1.286
Urban Energy Systems and Policy
See description under subject 11.477[J] .
Fall 2022
This class is about figuring out together what cities and users can do to reduce their energy use and carbon emissions. Many other classes at MIT focus on policies, technologies, and systems, often at the national or international level, but this course focuses on the scale of cities and users. It is designed for any students interested in learning how to intervene in the energy use of cities using policy, technology, economics, and urban planning.
Readings
- [DM] chapters 1, 2
- Nikayla Jefferson and Leah C. Stokes. “Our Racist Fossil Fuel Energy System.” BostonGlobe.com, July 13, 2020.
- Andrew Revkin. “When Climate Action Meets Energy Friction: Why Permitting Reform Is Easier Sought than Done.” Sustain What, August 23, 2022.
- [DM] chapters 3, 20, technical chapter A
- Noah Kittner, Ioannis Tsiropoulos, Dalius Tarvydas, Oliver Schmidt, Iain Staffell, and Daniel M. Kammen (2020). “Electric Vehicles.” In Martin Junginger and Atse Louwen (eds.), Technological Learning in the Transition to a Low-Carbon Energy System , 145–163. Elsevier. ISBN: 9780128187623.
- M.J. Bradley & Associates. “Financial Incentives for Electric Vehicles.” ERM Group, 2022.
- [DM] chapter 5, technical chapter C
- Aiofe O’Leary (2019). “Aviation.” Chapter 16 in Michael B. Gerrard and John C. Dernbach (eds.), Legal Pathways to Deep Decarbonization in the United States , 1st ed. Environmental Law Institute. ISBN: 9781585761975
- [DM] chapters 7, 9, 11, technical chapter E
- [DM] chapters 19, 21, 22
- [DM] chapter 15, technical chapter H
- [DM] chapters 23–24
- [DM] chapters 4, 6, 8, 10, 16, 18, technical chapters B, D
- [DM] chapters 10, 16, 18
- [DM] chapters 25–27
- Drew Shindell and Christopher J. Smith (2019). “Climate and Air-Quality Benefits of a Realistic Phase-Out of Fossil Fuels.” Nature 573(7774): 408–411.
- Kenneth E. Train (1991). Optimal Regulation: The Economic Theory of Natural Monopoly , chapter 1. The MIT Press. ISBN: 9780262200844
- José A. Gómez-Ibáñez (2006). Regulating Infrastructure: Monopoly, Contracts, and Discretion , chapter 2. Harvard University Press. ISBN: 9780674022386
- [DM] chapter 13
- Bridle, Sarah L. 2020. Food and Climate Change Without the Hot Air: Change Your Diet: The Easiest Way to Help Save the Planet. UIT Cambridge, Ltd. ISBN: 9780857845030.
- Magazines and journals such as the New Yorker (Bill McKibben, Elizabeth Kolbert) and the Atlantic (Robinson Meyer)
Prerequisites & course information
Same subject as 11.477[J] Subject meets with 11.165 Prereq: 11.203 , 14.01 , or permission of instructor G (Fall) 3-0-9 units
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026–2027
- MIT OpenCourseWare ↗Fall 2022
- MIT OCW readings ↗
- MIT OCW syllabus ↗
- Historical MIT OpenCourseWare offering. Named reading entries and schedule topics are automatically extracted from the linked source pages.