ESF:CORE082 Smart city and quality of life - Course Information

CORE082 Smart city and quality of life

Extent and Intensity

2/0/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
In-person direct teaching

Teacher(s)

doc. Ing. Vladimír Žítek, Ph.D. (lecturer)
doc. Ing. Viktorie Klímová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
doc. RNDr. Josef Kunc, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Ing. Markéta Novotná, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Petr Tonev, Ph.D. (lecturer)

Guaranteed by

doc. Ing. Vladimír Žítek, Ph.D.
Department of Regional Economics – Faculty of Economics and Administration
Contact Person: Ing. Marie Hladká, Ph.D.
Supplier department: Department of Regional Economics – Faculty of Economics and Administration

Prerequisites (in Czech)

!FAKULTA(ESF)&& !TYP_STUDIA(ND) && (!FORMA(C) || !FORMA(K) || !FORMA(D) || !FORMA(R) || !FORMA(Z))

Course Enrolment Limitations

The course is offered to students of any study field.
The capacity limit for the course is 100 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/100, only registered: 13/100, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/100

Course objectives

The subject is focused on the implementation of smart solutions in cities and their use by the population. The entire urban ecosystem is an environment that is intimately familiar to each of us. Cities are characterized by a significant concentration of residents, companies, institutions and infrastructure. They are undoubtedly a phenomenon of today, they provide all functions for all entities. They have sufficient financial resources, they have suitable parameters for the implementation of development projects. In the conditions of a democratic society, they create conditions for public involvement in decision-making processes, offer opportunities for varied use of free time, and provide a high standard of public and commercial services. At the same time, they are becoming an attractive destination for tourists. On the other hand, the mentioned positive aspects lead to a number of negative phenomena. There is an overload of all infrastructure, traffic jams, rising real estate prices and environmental pollution. In order to continue to profit from the advantages and at the same time to eliminate the disadvantages of urbanization, it is necessary to look for intelligent solutions that will make the local economy more efficient, improve the quality of life of the inhabitants and lead to sustainable urban development. By completing the course, students will be able to answer all the questions raised by the mentioned topics and also understand the given problems in a wider context. Thanks to this, they will be more aware of the specifics of the environment in which they study, live, spend their free time or work.

Learning outcomes

After completing the course, the student will be able to:
- explain why people usually perceive their city positively;
- identify factors influencing the quality of life in cities;
- understand the influence of economic, social and environmental characteristics on the development of cities;
- describe the influences increasing/decreasing the attractiveness of cities from the point of view of individual target groups;
- explain the inseparability of the concepts of economic growth and sustainable development in the strategic management of cities.

Syllabus

• 1. The city as a phenomenon of the time, a place of concentration of activities of the population and companies.
• 2. Spatial planning as a result of the symbiosis of people, companies and institutions.
• 3. The smart city concept and its application in the Czech environment.
• 4. Local economy, business environment, research and business infrastructure.
• 5. Factors of economic success of cities and regions – regional competitiveness.
• 6. Population, demographic aspects of the development of contemporary cities in the European area.
• 7. Quality of life, availability and standardization of services, social infrastructure, excluded localities.
• 8. Importance of European funds for urban development.
• 9. Urban tourism, attractiveness of tourist destinations and overtourism.
• 10. Sustainable development of cities in the period of green transformation.
• 11. Modern aspects of strategic management of cities and regions, public involvement.
• 12. Territorial marketing – public activities, tourism, culture, sport, business.
• 13. Selected current phenomena and processes – regeneration of brownfields, suburbanization, localization of retail.

Literature

required literature
• UNECE (2022). Place and life in the ECE. A Regional Action Plan 2030. New York: United Nations. eISBN 978-92-1-001207-2
• UNECE (2020). People-Smart Sustainable Cities. New York: United Nations. eISBN 978-92-1005265-8.

recommended literature
• BELAÏD, Fateh and Anvita ARORA (eds.). Smart Cities: Social and Environmental Challenges and Opportunities for Local Authorities, Springer, 2023. online, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/masaryk-ebooks/detail.action?docID=30882842.
• COHEN, Steven. The sustainable city. New York: Columbia University Press, 2018, 1 online. ISBN 9780231543972. URL info

Teaching methods

The topics addressed will be presented in the form of their presentations at lectures. They will also include a discussion reflecting the students' experience with the issue, especially from the point of view of the perception of the position of the city in which they live or study. Each lecture will end with a quiz in IS MU, which will allow students to verify their understanding of the topics presented and also compare their results with others.

Assessment methods

The subject ends with a colloquium. It has a written form, when the student chooses a topic on which to write a short essay of approximately 1000-1200 characters within the examination period.
There are no attendance requirements for students who are on an Erasmus stay abroad. They can take the exam directly.

Language of instruction

Czech

Further Comments

The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every week.

• Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  
• Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/econ/spring2025/CORE082