SA102-4-SP-CO:
Contemporary Urban Developments
2025/26
Philosophical, Historical, and Interdisciplinary Studies (School of)
Colchester Campus
Spring
Undergraduate: Level 4
Current
Monday 12 January 2026
Friday 20 March 2026
15
15 May 2025
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
BA K44E Urban Sustainability Studies
The module introduces students to key themes of contemporary urban development. It first introduces urbanisation and its related theories and concepts before diving deeper into key themes relating to urban space and heritage, smart cities and technology, and the environmental challenges to cities of climate change. While the module largely focuses on European developments, it will also explore the challenges of developing world cities outside of Europe.
The aims of this module are:
- To introduce students to key contemporary urban developments.
- Offer an overview of thematic approaches that use different cities as case studies.
- Enable students to interact with other students from the YUFE partner universities.
- Introduce students to academic analysis.
By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:
- Illustrate the diversity of urban environments and recent developments in the YUFE countries and cities.
- Describe examples in the own urban environment of contemporary urban evolutions in the other YUFE cities.
- Compare urban developments on a certain theme in different cities and to make connections with the context.
- Provide constructive feedback on a contribution from fellow students.
Transferable skills:
- Students will be introduced to the different teaching styles and approaches of European experts on the topic which allows them to experience not only a different approach to the topic but also varying styles of delivery which will prepare them well for the workplace.
- Students will engage with their fellow students across the YUFE partners which will enhance their communication skills.
This module covers the following themes:
- Urbanisation theories & approaches: Introduction
- Heritage Futures
- Preparing cities to climate change
- Sustainable urban mobility
- Socially inclusive public spaces
- Smart Cities
- Urban/rural relations
- Urban systems in developing world cities
This module will be delivered via:
- 3 hours of recorded lectures per week that should be timetabled and attended by the module lead at Essex over 8 themes (24 hours).
- Four x 1-hour seminars (4 hours) which include preparations for the assignments
Students are expected to undertake the reading before the seminars classes and be prepared to engage in discussion. The readings will be available online.
This module does not appear to have a published bibliography for this year.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
Additional coursework information
The coursework comprises two pieces of Assessment:
- 20%: Students receive an assignment to find a similar example of one of the presented cases in their own city, create a short photo collection or video about it, and relate it to the content of the lectures and/or course material through a short written comment (800-1,000). Students are assigned to interuniversity groups in which they comment on the input from other students, partly asynchronous, partly during an online live session.
- 80%: Essay (1,500) on an essay question set based on the lectures and the readings.
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
No
No
No
No external examiner information available for this module.
Available via Moodle
No lecture recording information available for this module.
* Please note: due to differing publication schedules, items marked with an asterisk (*) base their information upon the previous academic year.
Disclaimer: The University makes every effort to ensure that this information on its Module Directory is accurate and up-to-date. Exceptionally it can
be necessary to make changes, for example to programmes, modules, facilities or fees. Examples of such reasons might include a change of law or regulatory requirements,
industrial action, lack of demand, departure of key personnel, change in government policy, or withdrawal/reduction of funding. Changes to modules may for example consist
of variations to the content and method of delivery or assessment of modules and other services, to discontinue modules and other services and to merge or combine modules.
The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will also keep students informed appropriately by updating our programme specifications and module directory.
The full Procedures, Rules and Regulations of the University governing how it operates are set out in the Charter, Statutes and Ordinances and in the University Regulations, Policy and Procedures.