Developing Sustainable Urban Communities

3 units

Across the country, there is a drive to develop high-quality, economically and racially diverse, vibrant and sustainable urban communities. St. Louis is no exception to this trend. For reasons of sustainability, poverty alleviation and city building, community leaders and public officials in St. Louis are working to develop neighborhoods and communities that incorporate these factors. Developing Sustainable Urban Communities is a project-based course for graduate students and advanced undergraduates which asks interdisciplinary groups of students to contribute solutions to substantively and politically challenging place-based urban redevelopment challenges in St. Louis. Students will work in small teams to develop their projects over the course of the semester through research, dialogue with a team of interdisciplinary faculty, examination of relevant case studies, and engagement with client organizations in the community. Course participants will choose one of three semester-long projects, the subject of which will be developed by course instructors and client organizations in advance of the semester. The course will meet both on-campus and at various community sites. For MSW Program SED Concentration students, this course fulfills the SED concentration Practice Methods requirement. Enrollment is limited to 24 students with prior coursework in community development, urban design or related fields. Preference is given to graduate architecture and social work students; other students will be admitted by permission of the instructor. Upon registering in the course, please send the instructor a brief statement (1-2 paragraphs) about your interest in the course and previous coursework or experience that has prepared you for participation.