Theme course 2027

About this programme

The long-term perspective: management and governance of landscapes This theme course gives a long-term and research-based perspective on the development of landscapes. It balances ecological, social and economic perspectives for sustainable, resilient and multifunctional environments. The course combines theoretical approaches and tools with implementation in real-life contexts and project work. Current challenges to sustainability require landscape governance and management approaches that handle climate change, promote biodiversity, foster multiple uses, enhance community collaboration, and give economic stability. This includes all from the collaboration between actors and institutions to the everyday and long-term uses and actions affecting physical landscapes. Specific focus is also needed to adapt to user groups with different ages and abilities. This course explores theoretical and practice-based knowledge on how urban and peri-urban landscapes are developed through long-term processes of governance and management. From research, we apply theories and tools for stakeholder identification and analysis, explore different types of governance and related collaborations and processes. Management concepts are used to guide and explore holistic and long-term decision making for the development of landscapes. The theoretical understandings will be further explored through discussions, cases, excursions, exercises and a final project, all involving real-life places, actors and developments.