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1Spring 2010
Professor Jennifer Mapes
Office: KAP 450COffice Hours: MW 10 am
–
11:30 am,or by appointmentPhone: 213-790-0743Email: jmapes@usc.edu
GEOG 401: Sustainable Cities
Course overview
Cities present some of our greatest challenges, and greatest opportunities, for a more sustainablefuture. This course examines these challenges and opportunities at multiple scales. We will examine
theories
of sustainability: What does sustainability mean? Is it a useful concept? Can humans ever really negate their impact on Earth? What role to cities play in this? We also consider how sustainable
practices
can be integrated into urban and regional planning and design. How can wedesign cities to produce less waste? Consume less energy? Use land wisely? Finally, we examinehow these ideas and plans work out on the ground and in our
everyday
lives. What role does cultureplay in our daily decisions? How about politics? What might be the role of technology andcommunication in the future of our cities?It is always important to contextualize these questions. We'll look at examples from the Los Angelesarea, and our final project will examine sustainability prospects for the University of SouthernCalifornia campus.
Course objectives
Be able to identify and discuss key concepts in sustainable urbanism
Recognize and understand strategies in sustainable urban design, as well as criticalperspectives on these practices
Describe and explain the importance of individual decisions for the collective future of thecity.
Explain the challenges of these multiple scales for creating a “culture of sustainability”
Required texts:
Stephen Wheeler & Timothy Beatley,
Sustainable Urban Development Reader
(2004 or 2008) (SUD)Richard Register,
Ecocities: Rebuilding cities in balance with nature
, 2006. (ECO)Emilie Buchwald,
Toward the Livable City
, 2003. (TLC)
2
Course schedule
Introduction
“Ecotopia” (excerpt), Ernest Callenbach (SUD)
“Towards Sustainable Development,” The Brundtland Commission (SUD)
“The lived
-
in city,” Jane
Holtz Kay (TLC)
No class/holidayCities & Sustainability
Chapter 4, The city in history (ECO)
“Divorcing the city,” Lynda Morgenroth (TLC)
Environmental health
Chapter 2: The city in evolution (ECO)Chapter 3: The city in nature (ECO)
“Divorcing the
city,” Lynda Morgenroth (TLC)
Social equity
“People
-of-color environmentalism
,” Robert Bullard (SUD)
“Opportunity
-
based housing,” John Powell (TLC)
Guest speaker: Mona Seymour, Alleys in Los Angeles
Economic viability
“The economic system and natural environments” (SUD)
“Natural capitalism” (SUD)
“Import replacement” (SUD)
Reinventing a vibrant riverfront,” Judith Martin (TLC)
No class/holidayExam
Jan. 11Jan. 13
Theory
Jan. 18Jan. 20Jan. 25Jan. 27Feb. 1Feb. 3Feb. 8Feb. 10Feb. 15Feb. 17
3
Practice
Land use & ecology
Chapter 5: The City Today (ECO)
“The next American metropolis,”
Peter Calthorpe (SUD)
“Outdoor space and outdoor activities,” Jan Gehl (SUD)
Energy & waste
“The metabolism of cities,” Herbert Girardet (SUD)
“Waste as resource,” John Lyle (SUD)
“Toward a history of trashmaking,” Susan Strasser, from
Waste and Want: A socialhistory of trash
(Blackboard)
“The backside of civility,” Emily Hiestand (TLC)
Transportation
“Transit and the metropolis,” Robert Cervero (SUD)
“Bicycling Renaissance in North America?” (SUD)
“Cambridge walking,” Sara Antoine (TLC)
Chapter 6: Access and Transportation (pgs 137-158)
“Selections from Roadkill Bill,” Ken Avidor (TLC)
Spring recessRestoration & green building
“City and nature,” Anne Spirn (SUD)
“Land development and endangered species,” Timothy Beatley (SUD)
“Design, ecology, ethics and the making of things,” William McDonough (SUD)
Exam/project
ExamGreen report card/class project
Measuring individual impacts
“Urban sustainability reporting,” Virginia Maclaren (SUD)
“What is an ecological footprint,” Wackernagel and Rees (SU
D)Feb. 22Feb. 24Mar. 1Mar. 3Mar. 8Mar. 10Mar. 15/17Mar. 22Mar. 24Mar. 29Mar. 31
Everyday
Apr. 5
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