Urban Design with Nature

Undergraduate / Graduate

This course will use the Chicago region as the setting to evaluate the social, environmental, and economic effects of alternative forms of human settlement. Students will examine the history, theory and practice of designing cities in sustainable ways - i.e., human settlements that are socially just, economically viable, and environmentally sound. Students will explore the literature on sustainable urban design from a variety of perspectives, and then focus on how sustainability theories play out in the Chicago region. How can Chicago's neighborhoods be designed to promote environmental, social, and economic sustainability goals? This course is part of the College Course Cluster program: Urban Design. In Autumn 2025, Urban Design with Nature will focus on sustainable and accessible mobility with a focus on campus and the neighborhoods we transverse and inhabit. Students will consider how mobility is central to urban sustainability and how to reimagine cities, neighborhoods and campuses as social and economic spaces connected by safe, low impact, environmental, equitable and efficient networks of transit. Students enrolled in Autumn 2025 must be willing to spend time outdoors, moving about campus and its surroundings.