Master of Urban Environmental Management
The sub-department of Environmental Technology offers the following MSc courses within the Master track Urban Environmental Management:
ETE 22806 - Principles of Urban Environmental Management
As the first in the MSc Programme Urban Environmental Management, this course introduces the four core perspectives in the Programme, i.e. urban environmental quality and health, urban environmental technology, urban governance, and urban planning. One of the key concepts in the course is that of a circular urban metabolism, which forms a basis for sustainable management of urban resources. Within a circular urban metabolism, resources necessary to support urban living are provided from renewable sources. For example, primary resources such as rainwater and renewable energy are captured locally, and secondary resources such as wastewater and solid waste materials are recovered and reused. Concepts such as Urban Harvest, Natural Step, Industrial Ecology, Cradle-to-Cradle and Biomimicry are introduced, with which the Urban metabolism can be described, analysed and evaluated, . This is further extended by methodologies and tools such as Mass Flow Analysis, Life Cycle Analysis and Ecological Footprint. In addition to consideration of urban resources, the course provides basic understanding of environmental quality of (urban) water, soil and air, and relevant indicators used to monitor it.
The course includes two excursions. Furthermore, students apply knowledge gained in the course in an individual assignment. In this assignment, students focus on a topic within the field of Urban Environmental Management, in which they reflect on a specified topic and propose options to tackle the involved challenges.
ETE 25306 - Basic Technologies for Urban Environmental Management
This course introduces the qualitative and quantitative aspects of resource (energy, water, materials) flows in an urban system, emphasising their origin, transport, use and return to the environment. The student learns to use tools like mass balances for the analysis and (re-)design of urban flows and energy. The course highlights various technologies that have been developed to address environmental problems of urban systems. The focus is on introducing the state-of-the-art technologies for drinking water supply, wastewater treatment, energy supply and material/nutrient recycling and recovery. Furthermore, latest technological developments are presented which can lead to more sustainable resources cycles. The course combines lectures with self-study exercises, field visits and individual assignments. Tutorial self-study material is provided for students to understand, exercise and apply basic knowledge on physical, chemical and biological processes relevant for the understanding of urban environmental technologies. Students will be guided through the material through question and answer sessions. In the lectures the basic principles and sustainability features of different environmental technologies are introduced whereas field visits allow students to experience various environmental technologies working in practice. In the individual assignment the student will perform a technological assessment for the solution of a specific urban environmental problem performing basic calculations on urban flows and their transformations and considering the sustainability outcome.
ETE 32806 - Managing Urban Environmental Infrastructure
This course introduces urban environmental infrastructure in the context of rapid urbanization on the one hand, and technological innovation on the other. Its main focus is on urban environmental infrastructure, i.e. the systems to provide urban households and offices with energy, drinking water, sanitation and waste (water) services.
The course begins with an introduction of the different physical and organizational elements describing the existing systems to handle urban energy and water services. The development of these systems is given a historical perspective, highlighting the processes and key drivers of their development for different urban typologies (developing, transition and developed countries). A major challenge for managing urban environmental infrastructures that is addressed is the asset management of the ageing existing urban infrastructures in the context of the crowded subsurface in which many stakeholders claim room for their cables and pipes. The transition towards multi-asset management is placed in the perspective of building new infrastructures in developing areas. A second challenge that is addressed is the development of new ways of recovering energy and nutrients from waste water streams together with the impact of decentralised energy generation on the total cycle of water services. Guest lecturers are invited to share their experiences in relation to this aspect.
Exercises
In this course students will carry out a group work in which the development of the infrastructure of the city of the future is explored and presented. The assignment concentrates on the development of one infrastructure (clean water, waste water or energy) in two possible surroundings (newly built city or transition from present to future situation). The 6 variations are analysed on a number of parameters in groups of 4 tot 5 students and presented in a short report and presentation at the end of the course.
Excursions
The course includes an excursion to an infrastructure company that manages multiple assets, like drinking water production and distribution in combination with a sewer network. The company Waternet or a combination of companies will be visited, depending on available time and locations. Within the excursion some practical projects on network rehabilitation will be visited as well as a workshop with materials used in practice.
ETE 33806 - Planning and Design of Urban Space
This course introduces concepts, principles and methods for the planning and design of sustainable urban environments. The mix of concepts, case studies and simulation exercises offered in this module provides students with theoretical and practical understanding of the key issues which urban planners and infrastructure managers are facing when developing sustainable urban communities.
The course is built around real world planning challenges and brings together urban planning and urban design. In the group assignment students work on a case study, where they plan and design an urban district, conduct stakeholder interviews and stakeholder analysis. In the individual assignment different urban development paradigms are contrasted and implications for development of self-sufficient urban areas are discussed. In both assignment students apply methods and concepts facilitated in the lectures such as passive housing design, multi criteria assessment, water sensitive design, material flow analysis, quantitative scenarios building and urban form indicators. Finally, students are introduced to spatial planning software tools like touch tables and Google Sketch up.
The course is facilitated through lectures, but interactive hands-on of workshops are a key element of this course. The analysis of real cases during the lectures, the group assignment and the individual assignment is another specific feature of the course.
ETE 34306 - Energy, Water, and Waste Cycles in the Built Environment
Unlimited exploitation of natural resources based on linear thinking and the use of various hazardous substances that affect environmental health, pose major challenges in the context of rapid urbanisation. This course focuses on the significance, concepts and methodologies of a circular approach - closing resource (energy, water and materials) cycles in accordance with sustainability principles, including various technologies to achieve this in practice. Based on the concept of urban metabolism, several methodologies and concepts are introduced, which can help to close the resource cycles.. Products and services are designed from a positive agenda of increasing quality and creating value for a city. Waste materials are considered as a resource and are returned to either biological or technical cycles, at the same or higher level of quality. Various technologies for closing the cycles are discussed. In addition, assessments are provided of situations where the application of individual technologies and their combinations are most appropriate, so as to ensure sustainability under the given local conditions regarding scale, climate and rural-urban typology (developing-, transition-, or developed countries).
The course combines lectures with field visits to (semi-)closed cycles working in practice, and a group assignment that challenges students to propose and design viable closed cycle systems in a specific urban context.
ETE 50806 Capita Selecta Urban Environmental Technology and Management
You have possibility to explore a specific development or state-of-the-art in the field of Urban Environmental Technology and Management on an individual basis (ranging from 1 to 6 ec).
ETE 70824 - Internship Urban Environmental Technology and Management
The Internship is a learning period during which the relationship with professional practise is emphasised. He internship and supervision are usually provided by a third party outside the sub-department of Environmental Technology.
ETE 81836 - Thesis Urban Environmental Technology and Management
The MSc thesis is the culmination of the Master study programme. The student independently addresses a topic, usually by doing research within an ongoing research project. It is possible to make your own research proposal or conduct research that involves other chair groups.