Sustainable Cities

About 4.2 billion people around the world live in cities today, with this figure expected to double by 2050. Improvement of the urban environment is therefore crucial to a sustainable planetary future. In this course, students will examine current best practices for urban sustainability and resilience in areas such as restoration of watershed health, mitigation of air pollution and soil toxicity, management of solid waste, reduction of the urban heat island effect, improvement of mass transit and infrastructure, support of urban agriculture alongside a variety of other environmental justice efforts, and preparation for sea level rise, extreme weather events, and rising temperatures.