Schedule

Wednesdays, 10:10a.m.–1:00p.m.

September 1st: Introductions

In-class documentary and exercise. We brainstorm science, technology, and sustainability, and we discuss our expectations for the class. We discuss our own environmental footprints.

September 8th: What is sustainability?

We introduce the concept of sustainability and craft a working definition of sustainable cities.

• Richard Rogers (1997), ‘The Culture of Cities’, chapter 1, and ‘Sustainable Cities’, chapter 2, in Cities for a Small Planet [pages 1-63].

• Also please spend 30 minutes looking at http://www.ourcitiesourselves.org/.

Field trip to Center for Architecture. Meet at 536 LaGuardia Place (near NYU).

September 15th: What is nature?

We discuss different conceptions of nature. What does ‘natural’ and ‘unnatural’ mean? How has city growth changed the natural environment? Why/ how do we try to bring nature back into our cities?

• Matthew Gandy, ‘Introduction’ in Concrete and Clay [pages 1-10].
• Also please spend 30 minutes looking at http://themannahattaproject.org/

6-9 pm: Attend Eric Sandersen talk at 2 West 64^th Street.

September 22nd: Central Park

We discuss attempts to re-create nature in New York City.

• Matthew Gandy, ‘Symbolic Order and the Urban Pastoral,’ chapter 2 in Concrete and Clay [selections: pages 77-97 and 109-113];
• Malve von Hassell, ‘Community Gardens in New York City: Place, Community, and Individuality,’ chapter 4 in Peggy Barlett (ed.), Urban Place: Reconnecting with the Natural World, Harvard, MA: MIT Press [pages 91-116].

Field trip to Central Park

Saturday, September 26^th

8am-4pm: Meet at Hunter for trip to Black Rock Forest

September 29^th: What is technology?

We discuss what we mean by technology and we begin to use the concept of sociotechnical systems.  We start to think about various technological systems in New York City.  How does technology empower or disempower individuals and communities?

• Langdon Winner, ‘Do artefacts have politics?’

October 6th: Technology and Sustainability

We think about the various networks that would enable more sustainable cities. We form teams for our poster projects.

• Richard Rogers, ‘London: The Humanist City,’ chapter 4 [pages 103-144].
• Please also spend 45 minutes perusing http://www.nyc.gov/html/planyc2030.

October 13th: Food

Most food in New York City is transported into the city from its origins, which can be hundreds or even thousands of miles away.  We explore this phenomenon and begin the search for alternative food systems that could mitigate the environmental damage of food transit. We will debate the pros and cons of different food delivery systems.

• Kate Ascher, ‘Moving Freight’, in The Works, chapter 2 [selections: pages 66-67 and 86-89]
• Susan L. Andreatta, ‘Urban Connections to Locally Grown Produce’, chapter 5 in Peggy Barlett (ed.), Urban Place: Reconnecting with the Natural World, Harvard, MA: MIT Press [pages 117-140].

October 20^th: Energy

• Readings for today: Kate Ascher, ‘Power’, selections from chapter three in The Works [pages 92-105, 108-109, 110-113, 116-119]

Research question for team poster project due today.

October 27^th: Transportation

• Rachel Weinberger (2008), ‘Growing Greener, New York Style,’ in Eugenie L. Birch and Susan M. Wachter (eds.), Growing Greener Cities: Urban Sustainability in the Twenty-First Century, Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press [pages 84-111].
• Kate Ascher ‘Moving People’, chapter 1, in The Works [selections: pages 2-3, 6-7, 10-11, 18-19, 24-29, 38, 44-47, 52-54].

November 3^rd: Transportation, continued.

• Matthew Gandy, ‘Technological Modernism and the Urban Parkway’, selection from chapter 3, in Concrete and Clay [pages 115-147].
• And review http://www.ourcitiesourselves.org/downloads/2010-OurCitiesOurselves_Booklet.pdf

November 10^th: Water and Waste

• Reading for today: Matthew Gandy, ‘’, selection from chapter 5 in Concrete and Clay [pages 187-227].

Data for team poster project due today.

November 17^th: Water and Waste, continued.

• Kate Ascher, ‘Water and Waste,’ selection from chapter 5 in The Works [pages 152-157, 168-169, 170-175, 178-179, 182-187, 190-195].
• Alexander R. Thomas, Gilboa: New York’s quest for water and the destruction of a small town (selections).

Poster workshop with Tech Fellow today.

November 24^nd: Housing

The configuration of space is critical to building sustainable cities, as our discussions of transportation have shown. Here, we see the importance of re-imagining housing for improving sustainability.

• Richard Rogers, ‘Sustainable architecture,’ chapter 3 [pages 65-102].
• David Hess, ‘The Localization of Activism and Innovation,’ selection from chapter 6 [pages 207-217].

We discuss our differing personal viewpoints about alternative housing arrangements.

We spend some time in class finalizing posters.

Hand in your journal today.

December 1^st: Presentation practice

Presentation practice with our Tech Fellow.

Bring presentation to class today.

December 5^th – December 9^th: Poster Sessions

[December 8^th class cancelled – please attend poster sessions.]

December 15^th: Finale

Please come to class for an end-of-semester debrief and celebration.