Adapting to Climate Change: Ecosystem Services of Urban Green Zones

This interdisciplinary course aims to explore the complexity of ecosystem services provided by urban green areas in relation to the well-being of citizens under climate change threats. During the course, a wide range of ecosystem services that urban green zones provide will be explored, and possibilities to manage urban greenery in order to maximise provided services for the benefit of citizens will be studied. The course investigates climate change's impact on cities (such as heat waves and heat islands) and the mitigating role of urban green areas in relation to that, with a specific focus on health security and safe microclimate formation for local inhabitants. Topics covered in the course include ecology and biodiversity of urban green areas, municipal inventory systems for urban vegetation, planning and management of urban greenery, as well as related legislation and policies in Sweden and the EU. Furthermore, the course will cover related global health aspects, social inequality, cultural aspects, microclimate formation, air and water quality impact, and climate change mitigation in relation to urban green areas. You will study the best worldwide recognised cases of urban tree mapping (such as the New York City Street Tree Map), ecosystem trees' inventory, and community engagement, including regional (EU) and local Swedish cases. In a practical part of the course, you will participate in an outdoor tree inventory near the university campus using i-Tree (USA) modelling tools as a combination of theory and practice. **Outline for distance course** Mandatory meetings: 1st week (week 20, online): 5 lectures + 5 seminars = 20 hours; 2nd week (week 21, online): 5 lectures + 5 seminars = 20 hours; 3rd week (week 22, on-site in Uppsala): 2 lectures + 2 seminars, 1 visit to the municipality, fieldwork, final coursework presentations = 20 hours To be able to participate in this online course, you will need a computer with internet access, a headset with a mic and sound, and a webcam. Contact between teacher and student will be via Studium and Zoom.