Course syllabus for From the Ground Up

A Course Syllabus for From the Ground Up Course Overview For decades American cities have experimented with ways to remake themselves in response to climate change. These efforts, often driven by grassroots activism, offer valuable lessons for transforming the places we live. This course will focus on the unique ways in which U.S. cities are working to mitigate and adapt to climate change while creating equitable and livable communities in the process. Four main themes and twelve case studies show how U.S. cities are reclaiming their streets from cars, restoring watersheds, growing forests, and adapting shorelines to improve people’s lives while addressing our changing climate. Students will have the opportunity to examine how they can take action in their daily lives and careers to support efforts in their own communities for emboldening solutions. Required Text Sant, Alison. 2022. From the Ground Up: Local Efforts to Create Resilient Cities. Washington, DC: Island Press. 304 pp. ISBN-13: 978-1610918961 Course Learning Objectives This course will prepare students to understand: 1. The impacts of climate change on cities and the ways in which cities are mitigating and adapting to them. 2. The relationship between systemic racism and discriminatory policies in the United States and the resulting vulnerability of communities of color and low-income communities to climate impacts. 3. Opportunities to create effective community-based planning processes that address systemic inequities and guide climate investments toward new strategies. 4. Best practices for creating inclusive communities that make cities just, resilient, and more livable. Resources