Dr. Tawny Paul, University of Exeter, leads Ohio University students on a tour of Edinburgh’s Old and New Towns (Photo by G.L. Buckley, June 2015).
Dr. Geoffrey Buckley published an article on “Teaching Urban Sustainability: A Study Abroad Perspective” about Ohio University’s study abroad experience in Edinburgh, where he and co-authors “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.”
Buckley is Professor of Geography at Ohio University. His co-authors on the Social Sciences journal article are Tawny Paul from the University of Exeter and Hamish Kallin and Harriet Cornell from the University of Edinburgh.
The Edinburgh: City and Environment study abroad program was conceived in 2008 at a European Association for Urban History meeting in Lyons, France. Since 2011, more than 100 OHIO students have ventured to the University of Edinburgh to study history, urban planning, and sustainability.
Dr. Hamish Kallin, University of Edinburgh, discussing the history of Craigmillar with
students enrolled in the Edinburgh: City and Dr. Hamish Kallin, University of Edinburgh, discussing the history of Craigmillar with students enrolled in the Edinburgh: City and Environment program (Photo by G.L. Buckley, June 2017).
“The Edinburgh: City and Environment program was designed with two goals in mind: to meet the demands of a growing number of undergraduate students for a short-term study-abroad experience; and to develop a course of study focused on urban planning and sustainability that would appeal to geography majors and others interested in human-environment interactions. Although not formally articulated, we also hoped the program’s emphasis on experiential learning and sustainability would have a ripple effect, inspiring transformative lifestyle changes among participants who might pass these behaviors on to students and others unable to travel abroad,” the authors write.
“Grounded in the ‘three E’s’ (environment, economy, and equity—also known as, the triple bottom line), and the ‘three D’s’ (density, diversity, and design), the Edinburgh: City and Environment program exposes students to the ecological benefits that accrue to cities that are more densely populated, off er a diversity of mixed commercial and residential land uses, and are designed around people instead of cars. They also learn that balancing environmental concerns with economic priorities is challenging; furthermore, that ensuring an equitable distribution of ‘goods,’ such as parks and afforadble housing, is difficult to achieve. Finally, students come to appreciate that many of the ‘sustainability’ problems cities face today are not new and that a historical perspective is needed to understand the forces that created the urban landscape we see today—a point we return to later in this paper when we highlight two of the program’s modules: the development of the city’s New Town in the 18th century; and the demolition of a working-class neighborhood called Craigmillar.”
Dr. Geoffrey Buckley
Students enrolled in the summer program earn credit for two courses—GEOG 4550 History of Planning and GEOG 4560—The Just and Sustainable City. Students learn about historic preservation and authenticity, urban green space design and management, public health and place, and territorial stigmatization and gentrification.
“Upon establishing the program, we decided it was absolutely imperative that students not just learn about sustainability but that they live more sustainably. Thus, following Christiansen and Fischer (2010), we sought to “green” our program from the outset. First, we secure student accommodation within walking distance of the University, in close proximity to amenities, such as grocery stores, pharmacies, restaurants, cafés, and bus stops. Second, Ohio University funds the purchase of student bus passes to ensure that travel by car is unnecessary. Third, we introduce students to the city’s various public space amenities and promote their use. Finally, we embed these values in the course curriculum, including through the design of course assignments,” they write.
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 dicult to replicate if students did not leave their home university.
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