Sustainable Urban Development

Catalog description

This course introduces the principles, practices, contexts, and challenges of sustainable urban development in the United States. A multidisciplinary topic, the course will traverse the intersections of environmental policy, urban planning, architectural design, civil engineering, ethics, history, economics, and government. Students will review contemporary standards, methods, components, and trends, such as energy codes, green certifications, utility benchmarking, ESG reporting, embodied carbon, energy efficiency, renewable energy, grid integration, transportation planning, climate resilience, community engagement, and equitable development. Students will read key texts, analyze case studies, engage in discussions, hear from practitioners, use common tools, and consider real-world problems.