Sustainable Urban Development II: Future of Risk

Catalog description

Sustainable Urban Development - a course series of two half credits - establishes a framework for understanding the organization and planning of a development parcel. This process of making land habitable for people is a core objective of real estate development. This course contains two modules which explore the history of zoning and urban development, and the risk aspects of the development process. The Future of Risk module commences with an examination of the natural systems that underpin a development site, from the natural history to the current make-up of the land itself, including soil conditions, contaminants, hydrology, wetlands, as well as the ecosystems and species. It will explore how a changing climate might intersect with these conditions, and how these shape how and where a site is developed. Candidates will review utility integration and how a site interfaces with larger urban infrastructure. All of these, and particularly the environmental and climate change considerations, bring a certain amount of physical, financial, regulatory and political risk to any development site. The module will introduce ways in which developers can “de-risk” sites, using best practices in sustainability and resilience. Successful completion of ARCH 7351 is a prerequisite for ARCH 7352 for MSD-PDD students.