Part 1: Newspaper Column on the Climate Change Emergency
(1,500 words maximum)
Write a short article in the style of a newspaper column or ‘op-ed’ in which you reflect upon
the diverse meanings, definitions and interpretations of ‘sustainability’, and develop a
reasoned argument that outlines the approach to sustainable development that you believe is
appropriate for the 21st century. Ensure that the article is properly referenced with in-text
citations and a reference list at the end (the refence list should not be included in the word
count).
Part 2: The Climate Change Emergency and Social Housing Consultancy Report
(3,500 words maximum)
You are an expert sustainability consultant working in the private sector and specialising in
the delivery of more sustainable housing development. An urban housing association in
Scotland has recently appointed you to produce an evidence review in light of the ‘Climate
Emergency’ declared by the Scottish Government in 2019.
This declaration will impact how the housing association plans and manages its housing stock
in the immediate future. The housing association in question owns a mixture of new flatted
accommodation, older tenement stock, and has recently acquired a large brownfield site that
it plans to develop with grant money awarded by the Scottish Government and the local
authority.
At their recent Business Plan review meeting, the housing association’s board of directors
identified three strategic challenges facing the organisation in light of the government’s
Climate Emergency declaration. These are as follows:
(1) How to address energy efficiency in the association’s ageing tenement building stock
and improve its sustainability.
(2) How to ensure that the development of the association’s recently acquired brownfield
site is development to the highest standards of sustainable urban design.
(3) How to ‘future proof’ the association’s existing housing stock to ensure it is suitable for
an ageing population.

Your task is to select one of these topics and write an evidence review using sources from the
academic and grey literature. The report should be presented professionally (writing as if you
are the expert sustainability consultant) with a short executive summary, numbered headings
and a content page. Tables, photographs and other figures can be included but must be fully
referenced and included in the word count. All references should be in the Harvard style and
provided in a bibliography at the end of the document.
10-Credit Version
(2,500 words maximum)
Students taking the 10-credit version of Sustainable Housing Development should complete
Part 2 above only, noting the lesser word count of 2,500 words.
If students taking the 10-credit version of Sustainable Housing Development elected only to
attend until Week 6 they should only consider writing about options (1) or (2) in the above
coursework brief as option (3) was the subject of a later week’s session.