This course addresses green architecture and community design as intertwined endeavors in the making of sustainable human habitats. We will examine contemporary sustainability initiatives and precedents through readings, lectures, field walks, case studies, and student presentations, across a range of scales from the building to the region.
The course can be thought of in four concurrent tracks: green community design, green architecture, green infrastructure, and sustainability principles in the built environment. We will explore linkages between urban form and sustainability, examining the physical footprint and configuration of the built environment. Included within these considerations are impacts on transportation, energy, and water, as well as social and economic fabrics. We will look at the spatial characteristics of the public realm, social equity, and public health from the perspective of design. These aspects will be framed through the historical factors that have influenced urban form–governmental policies, technology, politics, and economics, among others–as well as contemporary practices. Many stakeholders play a role in the design of communities.
Cross listed: ENEC 420