Advanced Seminar in Urban Sustainability I

3 units

This seminar will investigate contemporary theories and methods of sustainable urbanism. Cities are increasingly the means through which a sustainable future for the anthropocene era is constructed. Within the sustainable urbanism paradigm cities are understood as complex self-organizing open systems responding to socially constructed processes, conflicting values, natural resource limitations, extreme natural phenomena, man-made hazards, climate change and competing economic interests that inform urban change, design and development. Consideration will be given to the history, definition and reasoning for the urban sustainability paradigm; the theoretical constructs of sustainability, resiliency, adaptation and regeneration for post-carbon cities; the methods of analysis and measurement for urban sustainability; and the design of cities for livability, social inclusion, environmental performance, cultural diversity and economic equity. The course fulfills an Urban Design and Urban Issues elective for MUD, MArch & MLA degrees.