URBDP 498/598: Urban Climate Solutions
3 credits, usually offered in the Spring quarter
Introduction
Urban built environments are the key to solving the climate crisis. Considering the lifespan of energy, building, transportation, wastewater, industrial, and solid waste infrastructure, investments today determine a city’s capacity to address mitigation and adaptation for decades to come. In our urban settings, these sources of the problem can be redesigned and given new institutional frameworks to become solutions. Over 90 percent of emissions from cities can be eliminated with the technologies available today, and our understanding of the impact of a changing climate on the magnitude and frequency of hazards is creating options for designing and delivering decarbonized (CO2e) and resilient urban projects and systems. These solutions and the institutions governing their adoption and financing for implementation in cities are the subject of this course.
The goal of this course is for students to understand climate considerations in context across the scales of the built environment, from the project to the system and the city level. Through four distinct modules, this course provides a framework for problem-solving through the various scales, technologies, designs, markets, policies, and financing mechanisms that cities and urban areas must pursue in order to achieve carbon zero, climate resilient urbanization. Through this course, students will explore the conditions needed within cities to allow, attract, and leverage climate finance to achieve a timely transition for climate resilient urban infrastructure. While this course is designed for students of the disciplines of the built environment, including engineering, students from all disciplines are welcome. A basic understanding of public policy, infrastructure planning, and economics is recommended. However, there are no prerequisites for graduate students, and undergraduates with advanced standing may register.