Course Description
Processes for planning and developing urban infrastructure systems, emphasizing environmental impact and interactions between natural and engineered systems, e.g., water, energy, transportation. Review of past development and case studies intended to lead to a more sustainable urbanized area. Comparison of planning/development in the United States with other parts of the world.
Athena Title
Urban Infrastr Plan and Devel
Prerequisite
(ENVE 3320 or LAND 2520 or CVLE 3730 or CVLE 3730E) and permission of department
Semester Course Offered
Offered every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
By the end of this course, students will have an understanding of: (1) The basic process by which urban infrastructure systems are developed, planned and managed today, and the way to assess the sustainability of such development with a system point of view. (2) The cultural and regional differences which lead to different urban Infrastructure planning approaches. (3) Local and regional environmental issues that affect development and management of urban systems. (4) The evolution of priorities and planning procedures in the U.S. during the past century. (5) Key issues are involved in the development of sustainable future urban developments and how engineers will contribute to these issues. The emphasis will be the system interdependency and life cycle impacts of designs. (6) How urban planning and development in other areas of the world might be adapted to the particular needs of United States society.
Topical Outline
1) The urban planning process in use today in the United States a) Overview of sustainability definitions, metrics, ecological footprint b) Reviewing of the urban planning theory and the history of urban development in the United States c) The complex interactions of the economic, social, and political systems involved 2) How engineered systems fit into and impact the built environment and urban planning process a) Engineered systems mandated by the urban form b) Transportation driven infrastructure development c) Analysis, assessment, and metrics; summary of analysis tools d) Impact of urban sprawling e) Comparison of United States cities in terms of sustainability 3) Case studies and proposed urban models for exploring the key engineering issues of a) Transportation b) Renewable energy: Conservation and different technologies c) Water infrastructure, distributed v. central, resilient systems, water reuse, aquifer storage and recovery d) Energy efficient/sustainable buildings: Green build/green design, LEED certification 4) Case studies on recent policy on urban infrastructure developments or redevelopments that illustrate the new models and focus on the key engineering related issues of transportation, energy, water, and buildings a) United States: The policy on centralized v. distributed water infrastructure b) Other international: Good and bad examples of infrastructure renovation