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Program mission

The mission of the Certificate in Sustainability Planning is to provide students with a better understanding of society’s land use and natural resource systems, with a particular emphasis on the factors that contribute to or constrain their level of sustainability. The program aims to give students the knowledge and skills needed to identify and address barriers to sustainability and to formulate strategies to create more sustainable practices, systems and institutions. Using a holistic and integrated approach, the program emphasizes the interdependence of sociocultural, biophysical and political-economic dimensions of sustainability, especially as they relate to urban or other subnational regions.

An important theme of the program is that sustainability planning is primarily about influencing humans and their activities by modifying organizational structures, economic policies and legislative frameworks. Therefore, of paramount importance are topics normally associated with the social sciences, such as urban and regional planning, economics, political science and human geography. However, sustainability is an interdisciplinary science, and thus students must also examine topics typically linked to the biophysical sciences, such as ecology and geomorphology.

Students will acquire knowledge and skills that complement backgrounds in engineering, environmental and social sciences, business or other fields.

Program goals

Provide students with a better understanding of the sociocultural, biophysical and political-economic dimensions of the key problems faced by society with regard to natural resources and the environment - particularly in the context of urban and other subnational regions.

Develop students’ insights on the underlying causes of these problems and on the political-economic and sociocultural factors that constrain the ability to address them more effectively.

Help student acquire the analytical and professional skills needed to identify and address barriers to sustainability and to formulate strategies to develop more sustainable lifestyles, systems and institutions.

Student learning outcomes

• Students will develop a well-rounded knowledge of sustainability, with particular emphasis on the following elements
• Students will be able to communicate clearly and effectively, using a variety of methods, to enhance the collaborative and public nature of their work.
• Students will acquire the analytical and research skills needed to investigate a sustainability-related problem and develop strategies for addressing it.
• Student will acquire organizational skills and knowledge of management practices frequently employed within planning and related fields.