts of Europe and about 15 from Asia. The international classroom and also the double degree linkages require some specific organisational arrangements. There is a systematic system for handling international admission. For Msc. EIP, yearly about 100 requests for international admission are received. All these requests are handled by the international desk and the admission committee. Typically about, 45 candidates are accepted, out of which about 30 enter the program. The criteria for admission are listed in the appendix. There is a structural attention to intercultural skills among staff and students, and additional instruction to international students on issues of Dutch grading, examination, and student-staff interaction. The organisation of the Double Degree programs is based on a set of dual coordinators at the Faculty of Spatial Sciences (Prof. Johan Woltjer) and partners at ITB Bandung (dr. Wilmar Salim and dr. Heru Purboyo) and Uni Oldenburg (Prof. Ingo Mose). The DD arrangements also involve collaborative supervision of thesis work, mutual attunement of programme and regulations, and diploma ceremonies. 8

9 Teaching principles Guiding principles for the design of the program and the choice of teaching methods are the following: The course program facilitates community building among students and among staff and students. Community building has grown in importance because of several reasons. First, the emphasis of the programme is on international comparative learning and being contextually sensitive in spatial interventions (see section 1). The international composition of the Master EIP student group is used to enrich international debate, cultural learning and exchange of knowledge and ideas. Second, community building is important because of the increasing number of students and high diversity in backgrounds of the students. It is a means to get to know fellow students and to feel at home at the faculty. Msc. EIP follows a system of intake conservations, an informal kick off to the study year, and systematic monitoring of students progress. To enhance performance in designing policy solutions, interactive learning is important in the Msc. EIP. Interactive learning is also a way to facilitate community building. The number of courses that apply interactive teaching methods has increased in the past five years. Interactive teaching methods that form part of the EIP programme are: tutorials, group assignments and joint papers; group presentations; peer review and practicals. Interactive learning is also the base of the EIP interactive workshop. The programme facilitates students in the establishment and enhancement of their own interest agendas (in assignments, presentations and thesis essential for Double Degree-students). Most courses offer students the possibility to choose assignment topics that relate to their own research topic of interest. This implies, for example, that students interested in transportation planning may write their assignment for Reinventing Environmental Planning on a transportation-oriented topic. The freedom of choice is within the boundaries of the expertise of planning department staff members. It is essential that student have relatively a large degree of freedom to choose, but at the same time are motivated to select a topic within the research field of the staff members. Teaching Methods The Master EIP comprehends a high variety of teaching methods. Table 3 gives an overview of the teaching methods per course. 9

10 Lectures Tutorials (including assignment discussion) Practical Excursion Assignment / paper Presentation Course Consultation hour Research support Dilemmas in infrastructure planning Planning theory EIP interactive workshop Master thesis IPD courses (choice of 2 between): >IPD1 Planning methods & evaluation >IPD3 Programmamanagement in theorie & praktijk >IPD4 Coalition Planning >IPD5 Adaptive governance Comparative research and planning practice Transitions in water management Reinventing Environmental Planning Table 3. Overview of teaching methods in the Master EIP Staff The department of spatial planning and environment aspires to lecture students by as well as academic researchers as practitioners. The principal courses are lectured by academic researchers with PhD degrees. Besides teaching activities, they are actively involved in current research that forms part of the department and/or faculty research program. These researchers are also typically interdisciplinary in their professional profile, and a research fellow at the Nethur national research school. 10

11 The externally funded lecturers are all scientists and practitioners with high academic qualities, and previously or currently involved in academic research. The university teaching qualification (BKO) is a proof of educational competence for lecturers in academic education. All new lecturers at the University of Groningen are required to obtain this teaching qualification. The program is also open to lecturers who have been in post for longer. The BKO certificate is recognized by all universities in the Netherlands. Table 4 shows an overview of staff involved in the master EIP as lectures, assistant lecturers or master thesis supervisors. Most of the staff members own a BKO qualification or, at this moment, are engaged in the BKO educational programme. Name Degree M/F Expertise Beaumont, J.R. Brink, M.A. van den Dr M Urban governance and politics Urban poverty and exclusion Socio-spatial (in)justice in cities International critical comparative urbanism Religion, politics and the postsecular city Faith-based organizations Dr F Water management, flood risk management Climate adaptation Resilience and adaptive capacity Adaptive planning and governance Institutional continuity and change Discourse and framing analysis Dijk, T. van Dr M local resistance and neighbourhood activism regional design; drawing boards as negotiation platform linkages between land ownership and decision-making, Europe discourses and stories as drivers of planning Heinen, E. Dr. Ir. F travel behaviour (mode choice, time of travel, location to travel) behavioural change and planning land use (planning) and transportation bicycle planning Ike, P Prof.dr. ir. M Infrastructure development Mineral planning Niekerk, F. Dr F Policy and evaluation instruments Child friendly spatial planning Sustainable mobility Traffic safety Parra, C. Dr F Social-ecological systems and their governance Sustainable development and social sustainability Protected areas, nature reserves, heritage (nature-culture interactions) Sustainable tourism and ecotourism Rauws, W. MSc M Cohousing Peri-urban areas Organic growth strategies Self-organization Roo, G. de Prof.dr. M Complexity in planning, Europe Transitions, transition management Systems approach Woltjer, J. Prof. dr. M Institutional design for regional development Urban regions, metropolitan planning, Europe, Asia Spatial planning, water and coastal issues Evaluation Zuidema, C. Dr. M Urban Environmental Quality & Planning Urban & Regional sustainability Energy Landscapes and transitions 11

12 Practitioners Arts, E.J.J. M. Prof. dr. M Decentralisation Complexity and adaptive governance Environmental Assessment (EIA, SEA) Public private partnerships for Dutch infrastructure planning EU regulations in infrastructure projects Tillema, T. Dr. M Traffic planning and modeling Transportation management, Netherlands Sustainable Infrastructure Jong, M. de Msc. F Project management Coalition building Vliet, R. van Msc. M Program management and city planning Inner city management and planning Tabel 4. Overview staff in master EIP 12

13 Appendix. Admission Protocol Msc EIP 1. Students should have a Dutch Bachelor s degree (university level) in Environmental and Infrastructure Planning, or Human Geography and Spatial Planning. 2. Holders of a Bachelor s or Master s degree with learning outcomes equivalent to the Bachelor s degree programmes set out in Article 1 will also be admitted to the Master s degree in Environmental and Infrastructure Planning, subject to the assessment of the Admissions Board. 3. Applicants should have an adequate command of the English language. All candidates must meet one of the following conditions: - Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (A, B or C) - Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (A, B or C) - A score of 6.0 or higher in the complete International English Language Testing System (Academic version) - A score of at least 550 on the paper version of the Test of English as a Foreign Language - A score of at least 213 on the interactive version of the Test of English as a Foreign Language - English to VWO level 4. All applicants with a professional Bachelor s-diploma (i.e. University of Applied Sciences) in a related field will have to file an application to the Admissions Board. These applicants will have to submit evidence of: - Good study results and high grades for their Bachelor s-diploma at their University of Applied Sciences (A to B range, minimum Dutch grade 7, typically top 25%); - Educational background, fitting course work profile prior to master s (substantive linkages to, broadly, the field of planning and development); - A well-considered motivation statement for the program (the motivation will need to reflect program objectives from Msc EIP). In addition, these applicants will have to discuss possibilities for additional requirements and a bridging program, to reach a level equivalent to a Dutch Bachelor s degree at university level in the field of Environmental and Infrastructure Planning, or Human Geography and Spatial Planning. 5. For international applicants, the following additional criteria apply: - Good study results and high grades at university level (A to B range, typically top 25%); - Educational background, fitting course work profile prior to master (substantive linkages to, broadly, the field of planning and development); 13

14 - A well-considered motivation statement for the program (the motivation will need to reflect program objectives from Msc EIP); - Pertinent, clearly positive recommendations (from supervisors or professionals in the field and fitting program objectives for Msc EIP). 14