International trends on transformative learning for urban sustainability

Discover Sustainability - Tập 4 Số 1
Walter Leal Filho1, Luciana Londero Brandli2, Maria Alzira Pimenta Dinis3, Diogo Guedes Vidal4, Arminda do Paço5, Vanessa R. Levesque6, Amanda Lange Salvia2, Valerija Kozlova7, Lucas Veiga Ávila8, Bárbara Fritzen2, Ismaila Rimi Abubakar9, Paul Pace10
1European School of Sustainability Science and Research, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Hamburg, Germany
2Graduate Program in Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Passo Fundo, Campus I-BR 285, São José, Passo Fundo, RS, 99052-900, Brazil
3UFP Energy, Environment and Health Research Unit (FP-ENAS), University Fernando Pessoa (UFP), Praça 9 de Abril 349, 4249-004 Porto, Portugal
4Centre for Functional Ecology – Science for People & the Planet (CFE), Associate Laboratory TERRA, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456, Coimbra, Portugal
5Universidade da Beira Interior, NECE-UBI (Research Centre for Business Sciences), Rua Marquês D'Ávila e Bolama, 6201-001, Covilhã, Portugal
6Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Southern Maine, 106 Bailey Hall, Gorham, ME, USA
7Faculty of Business and Economics, RISEBA University of Applied Sciences, Meza Street 3, Riga, 1048, Latvia
8Graduate Program in Production Engineering, Technology Center, Federal University of Santa Maria-UFSM, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil
9College of Architecture and Planning, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University (Formerly, University of Dammam), 1982, 31441, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
10Centre for Environmental Education & Research, University of Malta, Msida, MSD 2080, Malta

Tóm tắt

AbstractIt is widely assumed that transformative societal action is required to address the world's many sustainability challenges of today. This is especially true in an urban context, since urban sustainability may assist in improving the conditions of the urban environment and the quality of life of humans. Nevertheless, and despite the many advantages that urban sustainability may bring about, there is a need for studies that look at the role that transformative learning may play in influencing it. This study will address this need. It provides an analysis of the subject matter of transformative learning and how it may be practised and experienced in an urban context, thus contributing to urban sustainability in practical terms. It reports on a survey specifically directed to the teaching staff, on the extent to which transformative learning is being deployed in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in supporting urban sustainability efforts. In addition, the study ends by listing and presenting examples of approaches, methods, and initiatives in transformative learning within an urban sustainability context, and provides an analysis of its main features and learned lessons. It concludes with some best practices for transformative learning that could assist in designing and implementing urban sustainability teaching at HEIs, on a broader scale. It can be stated that not only can sustainability thought improve the urban conditions, but as the developing world gets further urbanised, sustainability in the urban context specifically becomes a matter of particular relevance.

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