SURE Summer School 2011 in Shanghai (14th to 16th August 2011)

Events 2011

---

Date: 14th to 16th of August 2011
Location: East China Normal University (ECNU), Shanghai, China
Organisators: Prof. Jürgen Breuste and MSc M. Artmann (Salzburg, Austria), Dr. Junxiang Li (ECNU Shanghai, China)

The course was organised by Prof. Breuste, MSc. M. Artmann (University Salzburg) and Dr. Li (East China Normal University  Shanghai) in the course of the 8^th IALE world congress. 22 international students (PhD and Master level) and eight tutors from Austria, Germany, China, Sweden, Brazil and Poland discussed the following topics:

• Megacities as urban ecosystems
• Urban environmental problems and environmental policy
• Sustainable development and sustainable city
• Ecosystem services
• Urban green

Presentations of the tutors:

• Jürgen Breuste (University Salzburg, Österreich): Urban Green and Urban Ecosystem services.
• Cecilia P. Herzog (Research Institute Green Infrastructure and Urban Ecology, University Rio de Janeiro, Brazil): Green Infrastructure for Resilient and Sustainable Cities.
• Clas Florgard (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Uppsala, Sweden): Development of Sustainable Cities. Adapt to the situation, take the opportunity
• Per G. Berg, Maria Ignatieva (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Uppsala, Sweden): Hågaby Resilient Cityland Community. A Modern Model of a Sustainable Human Habitat.
• Maria Ignatieva (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Uppsala, Sweden), Irina Melnichuk, Larisa Kanunnikova: Urban Green. St. Petersburg Green Infrastructure: search for sustainable solutions.
• Junxiang Li (ECNU, China): Megacity as Urban Ecosystem: Key Research Questions.
• Andrzej Mizgajski (University Poznan, Poland): Urban environmental problems and environmental policy.
• Stephan Pauleit (Technical University Munich, Germany): Compact – urban – green: Greenstructure strategies for the Munich city region

Students:

• Jacek Lukasz Zatonski, Poznan/Poland
• Fernando Castillo Cabrerer, Guatemala
• Martina Artmann, Salzburg/Austria
• Mivchal Wójcicki, Poznan/Poland
• Xiaoma Li, Beijing/China
• Chen Alian, Beijing/China
• Cheng Li, Shanghai/China
• Luiz Alberto Domeignoz Horta, Bayreuth/Germany
• Ayyoob Sharifi, Japan
• Li Jue, China
• Yixin Cheng (as an auditor)
• Chao Xu, China
• Ton Cai, China
• Feng Lan, China
• Shi Yalou, China
• Li Gang, China
• Yiwen Hu, China
• Shunli Zhou, China
• Yuchu Xie, China
• Jianhui Li, China
• Hanwen Hu, China
• Ye Zhang, China (as an auditor)

Course description:

There is world wide a need for:

• fostering and enhancing the understanding of cities as ecosystems
• a further in-depth, multidisciplinary research of this subject
• a research on the particular dynamic urbanisation and transformation process in Asia, e.g. China
• support of the application of know-how in practice
• an enhanced education on urban ecosystem management
• an intense networking across disciplines, across cultures and beyond professional boundaries

Main subjects of the course were:

• Understanding and application of the concept of urban ecosystems and urban sustainability;
• Tools, instruments, approaches and practices of urban ecosystem management.

Education aims:

• Cities as ecosystems;
• Urban ecological systems with an scientific and management approach;
• Application of practice-oriented, innovative methodologies and instruments.

Subjects:

• Contemporary urban development – comparisons worldwide (e. g. Europe and Asia)
• Cities as ecosystems (introduction to elements and processes)
• Ecosystem dynamics, modelling, impacts and disturbances (focus on human impact and interaction of social, economic, environmental factors in general, including details on problems / disturbances and pollution issues)
• Urban green and nature as focal element of urban ecosystems
• Planning, policy making and management practices

Excursion Shanghai:

The new knowledge was deepened and applied in two excursions on “Urban green” and “Urban development in Shanghai”. Dr. Li and Prof. Breuste showed examples of actual urban development in Shanghai and discussed the related sustainability aspects. This excursion included: Zhongshan Park, Yan’an Green, People’s Park, The (new) Bund, Suzhou Creek development, Duolun Road Area (Hongkou), Pudong, Century Park, as well as World Expo site.

---