The PhD programme features three different thematic areas of expertise, each represented by a department within IHS.
The Urban Sustainability and Resilience thematic area focuses on how urban areas worldwide can transition towards more sustainable and resilient development pathways within the context of environmental challenges and climate change dynamics. The shift towards urbanization has a profound effect on the spatial distribution of cities, their resource consumption, their environmental impact and their liveability. Climate change and its direct consequences such as floods, droughts and heatwaves have adverse repercussions on physical infrastructures, transport systems, water and energy supply and the provision of ecosystems goods and services.
Against this background, the thematic area focuses on the relationship between the natural and built environment, the role of infrastructure (physical and digital) and nature-based solutions, at how innovations related to the management of water, energy and transport systems can contribute to improving environmental performance, at how land use and urban spatial form influence urban sustainability, at how to implement effective and efficient climate change adaptation and mitigation actions, at how to measure the effects and evaluate the performance of the actions, and at how cities can achieve resilience. The governance of socio-technological evolution and innovation and of transition processes are also central to this thematic area.
Specific questions addressed include: Which factors influence the transition to sustainable and resilient urban areas? How can climate change risks and vulnerabilities be reduced through improved land management and other mitigation and adaptation interventions? To what extent do smart cities and technological innovations contribute to enhancing environmental performance? What is the role of green infrastructure and nature-based solutions in the transition towards sustainable and resilient urban areas?
Find out more about the Urban Sustainability and Resilience Department.