Teaching Urban Sustainability: A Study Abroad Perspective

Geoffrey Buckley, Tawny Paul, Hamish Kallin and Harriet Cornell
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Geoffrey Buckley: Department of Geography, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, USA
Tawny Paul: Department of History, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4RJ, UK
Hamish Kallin: School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XP, UK
Harriet Cornell: School of Law, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9YL, UK

Social Sciences, 2019, vol. 8, issue 9, 1-16

Abstract: Since 2011 more than 100 students from Ohio University have travelled to Edinburgh, Scotland, to study history, urban planning, and sustainability. In this paper we recount the genesis of this highly successful program, situate it in the broader literature on urban sustainability and study abroad, and then unpack its contents. We then consider how the adoption of green living practices combined with hands-on and experiential learning activities developed specifically for this program—including sustainability diaries, green spaces surveys, group research projects, and walking tours—complement content that is delivered in the classroom, and furthermore, how an emphasis on planning history and social equity contributes to student understanding of the forces that shape urban landscapes over time. In the end, we conclude that an urban sustainability theme conjoined with a location abroad presents educators with an opportunity to communicate critical sustainability principles that would be difficult to replicate if students did not leave their home university.

Keywords: Edinburgh; Scotland; experiential learning; green living; social equity; study abroad; urban history; urban planning; urban sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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