Climate Resilience and Urban Sustainability from Coursera

Welcome to Climate Resilience and Urban Sustainability, the first course in the Building Sustainable Cities Specialization. By completing Climate Resilience and Urban Sustainability, you will gain the ability to apply a comprehensive toolkit of case studies to address urban resilience and sustainability. You will be empowered to create and advocate for policy, technological, and other changes aimed at improving these outcomes within their communities. You will also develop the skills to analyze and understand the origins, causes, and consequences of current sustainability and resilience challenges.

You will benefit from a deeper understanding of the challenges cities face today, particularly in the context of global climate change and social equity. The course provides insights into the history of land use and urban development in the United States, highlighting the rise of automobile dependence and the impact of fossil fuels. It also explores the policies and politics that contribute to unsustainable development patterns.

What makes this course unique is its focus on practical application. Through quizzes and real-world examples, you will engage with topics such as urban heat, flood risk, and climate costs, gaining the knowledge needed to identify and address these issues in your own community. The course also covers innovative planning frameworks like New Urbanism and Smart Growth, offering you a forward-thinking approach to urban development.

What's inside

Syllabus

Welcome to the Course

Welcome to the Climate Resilience and Urban Sustainability course. Get started by meeting the instructors, reviewing expectations for the specialization and course, and introducing yourself to the class.

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Explores the history of land use and urban development in the U.S., which provides a crucial foundation for understanding current urban challenges and future planning strategies

Examines the equity impacts of auto-dependence and single-family zoning, which is essential for creating inclusive and equitable urban environments and addressing environmental justice concerns

Covers innovative planning frameworks like New Urbanism and Smart Growth, offering a forward-thinking approach to urban development and sustainable land use practices

Requires learners to identify specific challenges within their own community, which allows for a practical application of the course material and promotes community-based solutions

Examines how changes in environmental law and policy have influenced land use and development patterns, which is important for understanding the regulatory context of sustainability initiatives

Reviews summary

Urban climate resilience fundamentals

According to learners, this course provides a positive, comprehensive overview of climate resilience and urban sustainability challenges. Students found the course content, covering topics like urban heat, flood risk, and climate costs, to be highly relevant to current global issues. The inclusion of historical context, US land use patterns, and modern planning frameworks like New Urbanism and Smart Growth was seen as valuable. While offering a solid foundation and using practical examples and quizzes to reinforce learning, some learners felt the depth might be limited as it is the first course in a specialization.

Provides a solid introduction for the specialization.

"A great starting point if you're new to the topic."

"Sets a good foundation for the rest of the courses in the specialization."

"It provides the necessary groundwork without going into extreme depth."

Case studies and quizzes help reinforce learning.

"The quizzes helped solidify my understanding of the concepts."

"Liked how they used case studies to illustrate points."

"Content was presented in an engaging way with practical examples."

Content is timely and applicable to current issues.

"The focus on real-world challenges like heat and flooding is highly relevant."

"Learned about issues directly impacting communities today."

"The material felt very timely and important given the current climate situation."

Broad coverage of key topics and history.

"Provides a really good, comprehensive overview of the challenges cities face."

"I appreciated how it covered both the historical context and modern solutions."

"This course touches upon all the essential aspects of urban resilience and sustainability."

Content leans heavily on US history/examples.

"Much of the historical context is specific to the United States."

"I wish there were more international case studies included."

"While useful, some sections felt less applicable outside of a US context."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Climate Resilience and Urban Sustainability with these activities:

Review Basic Climate Science

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Reinforce your understanding of the fundamental scientific principles underlying climate change to better grasp the course's focus on urban resilience and sustainability.

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Review the greenhouse effect.
Study the carbon cycle.
Understand climate feedback loops.

Review 'The High Cost of Free Parking'

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Understand the impact of parking policies on urban sustainability and development patterns, reinforcing the course's exploration of automobile dependence and its consequences.

View High Cost of Free Parking on Amazon

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Read key chapters on parking economics.
Analyze the impact of parking on urban sprawl.
Consider alternative parking policies.

Review 'Sustainable Urban Development Reader'

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Gain a broader understanding of sustainable urban development principles and practices to enhance your ability to apply case studies and advocate for policy changes.

View Planning for Sustainability on Amazon

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Read selected chapters focusing on resilience and equity.
Summarize key concepts from each chapter.
Relate the concepts to your own community.

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Create a Blog Post on Local Climate Challenges

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Solidify your understanding of local climate challenges by researching and writing a blog post that highlights specific issues and potential solutions in your community.

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Research local climate vulnerabilities.
Outline the blog post with key points.
Write and edit the blog post.
Share the post on social media.

Volunteer with a Local Sustainability Organization

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Gain practical experience and contribute to your community by volunteering with a local organization focused on sustainability, climate resilience, or urban planning.

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Identify local sustainability organizations.
Contact the organization and inquire about volunteer opportunities.
Participate in volunteer activities.
Reflect on your volunteer experience.

Design a Climate Resilience Plan for a Neighborhood

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Apply the course's concepts and tools by developing a comprehensive climate resilience plan for a specific neighborhood, addressing issues like urban heat, flood risk, and social equity.

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Select a neighborhood to focus on.
Assess the neighborhood's vulnerabilities.
Develop specific resilience strategies.
Present the plan in a report.

Create a Data Visualization of Climate Risks

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Develop your data analysis and communication skills by creating a data visualization that illustrates the climate risks facing a specific urban area.

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Gather relevant climate data.
Choose a suitable visualization tool.
Design and create the visualization.
Write a brief explanation of the visualization.

Career center

Learners who complete Climate Resilience and Urban Sustainability will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Sustainability Consultant

A Sustainability Consultant works with organizations to improve their environmental practices, and this course is directly relevant to that goal. Specifically, a consultant helps clients understand the origins, causes, and consequences of sustainability and resilience challenges, and this course empowers its learners to analyze, understand, and address these challenges. Learning about policies, urban planning, and equitable development, as this course provides, will help a sustainability consultant develop effective strategies for clients.

See salaries and explore the career path for Sustainability Consultant

Urban Planner

An Urban Planner shapes the physical environment of cities and towns, and this course helps build a foundation for this role. The course explores land use, urban development, and the impact of policies that drive unsustainable patterns, topics crucial to urban planning. Moreover, the course introduces planning frameworks such as New Urbanism and Smart Growth, enabling future urban planners to create environments that are resilient, sustainable, and equitable. Those seeking a career as an urban planner may find this course to be an excellent preparation.

See salaries and explore the career path for Urban Planner

Environmental Policy Analyst

An Environmental Policy Analyst evaluates the effectiveness of existing policies and recommends changes to improve environmental outcomes, and this course is directly applicable to this role. The course helps learners understand the links between policies, urban development, and environmental sustainability. The course helps a future policy analyst understand how to promote policy changes that improve resilience and sustainability within their communities. Someone interested in becoming an environmental policy analyst will find this course immensely practical.

See salaries and explore the career path for Environmental Policy Analyst

Resilience Officer

A Resilience Officer helps communities prepare for and recover from various shocks and stresses, including climate change related events. This course empowers its learners to analyze and understand the origins, causes, and consequences of current sustainability and resilience challenges, which is vital for a resilience officer. The course emphasizes practical application through quizzes and real-world examples, creating a rich learning experience relevant to a future resilience officer. A resilience officer should find this course incredibly helpful.

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Climate Change Analyst

A Climate Change Analyst studies scientific data and policy related to climate change and this course offers practical skills that are valuable for this role. The course allows learners to analyze the consequences of climate change while also learning about practical strategies for building sustainable and resilient urban environments. A climate change analyst will find the course useful for gaining a better understanding of the challenges cities face in the context of global climate change as well as various strategies for addressing them.

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Community Development Specialist

A Community Development Specialist works to improve the social and economic well-being of communities, and this course will help those in this position understand the importance of incorporating sustainability and resilience into community projects. The course provides insights into the history of land use and urban development and explores policies and politics that contribute to unsustainable development patterns. A community development specialist will find this course especially helpful in their efforts to create equitable and thriving communities.

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Sustainability Manager

A Sustainability Manager is responsible for developing and implementing sustainability initiatives within an organization, and this course may be useful for this role. A future sustainability manager will find the course helpful in gaining the knowledge needed to identify and address issues such as urban heat, flood risk, and climate costs, allowing for practical application in their work. The course also covers innovative planning frameworks which a sustainability manager might find helpful in their planning.

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Transportation Planner

A Transportation Planner focuses on infrastructure related to mass transit and roads, impacting sustainability and access within a city. This course may be useful to this planner by providing an understanding of the environmental consequences related to transportation. The course delves into the history of land use, the rise of the automobile, and the impact of fossil fuels, allowing someone in this role to identify opportunities for sustainable planning. A transportation planner may find this course particularly relevant.

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Environmental Educator

An Environmental Educator teaches the public about the environment and the importance of sustainability. This course may be useful for an educator who wishes to enhance their knowledge of resilience and urban sustainability. The course's focus on practical application with real-world examples and case studies will allow an educator to provide rich examples to their students. An environmental educator may find this course especially helpful for planning future lessons and programs.

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Public Health Advocate

A Public Health Advocate promotes policies and programs that improve community health, and this course may be useful for this role. The course covers topics such as urban heat and its impacts, along with equity considerations related to housing and infrastructure. A public health advocate will find that this course can help them understand the environmental factors that impact communities and aid them when advocating for improvements. A public health advocate may learn a lot from this course.

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Real Estate Developer

A Real Estate Developer plans, develops, and manages real estate projects, and this course may be helpful for one who wishes to do so while promoting sustainability. The course discusses land use policies and their impact, along with strategies for sustainable and equitable development. A real estate developer may benefit from learning how the built environment impacts communities and how sustainable practices can be integrated into their work. A real estate developer might find this course useful.

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Architect

An Architect designs buildings and other structures, and this course may be relevant for one who wishes to design sustainable and resilient structures. The course introduces frameworks like New Urbanism and Smart Growth, providing relevant strategies for designing for long-term sustainability. An architect will find this course useful to understand the impact of land use patterns and how their work can contribute to resilient communities. An architect may find this course to be valuable.

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Civil Engineer

A Civil Engineer designs and oversees construction projects, and this course may be useful for civil engineers looking to integrate sustainability into their work. The course explores the impact of urban sprawl and the built environment which can inform sustainable designs and construction decisions. A civil engineer will find that course helpful for understanding the broader implications of infrastructure projects. A civil engineer may find this course to be valuable.

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Government Relations Officer

A Government Relations Officer works to influence policy and regulations, and this course may be relevant for one who wishes to focus on sustainability and resilience. The course provides an understanding of the policies, politics, and other changes that help improve sustainability in communities. This understanding may inform an officer's engagement with policymakers. A government relations officer may find the course useful.

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Construction Manager

A Construction Manager plans and oversees building projects, and this course may be relevant for those who wish to focus on sustainable building practices. The course offers insights into urban development and land use, which can inform construction decisions. A construction manager may find this course useful for gaining a deeper understanding of sustainability. A construction manager may find this course helpful.

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Climate Resilience and Urban Sustainability

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What's inside

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Reviews summary

Urban climate resilience fundamentals

Activities

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