A framework for climate change curriculum redevelopment within built environment professional degrees

Abstract

Cities are important sites for greenhouse gas emission reductions and adaptation to climate change. Yet, the design, development and planning of many cities does not yet reflect this. Research reveals limited coverage of climate change in curricula of built environment degrees. This indicates that redevelopment of the curriculum of built environment professional degrees for greater climate change competencies is needed, and will be critical to achieve the Paris Agreement which seeks to limit warming to 1.5 °C. We address this gap by developing an evidence-based curriculum redevelopment framework for embedding climate change competencies in built environment degrees. A 10-stage framework, grounded in literature, was established, to redevelop curricula of built environment professional degrees for greater climate change coverage. The framework was applied to a Master of Urban Planning program at an Australian university, then refined. An outcome includes the development of a set of intended learning outcomes and generic skills for the program. The framework can be applied to other built environment professional degrees, to facilitate necessary curriculum change to address the climate crisis.