Objectives and Contextualisation

Contextualization

This is a subject that is especially relevant for the degree, not only because of its weight in itself (compulsory subject of 9 ECTS credits) but also because it offers contents of great interest for the formation of any environmental scientist. Environmental Sciences must serve to know, analyze and, above all, solve the environmental problems faced by our society. Understanding the socio-environmental dynamics of the territory and the natural resources it contains is of great interest in order to correctly analyse many of today's environmental problems.  Similarly, the relevance of this subject is not only determined by what it provides at the analytical level, but above all, by its deepening in different instruments of intervention that, from management and public policies, can be used as tools to respond to these problems. In this sense, therefore, the subject has an analytical character with a marked applied and professional approach.

Situated in the 3rd year of the Study Plan, the subject aims to integrate the knowledge of the different disciplines that the students have acquired up to now and, at the same time, to serve as the basis for many of the specialisation subjects (of the three mentioned) that will be taken in the 4th year.

The subject is integrated into the subject "Geography for Environmental Sciences". In this context, the correct use of the techniques of cartography and image interpretation is essential to achieve the objectives of the subject which has an interdisciplinary profile and is closely related to many other subjects of the Degree such as Geography, Biology for Environmental Sciences, Legal Instruments for Environmental Sciences, and Economics for Environmental Sciences. On the other hand, the subject offers a whole series of basic knowledge that will be very useful for students who want to take both the optional subjects of the same subject (Energy and Society, Modelling and Analysis of Geographic Information, Development and Planning of Rural and Urban Landscapes, Geography of the Coast) and the following subjects of other subjects: Environmental Evaluation of Plans and Programmes, Traditional Economy, Applied Ecology, Environmental Education and Communication, Treatment and Management of Urban and Consumer Waters, Renewable and Non-Renewable Energies and Waste Management, Treatment and Valorisation.

Overall objective

Using reference of the Catalan territorial scope, this subject has as main objective for the students to be able to analyze the socio-environmental dimension of the territorial dynamics, to know the main instruments of public intervention for the planning and the management of the territory and its resources and, finally, to develop the necessary skills to be able to provide environmentally optimal and socially just solutions to the territorial problems of our times.

Specific objectives

At the end of the course the student should be able to:

•  Argue the need to organize and plan the territory.
•  Identify geographic processes in (and between) urban settlements and open space.
•  Characterize the phenomenon of global environmental change and its territorial dimension.
•  Explain the historical and recent changes in the territory and in the landscape through the relations between nature and society.
•  Describe the different functional and morphological elements of the city.
•  Explain and critically analyze the socio-environmental dynamics that occur in cities and in open space.
•  Recognize the main territorial dynamics of Catalonia and Spain.
•  Interpret the physical, economic, social and cultural diversity of the (and between) different territories.
•  Identify and characterize the different management models of natural resources applied to water, energy, forests and waste.
•  Diagnose the weaknesses, threats, strengths and opportunities of a given territory and its resources.
•  Integrate the different dimensions of sustainability (environmental, economic, political and social) to analyze the problems of a specific territory and its resources.
•  Use and relate the different scales to analyze the problems of a certain territory and its resources.
•  Use different cartographic tools applied to urban and territorial planning.
•  Describe and interpret the legal and administrative framework of urban, territorial and landscape policies in Catalonia.
•  Describe interpreting the legal and administrative framework applicable to the management of the following resources: water, energy, forests and waste.
•  Identify the different urban and territorial planning instruments that exist in Catalonia and describe both their characteristics and usefulness.
•  Interpret the different documents of an urban or territorial plan (reports, regulations, information plans, planning plans, environmental sustainability report, etc.)
•  Characterize the different figures for the protection of natural spaces in Catalonia and Spain, as well as the different instruments for their planning and management.
•  Evaluatethemain environmental impacts and benefits of a specific territorial or urban plan.
•  Critically criticize the environmental, urban and territorial policies of different levels of public administration.
•  Raise different measures of public intervention for the resolution of diverse territorial problems.
•  Propose creative, adequate and viable solutions for the resolution of diverse territorial problems.
•  Analyze and solve environmental problems of a territorial nature through cooperative work.
•  Propose measures for the management of the following resources: water, energy, forests and waste.
•  Propose management and management measures for protected natural spaces.
•  Propose measures for the preservation, management and landscape integration.