Course Description
A historical and thematic survey of the interrelationships between cities, urbanization, and nature. The perspective is that of socio-nature, which emphasizes the interactions between human activities and the environment at the scales of urban places, cities, and urban systems. Cities and urban systems cannot be understood without knowledge of non-human processes and systems, and nature cannot be understood without knowledge of urbanization processes and patterns.
Athena Title
Cities and Nature
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in GEOG 3633E
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
Cities are often thought of as the opposite of, and fundamentally detrimental to, “nature.” This course provides a survey of historical and thematic material from which students will understand the deep interrelationships between cities, urbanization, and nature. Students will need to understand the interactions between human activity as expressed in cities and the environment in order to engage present and future environmental issues – both problems and their possible policy solutions. Notions of green or sustainable cities and urbanization processes will be assessed. Students will need to understand the social, cultural, economic, political, and ethical drivers and outcomes of urbanization as embedded in urban systems and urban places in order to understand the city-nature dynamic. They will also need to understand the non-human processes and dynamics that occur within cities, and as affected by cities. The class will be organized around both a lecture/discussion and active formats. Students will be expected to participate in discussions, prepare written assignments, and work through theoretical, conceptual, and applied issues presented in lecture and readings.
Topical Outline
1) Introduction to the interrelationships between cities, urbanization, and nature a. Definitions b. Experiential assessments c. Big picture approaches (Chicago school, urban ecology, political ecology) 2) Cities and nature in historical geographic context a. Pre-industrial cities b. Industrial cities 3) Cities and nature in contemporary context a. Post-industrial and global cities b. Cities in the developing world 4) Unnatural hazards, vulnerabilities, and resilience: understanding the interactions of human activities and the environment at the scales of urban places, cities, and urban systems a. Fire b. Flood c. Earthquakes 5) City-nature themes a. Water b. Air c. Climate and weather d. Waste/garbage
Syllabus
Public CV