Topics: Urban Environmental Geography

Catalog description

This course explores the structural, historical, and spatial geography of cities. We will apply a political ecology framework, which investigates the politics of environmental conditions. We will consider the historical development of cities, why they are located in particular places, and their social, political, economic, and ecological structures. Importantly, we will emphasize the urban as socio-ecological systems, both unto themselves and as nodes in broader networks that connect cities to global economies and suburban and rural resources. Students will learn to investigate urban structures, who benefits and who does not, and strategies for sustainable futures. We will pay particular attention to urban greenspaces and environmental justice. Students will produce a case study of an urban environmental challenge that emphasizes current research in environmental studies and sciences.