290103 SE Seminar in Human Geography: Urban Complexity and Systems Thinking (2023W)

The analysis of urban systems, especially in terms of the various struggles they face with regards to climate change and socioeconomic inequalities, require a theoretically grounded systems lens that allows for complexity to be both understood and embraced. More specifically, a systems lens recognizes that urban systems are the sum of a range of various social, technical, and ecological subsystems that interact across spatial, temporal and hierarchical scales. In turn, these interactions produce a magnitude of unexpected consequences and behavior that is not possible to predict by simply having knowledge of one system component, but instead must be studied through their interrelations.
 
Therefore, the aim of this course is to teach students the fundamental pillars of complex adaptive systems, and how their properties, such as feedback loops, path dependency, self-organization and non-linear emergent behavior, adaptation, and resilience, are vital for analyzing cities. By better understanding how macro-level patterns emerge from the interactions at lower levels, one can more effectively identify structural fractures and thereby, coordinate inclusive and equitable urban sustainability transformations.
 
From a practical perspective, this course will compliment theoretical knowledge with numerous case studies that enable students to apply and train their complex systems lens. Additionally, students will build practical skills, as they will learn to use Vensim (open-sourced) software, which is one of the main tools for building system models, and in the case of this course, building Causal Loop Diagrams, which illustrate the relationships, and specifically, the balancing and reinforcing feedback loops, in complex systems. It is through this combination of theoretical knowledge and practical skills, that this course will help students to analyze complex urban systems, view the world around them with a new perspective, and develop inclusive solutions that strengthen resilience capacities and support urban sustainability transformations.