ENLIGHT Courses

Just Sustainable Cities: Perspective from Post-Socialist Eurasia

This course introduces students to theoretical and methodological tools from the fields of justice, urban studies, and sustainable development, providing synergistic approaches to the study of equality in sustainable cities. Students learn to analyze contemporary societal challenges caused by the intersection of climate change, sustainable development, growing inequality, increasing migration, and urbanization. Students discuss empirical examples relevant to post-socialist Eurasia to address questions like through what processes the sustainable city is created, which population groups are vulnerable in the green transition, what is the role of information in city space production, and how sustainable cities create secure spaces for human and non-human residents in a rapidly changing climate. During a practical research assignment, students train in small groups on how to work and produce knowledge collaboratively with local stakeholders, designing solutions to real-life challenges.

About the course

Content

In this course, students learn how to identify and analyse contemporary societal challenges caused by the intersection of climate change, sustainable development, growing inequality, increasing migration and urbanization.

During the course, students employ these tools to discuss in class and in smaller groups specific empirical examples relevant to post-socialist Eurasia. During a practical research, assignment students train how to work and produce knowledge together with local stakeholders in order to design solutions to real-life challenges.

Some of the questions that students should be able to address after taking the course are:

  • Through what processes is the sustainable city created;
  • who benefits from it and what categories are vulnerable in the process of green transition;
  • how may sustainable cities create secure spaces for different categories of human and non-human residents in a rapidly changing climate;
  • what is the role of information and information technologies in city space production;
  • who has the right to produce, and access and distribute information;
  • how do humans, non-human subjects and ideas move in the city;
  • how is the environment in the city conceptualized, treated, and valued?

The course comprises online lectures and seminars, practical assignments, and two on-site intensive weeks in Uppsala, Sweden.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

  • of important theoretical concepts from the fields of justice, urban studies, and sustainable development, that are relevant to the analysis of societal challenges caused by the intersection of climate change, sustainable development, growing inequality, increasing migration, and urbanization;
  • of the most important challenges in meeting the goals of sustainable and economic development and increasing social equality in urban areas;
  • of basic social science methodology for research in urban areas and practices of co-production of knowledge with local stakeholders;

Competence and skills

  • apply basic social research methods and produce knowledge together with local actors in urban areas;
  • identify societal problems, conflicts and challenges related to green transition, social and nature justice, human security, and growing migration and urbanization;
  • select relevant theoretical concepts to analyze societal challenges, injustices, and unsustainable practices;

Judgement and approach

  • analyze complex societal issues and challenges of just sustainable cities from diverse and sometimes contradicting analytical and stakeholders' perspectives;
  • compare regulations, practices and solutions from different parts of the world;
  • make informed suggestions about solutions or improvements of existing practices, injustices, or challenges to just sustainable cities in postsocialist Eurasia;

Assessment

The course is assessed by active participation in seminars, oral and written assignments.

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the university´s disability coordinator, or a decision by the department's working group for study matters.

Lecturers

Uppsala University
Vladislava Vladimirova, Institute for Russian and Eurasian Studies/Dept. Cultural Anthropology and Ethnology, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

University of Tartu
Age Poom, Mobility Lab, Department of Geography, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Comenius University
Mišík Matúš, Department of Political Science, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Course dates

On-site: 16th – 27th February 2026, in Uppsala, Sweden

Online: 26th January – 31st May 2026

  • Type: blended intensive programme (Erasmus+ or SEMP funding)
  • Level: Master, PhD
  • Host: Uppsala University
  • Focus area: Health and Well-being, Climate Change, Equity, Global Engagement , Culture and Creativity
  • Study Field: Humanities, Social Sciences
  • Course dates: 26 Jan - 31 May 2026
  • Apply by: 15 November 2025
  • ECTS: 7,5
  • Registration status: Open
  • Number of places available: 3 per university