AESTHETICS AND SUSTAINABILITY (LARC 542)/LANDSCAPE PLANNING FOR SUSTAINABILITY (FRST 521C)

Dr. Stephen R.J. Sheppard, University of British Columbia, Winter 2006

COURSE SYLLABUS
These two courses are co-listed and will be taught together this year. LARC 542 has been changed
significantly from the previously titled course Visual Resource Management, which is still listed in the
UBC calendar. FRST 521C is a new course. Both are 3 credit courses.

Instructor: Dr. Stephen Sheppard, Design Centre for Sustainability

Director, Collaborative for Advanced Landscape Planning (CALP)
Office: FSC 2044 Office hours: 10-12 Thursday mornings or by appointment
Tel: 822-6582
[email protected]

Teaching Assistant: Cam Campbell

Office: FSC 2430 (CALP/IRSS Studio)
[email protected]

Schedule: Tuesdays 10am -1pm FSC 2430 (Landscape Immersion Lab [LIL])
10-11.30am Lecture/seminar
11.40-1pm Project work

COURSE PREAMBLE
Many scientists believe that sustainability is becoming harder to achieve as
the world population grows, energy use continues to expand, biophysical
resources are depleted or lost, and the climate changes. But how bad is it?
What is going to happen? What can people do about it?
This course explores what designers, planners, and land managers, using
their special knowledge and tools in dealing with landscapes and public
participation, might contribute to identifying unsustainability problems and
developing sustainable solutions.

COURSE DESCRIPTION
Analysis and planning of landscapes to integrate social acceptability with
sustainability, by communicating sustainability, informing the public, improving
decision-making, and changing policy. We will explore the relationships between
landscape aesthetics and sustainability: visual indicators, environmental
sustainability, and social behaviour.

The course includes:

ƒ review of methods of visual analysis, preference testing, visualisation,
participatory planning/decision support, and social marketing, applied to….
ƒ public perceptions of sustainability and unsustainability (including climate
change), addressing the impact of landscape/architectural/forest design and
graphics on public awareness and behaviour
ƒ impact of visualisation and future visioning on public awareness and behaviour.
We will combine theory and applications to on-the-ground landscape issues.
The context will include all kinds of landscapes, from urban design to wildlands, at a
variety of scales including larger scale landscapes. We will explore a range of

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 AESTHETICS AND SUSTAINABILITY (LARC 542)/LANDSCAPE PLANNING FOR SUSTAINABILITY (FRST 521C)
Dr. Stephen R.J. Sheppard, University of British Columbia, Winter 2006

cross-cutting themes or project types (seen through the lens of landscape

perception) according to students’ interests, such as:
ƒ green buildings,
ƒ “monster-homes” (including embodied energy issues)
ƒ “sustainable” and relocalized communities
ƒ windfarms
ƒ fossil fuel production
ƒ variable retention and conventional forest harvesting
ƒ forest pest management and invasive species
ƒ biomass production.

COURSE STRUCTURE
This is a combined lecture/seminar-based course, with a strong focus on applied
individual or small group research/projects.
ƒ Lectures will address methods of landscape assessment, public preference
gathering, visualisation-based communications, and participatory
planning/awareness building (using tools such as Community Viz).
ƒ Seminars will address topics such as visible indicators of sustainability on the
ground (eg. eco-revelatory design, relocalized communities), conflicts between
aesthetics and environmental sustainability, the role of media and
communications in influencing behaviour, perceptions of climate change, and
new ideas to support more self-sufficient communities by planning for multiple
resource values (eg. energy, food, water supply, tourism, etc.).
ƒ Projects will be developed to synthesize findings from previous related
studies/literature, and apply them to real issues of public communication/
awareness on sustainability, and/or place-based case studies on changing public
perceptions of communities and development in BC and beyond. There will be
opportunities for students to become involved in ongoing CALP research within
the GVRD on visioning climate change futures, and providing design input to the
Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) at False Creek Flats: to
be the “greenest building in North America”.

Most weeks, there will be two sessions of about 90 minutes each:

1. Either a 30-45 minute lecture or a presentation by a member of the class on the
previously assigned readings, followed by class discussion of the topic. Students
will be responsible for finding one current journal article related to the topic of the
day and bringing a copy of it to class.
2. Group or individual work, supervised/assisted by the instructor and TA, on
projects/assignments that permit engagement in research projects or are of
interest to you and pertain closely to the class subject matter.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
The primary learning outcomes are intended to be:
• A deeper personal awareness of the state and future of environmental and
cultural sustainability, including the implications of climate change;
• Improved visual literacy in interpreting sustainability in the landscape;

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 AESTHETICS AND SUSTAINABILITY (LARC 542)/LANDSCAPE PLANNING FOR SUSTAINABILITY (FRST 521C)
Dr. Stephen R.J. Sheppard, University of British Columbia, Winter 2006

• An understanding of basic principles and methods involved in visual analysis,

landscape assessment, perception measurement, and participatory
landscape planning, as tools to align sustainability and perception;
• An understanding of conceptual and ethical issues in using design, graphics
and predictive visualisation media in public communications to promote
sustainability;
• Improved understanding of what changes people’s minds on sustainability,
and an increased confidence and capacity to communicate/advocate for
sustainability;
• Exposure and involvement in state-of-the-art research, testing new
visualisation and modelling methods at CALP.

Students likely to be interested in this course may come from Landscape

Architecture, Architecture, Forestry, Community and Regional Planning,
Resources and Environmental Management, Geography, Agricultural
Sciences, Civil Engineering, Conservation Biology, or other fields interested in
promoting sustainability in a public context.

PRE-REQUISITES
None, other than an enquiring mind and an open attitude! This is Graduates-only
course, unless undergraduates with specific interests are allowed to enroll with the
Instructor's permission.

COURSE CONTENT

Module I: Learning to See (recognizing past and present sustainability problems,

and relating them to public perceptions and aesthetics):
ƒ Sustainability metrics
ƒ Visual landscape analysis (concepts, metrics, and methods)
ƒ Public perceptions and landscape preferences
ƒ Perceiving sustainability and unsustainability (links and disconnect between
sustainability and aesthetics)

Module II: Learning to Foresee (projecting future sustainability problems):

• Public participation methods in planning and preference testing methods
• Landscape visualization concepts, principles, and ethics (including results
from CALP visualization research)
• Combining visual and non-visual indicators (scenario generation,
presentation, and evaluation)

Module III: Informing and Influencing Others (developing solutions and helping
others to implement them):
• Social marketing approaches applied to sustainability, including ethical
considerations
• Designing to communicate sustainability
• “4D Visioning” approaches: visualising sustainable futures.

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 AESTHETICS AND SUSTAINABILITY (LARC 542)/LANDSCAPE PLANNING FOR SUSTAINABILITY (FRST 521C)
Dr. Stephen R.J. Sheppard, University of British Columbia, Winter 2006

The accompanying Course Schedule lays out the planned sequence of lectures,
seminars, project work, and field trips. This schedule is, however, likely to change
during the term based on class needs.

EVALUATION
Grading will be based on 4 major components, as follows:

COMPONENT GRADE
1 Weekly discussion of identified issues/themes/questions based on 25%
assigned readings for that week’s theme. In addition, you will be
responsible for finding one current journal article related to the
seminar/theme of the week. Attendance and active thoughtful
participation counts!
2 Each student will lead a class discussion (including making a 15 20%
minute presentation) during the term on one of the selected themes,
to kick off the seminar discussion, with a 2-3 page summary (and
digital copy of any Powerpoint used) handed in.
3 Module I Project: The class, working individually or in pairs, and as a 20%
class, will compile a compendium of compelling graphic imagery and
accompanying narratives expressing examples of sustainability and
unsustainability; the class will then analyze and rank the results,
document, and discuss.
4 Individual project with term paper/report: Groups, pairs or 35%
individual studetns, working with the instructors, will develop and
implement a project on perception testing, future visioning, and/or
communication of sustainability, related to a CALP research project on
climate change or the CIRS (green) building, or your thesis, subject to
my approval. Can include literature review, analyzing research results,
or conducting an actual project. Papers/reports should be
approximately 20-25 pages (double–spaced), or equivalent level of
effort tin a presentation package. Presentations may also be made of
each project.

Student evaluations will be based on: class participation (including attendance at

and contributions to lectures, seminars, class project work, etc.); understanding of
course material and readings as demonstrated in class discussions and
assignments; and quality of project deliverables/term paper.

Use of clear report organization, correct English grammar, scientific conventions for
citations, and a rational, well-documented argument will be taken into account in
evaluating all written products and oral presentations. Use of clear graphic
presentations is also required. Marks will consider demonstration of clear
understanding of concepts, integration of course material, extra reading and
research, and critical thinking in applying course concepts and readings. Written
answers should be of appropriate length, neither too terse nor rambling.

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 AESTHETICS AND SUSTAINABILITY (LARC 542)/LANDSCAPE PLANNING FOR SUSTAINABILITY (FRST 521C)
Dr. Stephen R.J. Sheppard, University of British Columbia, Winter 2006

If a student misses a crucial element of the course or is late with an assignment due
to illness or some other legitimate reason, he/she should first approach the instructor
(preferably before the event) to discuss how they can make up for the missed work
and agree to an alternative arrangement which meets equivalent learning objectives.

Bonus marks will be awarded at the instructor’s discretion for students clearly going
beyond the basic lab or seminar assignments; some adjustment in marks will be
made to compensate fairly for distinct differences in prior experience (eg. in graphic
abilities) or experience with the English language.

This is essentially a new class: student input to the Instructors on how to improve it
would be welcomed during the class and at the end.

TEXTBOOKS AND REFERENCE MATERIALS

There are no required textbooks for purchase. Suggested/required readings are
listed on the accompanying Reference List (forthcoming). Additional references for
lectures and seminar will be provided where necessary. Students are expected to
seek out additional research/journal articles on relevant topics and introduce them
(with proper scientific citations) in seminar discussions or assignments.

Course reference material is available from several sources:

ƒ Course website with several required readings (PDF files): (url to be
provided)
ƒ Materials in the UBC library system: MacMillan Library has some Course
Reserve items (under LARC 542 and FRST 491), and other references on
the shelves.
ƒ UBC Forestry Handbook (Chapter on Visual Resource Management, pp.
230-271, with summary of visual analysis concepts).

Many journals may have relevant information to this interdisciplinary class. A partial
list includes:
ƒ Landscape and Urban Planning
ƒ Landscape Journal
ƒ Landscape Research
ƒ Society and Natural Resources
ƒ Environment and Planning B
ƒ Environmental Science and Policy
ƒ Forest Ecology and Management
ƒ Journal of Environmental Management
ƒ Various environmental/educational psychology journals
ƒ Various climate change journals.

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 AESTHETICS AND SUSTAINABILITY (LARC 542)/LANDSCAPE PLANNING FOR SUSTAINABILITY (FRST 521C)
Dr. Stephen R.J. Sheppard, University of British Columbia, Winter 2006

COURSE SCHEDULE (subject to change)

DATE LECTURES SEMINARS/READING PROJECT WORK
S
45 minutes 45 minutes 80 minutes

MODULE I: LEARNING TO SEE

WEEK 1 COURSE PLANNING/INTRODUCTION
WED Jan Set Week 2 readings
4
WEEK 2 1 DEFINING Discussion: Sustainability, social sustainability,
TUE Jan AESTHETICS AND climate change…
10 SUSTAINABILITY Aesthetics: Cognition and affect, objective and
subjective…
Relationships between sustainability and aesthetics:
Visible and non-visible indicators

Set Week 3 readings

WEEK 3 2 SEEING Student-led Seminar
TUE Jan LANDSCAPES #1 Set Class Project 1:
17 Visual perception: Sustainability Compendium of compelling
visual elements, history/bubble images/narratives of
patterns, spatial Impacts of climate [un]sustainability:
relationships change ƒ Lit review

Discussion Key sustainability facts

Sustainability metrics

Set Week 4 readings

WEEK 4 3 LANDSCAPE Student-led Seminar Project 1 work:
TUE Jan ANALYSIS & #2 ƒ Lit review/collation
24 INTERPRETATION Visual quality metrics ƒ New local examples
Landscape
units/visibility Campus walk to assess
mapping Set Week 5 readings aesthetics and
Visual sensitivity sustainability
Visual quality/character
WEEK 5 4 LANDSCAPE Discussion: QOL Project 1 work:
TUE MEANINGS & metrics ƒ Preparation/documentati
31 PREFERENCE on
Perception/responses: ƒ Ranking/criteria

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 AESTHETICS AND SUSTAINABILITY (LARC 542)/LANDSCAPE PLANNING FOR SUSTAINABILITY (FRST 521C)
Dr. Stephen R.J. Sheppard, University of British Columbia, Winter 2006

Expert versus lay- Guest Lecture: Sense

folk of Place
Role of information Metrics/Methods (Cam
Meanings/messages Campbell)
Landscapes versus
imagery
Perception testing Set Week 6 readings
methods (aesthetics)
WEEK 6 5 SEEING Discussion: Present/hand in Project 1
TUE Feb (UN)SUSTAIN- Connecting aesthetics work
7 ABILITY and sustainability
Ecological Aesthetic Disconnects, gaps,
Cues for Care barriers
Visible stewardship Guest Lecture:
Climate change/pest Windfarms
perceptions (Seabreeze)
Landscape as Eco-
Label Set Week 7 readings
READING Possible field trip to
WEEK Chilliwack/Fraser valley to
Feb 13- assess aesthetics and
17 sustainability

DATE LECTURES SEMINARS/READING PROJECT WORK

S
45 minutes 45 minutes 80 minutes

MODULE II LEARNING TO FORESEE

WEEK 7 6 PARTICIPATORY Discussion: Strengths Set Project 2:
TUE Feb PLANNING/PREFERE and weaknesses of a) Visions of climate
21 NCE ELICITATION different public change (GEOIDE SII
Public participation/ engagement methods project)
opinion-gathering Guest Lecture: b) CIRS green building
methods Perceptions of Green perceptions
Criteria for Buildings (Amanda c) Individual projects
effectiveness Mitchell)
Set Week 8 readings

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 AESTHETICS AND SUSTAINABILITY (LARC 542)/LANDSCAPE PLANNING FOR SUSTAINABILITY (FRST 521C)
Dr. Stephen R.J. Sheppard, University of British Columbia, Winter 2006

WEEK 8 7 VISUALISATION Student-led Seminar Project 2 work

TUE Feb #3
28 CONCEPTS AND Visualisation bias
Ethics
PRINCIPLES Influence of the media

Simulation media and Set Week 9 readings

issues

Roles in
planning/design/
management
WEEK 9 8 FUTURE Student-led Seminar Project 2 work
TUE Mar #4
7 SCENARIO Conventional/build-out
scenarios
DEVELOPMENT Climate change/energy
scenarios
Temporal scales/ Set Week 10 readings

uncertainty

Modelling

“4D Visioning”

MODULE III: INFORMING AND INFLUENCING OTHERS

WEEK 10 Student-led Seminar Guest Lecture: Project 2 work/tutorials
TUE Mar #5 Social marketing
14 CHANGING campaign (David Possible pm showing of
PEOPLE’S MINDS Suzuki Foundation) Day After Tomorrow movie
AND BEHAVIOUR
Communications Set Week 11 readings
Social marketing/ethics
WEEK 11 9 SUSTAINABLE Student-led Seminar Project 2 work/tutorials
TUE Mar DESIGN/VISIBLE #6
21 STEWARDSHIP Case studies of
Research awareness/ capacity-
findings/effectiveness building and altered
behaviour
Set Week 12 readings

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 AESTHETICS AND SUSTAINABILITY (LARC 542)/LANDSCAPE PLANNING FOR SUSTAINABILITY (FRST 521C)
Dr. Stephen R.J. Sheppard, University of British Columbia, Winter 2006

WEEK 12 10 FUTURE Discussion: QOL v. Project 2 work/tutorials

TUE Mar VISIONING energy usage trade-
28 APPROACHES offs; self-sufficient
communities, etc.
Possible Guest
Lecture: Energy Farm
(J. Darley)
WEEK 13 SYNTHESIS : (SS/Class)
TUE Apr 4 Present/hand in Project 2
work

Lecture on concepts
Student-led seminar

Lecture on tools/techniques Project deliverables

Guest lecture Field trip

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