Transportation, Sustainable Buildings, Green Construction

This course is a part of Sustainable Cities, a 4-course Specialization series from Coursera.

This course will include the evaluation of best practices in parking strategies for sustainable cities. Some of the examples include downtown parking policy, understanding the high cost of free parking, the development of parking sheds, managing neighborhood parking, hiding parking lots and other parking strategies and practices. There will also be a case study of the Victoria Canada parking management approach that investigates problems with current work on parking planning and discusses the cost of parking facilities and potential savings from improved management. There will also be an introduction to the use of form-based codes for application to sustainable cities. A variety of building forms such as mid-rise and high-rise buildings, apartment houses, live/work buildings, single-family homes, and row houses will be assessed. A particular emphasis will be on vacant property strategies for equitable and healthy communities. Vacant property strategies for reclamation will be evaluated with an analysis of the revitalization cycle. Green building construction principles will be evaluated in consideration for natural light and ventilation, solar orientation, use of sustainable building materials, energy efficient design and on-site energy generation as well as other considerations. Building architectural design will leverage climate, construction materials, and the culture and history of the area. Architecture choices should have a consistent appearance within the community and provide residential privacy. Other considerations include protection and preservation of historic buildings, use of universal design concepts, careful placement of civic buildings and the appropriate use of subsidized housing. By the end of this course, you will be able to: 1. Survey and evaluate a variety of parking policies that support sustainable cities and environmental quality. 2. Compare different parking options such as parking sheds, neighborhood parking, parking lot access, permeable parking spaces, and a variety of ways to hide parking lots. 3. Describe the approach that the state of Minnesota used in developing a greenhouse gas reduction plan for their transportation sector. 4. Examine issues of implementing climate – friendly transportation pricing and the concept of “fix it first” transportation policy. 5. Evaluate the concept of form-based codes and their benefits for creating sustainable cities. 6. Assess smart green construction practices such as use of sustainable building materials, on site energy generation, proper solar orientation, and the use of green building standards. Target Audience • Government Officials involved planning, designing, monitoring, enforcement, and assessment of sustainable project developments at the local, state, and federal level. • Private sector companies in the transportation and municipal design and construction business • Architects interested in advancing sustainable concepts for cities and communities • Foundations, associations, and other NGOs that support smart growth strategies • Academic faculty and students studying and researching community sustainability and resilience • Private citizens interested in improving their communities and living conditions