Sustainable Cities Specialization

This course will provide students with an introduction to tools and concepts for a better understanding of the importance of the neighborhood as part of a sustainable city. This will include a careful look at the natural context of successful neighborhoods. An evaluation of important components and structure that create a sustainable neighborhood. Complete neighborhoods can provide their residents with pedestrian access to schools, daycare, recreational centers, and a variety of open spaces, as well as opportunities for food production. These and other aspects of sustainable neighborhoods will be carefully evaluated in this course. There will also be case studies of neighborhood development projects in Houston, TX, San Antonio, TX, and Chattanooga, TN. And lastly, the course will review the importance of zoning on sustainable neighborhoods with a particular focus on form-based zoning.

By the end of this course, you will be able to: • Construct general plans for urban parks and natural corridors for achieving natural context neighborhoods. • Analyze how neighborhood schools, support services and civic sites contribute to neighborhood livability and sustainability. • Examine how local open space and housing density can be balanced as neighborhood components to achieve sustainable communities. • Evaluate the aspects of neighborhood structure that include packet parks, open-space configurations, and transit orientation in communities. • Apply lessons learned from the evaluation of three case studies at the Buffalo Bayou project in Houston, Texas, the Pearl District project in San Antonio Texas, and 21st century waterfront project in Chattanooga Tennessee. • Explain the importance of zoning for sustainable neighborhoods with a particular focus on form-based zoning. Example backgrounds that would be helpful for students to succeed in this course: - To have a general understanding of how public/private projects are planned and implemented - Have a strong interest or experience in planning and developing regional sustainable development plans - Familiar with how government organizations function in the areas of transportation planning and project development - Served as a volunteer committee member or leader on regional transportation projects and/or regional policy development initiatives - Have a background and interest in environmental protection plans and projects - A general knowledge of regional transportation project planning and implementation - General knowledge or experience in public participation in governmental policy development - A strong interest and/or experience in improving the urban environment for the benefit of its citizens - Have a general knowledge of legal and policy issues involved in sustainable development - Have experience or general knowledge of social equity issues

This course will evaluate best practices in transportation networks, thoroughfares, and streetscape designs for the effective movement of people, goods, and services in a region. Sustainable public and private streetscape design and application will be reviewed and evaluated for applications for sustainable cities. Considerations are assessed for smart urban planning, growth, and lifestyle. Strategies for creating equitable, healthy, and sustainable communities are also evaluated.

By the end of this course, you will be able to: 1. Survey and evaluate thoroughfare network considerations for connectivity, block size and sidewalk interaction. 2. Compare different complete street design options for application in smart growth planning. 3. Evaluate sidewalk design and planning strategies for public and private sidewalks to include street tree configurations and street light design. 4. Examine issues of water management with specialized curb design, ground water recharge areas and swales as part of the streetscape design and planning. 5. Identify and evaluate the differences between free-flow, slow-flow, and yield-flow thoroughfare design concepts. 6. Assess and evaluate smart urban planning, growth, and lifestyle indicators. The target audience for this course includes: - Government Officials involved planning, designing, monitoring, enforcement, and assessment of sustainable project developments at the local, state, and federal level. - Private sector companies in the transportation and municipal design and construction business - Architects interested in advancing sustainable concepts for cities and communities - Foundations, associations, and other NGOs that support smart growth strategies - Academic faculty and students studying and researching community sustainability and resilience - Private citizens interested in improving their communities and living conditions

This course will include the evaluation of best practices in parking strategies for sustainable cities. Some of the examples include downtown parking policy, understanding the high cost of free parking, the development of parking sheds, managing neighborhood parking, hiding parking lots and other parking strategies and practices. There will also be a case study of the Victoria Canada parking management approach that investigates problems with current work on parking planning and discusses the cost of parking facilities and potential savings from improved management. There will also be an introduction to the use of form-based codes for application to sustainable cities. A variety of building forms such as mid-rise and high-rise buildings, apartment houses, live/work buildings, single-family homes, and row houses will be assessed. A particular emphasis will be on vacant property strategies for equitable and healthy communities. Vacant property strategies for reclamation will be evaluated with an analysis of the revitalization cycle. Green building construction principles will be evaluated in consideration for natural light and ventilation, solar orientation, use of sustainable building materials, energy efficient design and on-site energy generation as well as other considerations. Building architectural design will leverage climate, construction materials, and the culture and history of the area. Architecture choices should have a consistent appearance within the community and provide residential privacy. Other considerations include protection and preservation of historic buildings, use of universal design concepts, careful placement of civic buildings and the appropriate use of subsidized housing.

By the end of this course, you will be able to: 1. Survey and evaluate a variety of parking policies that support sustainable cities and environmental quality. 2. Compare different parking options such as parking sheds, neighborhood parking, parking lot access, permeable parking spaces, and a variety of ways to hide parking lots. 3. Describe the approach that the state of Minnesota used in developing a greenhouse gas reduction plan for their transportation sector. 4. Examine issues of implementing climate – friendly transportation pricing and the concept of “fix it first” transportation policy. 5. Evaluate the concept of form-based codes and their benefits for creating sustainable cities. 6. Assess smart green construction practices such as use of sustainable building materials, on site energy generation, proper solar orientation, and the use of green building standards. Target Audience • Government Officials involved planning, designing, monitoring, enforcement, and assessment of sustainable project developments at the local, state, and federal level. • Private sector companies in the transportation and municipal design and construction business • Architects interested in advancing sustainable concepts for cities and communities • Foundations, associations, and other NGOs that support smart growth strategies • Academic faculty and students studying and researching community sustainability and resilience • Private citizens interested in improving their communities and living conditions