Undergraduate students' learning opportunity in British Columbia!

[Esthi Zipori]

Dear SCORAI community, 

I'm reaching out to ask for your help in sharing a summer course I'll be teaching this summer for international undergraduate students at the University of British Columbia. This is part of the Vancouver Summer Program, a 4-week program (June 8- July 3) giving international undergraduate students a chance to expand their perspective through the lens of British Columbia.

In planning for urban mobility and livability, analysis and design go hand-in-hand. In this package, students will learn and practice the theoretical and technical skills needed to navigate this dual process. Urban streets are the vital arteries of our cities, they are the connective tissue that facilitates the movement of people, goods, and utilities. But streets are more than just functional corridors, they are political and cultural spaces that reflect social values and power dynamics. This course invites you to critically examine life between buildings, confronting the urgent need to transition from car-centric infrastructure.

Registration is open until March 13, 2026, but it is encouraged to register before February 26th. 
 
If you have students who might be interested in urban planning, design, or policy, I would be grateful if you could forward this opportunity to them.

The syllabus is available if requested. Students can find all details, course prerequisites, and application information here: https://scarp.ubc.ca/vsp

Course 1: A view from the street: analyzing the arteries of our cities
The first phase of the course focuses on developing students' understanding of the qualities of urban streets. Using mixed-method analytical tools, students will experience the Vancouver metropolitan area through walking, biking, rolling, and taking public transit. We will draw on the legacy of planners and architects such as Jane Jacobs, Kevin Lynch, William Whyte, Denise Scot Brown & Robert Venturi, Reyner Banham, Jan Gehl, Vikas Mehta, David Harvey, and Donald Appleyard.

Working in teams, students will review and analyze urban streets using mixed-method analytical tools and lenses. Leveraging different types of mobility, students will use video, images, and sketching to analyze streets in person and by using online tools. By the end of this course, students will be able to meaningfully analyze, present, and discuss urban networks (and problems) with decision makers, professionals, and the public on issues concerning urban streets, including parking, active- and transit-network development, housing legislation, and more.

Course 2: Street transformations - (Re)designing from cars to people
Building on the analytical foundation of the first course, we will turn to the climate crisis and the necessity of street transformation. Our focus will be on the challenges and opportunities of street transformations toward more sustainable, equitable, and healthy forms. Using multiple lenses of analysis and media types, we will visit sites in the Vancouver region that have implemented neighbourhood plazas, street art, active transportation infrastructure design, traffic calming, and street closure to cars. At the same time, we will also examine international examples of sustainable urban development like Barcelona’s Superblocks, New York City's bikeways and plaza program, South Korea's Chenggoyechoen transformation, and Bogota Ciclovia. Throughout this course, in small groups, students will develop their own vision of urban street transformation, using multiple media types. 

Thank you very much for your help!
Esthi

--
Esther Zipori, PhD (she/hers)
Postdoctoral Research Fellow.
School of Community and Regional Planning | Faculty of Applied Science
The University of British Columbia | Vancouver Campus | Musqueam Traditional Territory
ReRow + SUPER lab
esther...@ubc.ca

I am humbly thankful that I live and work on the territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ / sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) nations

[Oksana Mont]

Dear SCORAI colleagues,

I am very pleased to share that our edited open-access volume, Myths about Sustainable Consumption: Dispelled, has now been published by Routledge. The volume is fully open access and available here: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-edit/10.4324/9781003613718/myths-sustainable-consumption-dispelled-oksana-mont

 

The book critically examines widely held assumptions about sustainable consumption and addresses twelve persistent myths that continue to shape academic discourse, policy design, and business strategies. Contributors analyse the historical roots, political functions, and practical consequences of these narratives, and discuss their implications for governance and transformation.

The twelve myths examined in the volume are:

1. There’s no point in me sacrificing myself when no one else cares
2. Infophilia – information alone will change consumer behaviour
3. Shopping is the perfect therapy – consumption offers lasting happiness
4. The more, the merrier – the road to freedom and well-being is paved with endless choices
5. In tech we trust – the environmental crisis can be engineered away and sustainable consumption attained
6. Services will save us – sustainability without sacrifice through access, sharing and digitalisation
7. It’s not worth repairing: the myth of neophilia
8. Sufficiency means the end of modern life, comfort and joy – people will never choose less
9. Without economic growth, sustainable consumption is impossible
10. Economic progress will naturally lead to more free time
11. Transition to sustainable consumption is primarily driven by consumer demand
12. Strong sustainable consumption governance means sacrificing freedom and well-being

In parallel, we have developed a Massive Open Online Course, Dispelling Myths about Sustainable Consumption, which presents the core arguments in an accessible format with short lectures, quizzes, and additional interviews and seminars with researchers about the myths. The course is available on Coursera:  https://www.coursera.org/learn/dispelling-myths-about-sustainable-consumption

We hope the book contributes to ongoing critical debate within the SCORAI community and supports efforts to rethink how sustainable consumption is conceptualised and governed.

Please feel free to share this information within your networks, students and colleagues.

Best wishes,

Oksana

Prof. Oksana Mont

Chair in Sustainable Consumption Governance and Wallenberg Scholar

The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics at Lund University

PO Box 196, 22100 Lund, Sweden, iiiee.lu.se

Work: +46 46 2220250; Mobile: +46 76 1660205

Projects: CULTIVATE (H2020) and Post-Growth Business (KAW 2025-2030)