Returning in spring 2026
The course will explore Singapore as a tropical city-state using urban sustainability as the frame. Singapore has excellent museums, galleries, and exhibits documenting the process of the urban development of the city in recent decades and how the city aims for water and food security even as climate change and the ever-present heat of the Tropics create unique challenges for the city to overcome.
Course description
This course explores the multi-dimensional complexity of Singapore as an example for urban sustainability. Urban sustainability focuses on our ability to meet the needs of future generations without compromising existing needs within urban systems. It involves the consideration of environmental, social, and economic dimensions of urban systems and how these work together for sustainability. The course will examine the infrastructure, resources, social fabric, and constraints of a tropical island state under a changing climate that has transformed itself into an international hub of sustainability, finance, tourism, and technology. Singapore is often touted as one of the most sustainable cities in the world, nicknamed a “City in a Garden,” yet sustainability in Singapore is more complex than this general claim. In this field course, five different sub-themes of urban sustainability will be followed: food sustainability, water systems, extreme heat, conservation, and green urbanism. Within each sub-theme, the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of urban sustainability will be explored and analyzed. Students will be provided with hands-on opportunities to learn about a real case study of urban sustainability, will strengthen their critical thinking skills through their investigation of Singapore's urban sustainability, and will grow in their collaboration and cross-cultural skills through group activities and engagement with Singaporean culture.
Course requirements
Please note that this course requires students to submit an application. The best candidates for the course must:
- be an undergraduate student enrolled at the University of Waterloo in the Faculty of Environment during the Spring 2026 term.
- be available for all field components.
- be well-organized and confident in managing condensed coursework over the duration of ten days.
- be responsible for own travel costs.
Course schedule
This is a condensed course during the Spring 2026 term from Monday, April 27, 2026 - Thursday, May 7, 2026, inclusive.
Application details and timelines
Students interested in participating in this field course are required to submit an application by November 16, 2025. Selected applicants can expect to receive invitations to participate in the field course in December 2025. Students who are chosen to participate in the field course will be required to submit a $500 deposit in January 2026 to secure their spot in the course.
Travel costs
This course requires students to be responsible for their own travel expenses. This course has a fee of approximately $2,200 - $2,500 (includes lodging, transportation, attractions, and some meals). These fees do not include air fare to and from Singapore (see flight details below).
Flight details
Students will be required to purchase their own air fare to and from Singapore. Flights must be arriving in Singapore by April 27, 2026. Students should not purchase flights unless they are successfully accepted and enrolled in the course.
Meet the instructor
Prof. Peter Crank
Assistant Professor
Department of Geography and Environmental Management
EV1-226
peter.crank@uwaterloo.ca
Interested in this course? Here's your next steps:
- Ensure you meet all course requirements.
- Submit an application by November 16, 2025.
- Contact Rochelle DeSouza with any questions about the application.
In the meantime, if you have more questions about the course, please don’t hesitate to contact the instructor, Prof. Peter Crank.