GEOG 322 - The Metabolic City: Resources, Flows and Networks

Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)

(Same as URBS 322) Cities are not just human settlements; they are also built environments that are composed of and sustained by flows of resources both local and distant. This discussion-based seminar explores the networks and infrastructures of food, water, energy, building materials, and waste that produce and shape cities, as well as the power relations that govern them and their implications for the sustainability of urban life. We examine conceptual frameworks for understanding the relationships between cities and nature, with special attention to the urban dimensions of climate change mitigation and adaptation, and apply them through case studies ranging from New York and Madrid to Accra and Jakarta. Students complete an independent research paper on a case study of their choosing, with the option to contribute to senior theses. The Department.

One 3-hour period.

Course Format: CLS