LDA 3: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT THEORY AND PRACTICE

Room: ONLINE due to COVID-19 Pandemic

Units: 4

Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays 9-10:20/Discussion sections between 8 and 3 on Fridays

Zoom Link: https://ucdavis.zoom.us/j/97413877631?pwd=SUF1S3RUbUVmWW1PS2FtMHBycDEwUT09

DESCRIPTION

This course introduces the concept of sustainable development with emphasis on applications in design, planning, and public policy. During the first three weeks we ask “what is sustainability and where did this discourse come from?” For the rest of the quarter we explore how this concept might be applied to topics such as land use planning, urban design, transportation planning, housing policy, energy systems, food systems, economic development, and international development. Throughout the course we use short exercises to practice identifying sustainable solutions to problems at different scales.

A main aim of the class is to help students develop sustainability skills. These include:

• the ability to think holistically and understand the context of a problem, including multiple points of view;
• the ability to identify alternative courses of action for long-term social and ecological betterment; and
• the ability to be proactive, engage with others, and take leadership.

Following a philosophy of “active learning,” LDA 3 combines short lectures with in-class sketch exercises, role plays, examples, discussions, videos, a walking tour of three different ecovillages (observed on video this year), and guest speakers. As a GE visual literacy course LDA 3 includes a number of graphic exercises, but no drawing experience is required. As a GE writing course LDA 3 emphasizes writing skills through a 10-page research paper. Through this paper you are able to explore a sustainability-related topic of your choosing. Plan to meet online with your TA or the instructor to discuss your topic as well as research and writing strategies. Initial section meetings and your Support Team will also help you develop the topic.

Some students are generalists in their approach to education, integrating knowledge from across many fields, while others are specialists, preferring to concentrate on a targeted area. This course is oriented mainly in the former direction, seeking to give students broad and holistic background useful for real-world problem-solving. We ask specialists to be patient and to practice these integrative skills. Sustainability professionals draw from both general and specialized knowledge, but the abilities to see contexts holistically, balance social and environmental goals, and identify alternative strategies for long-term social and ecological welfare are particularly important. These broad framing concepts will be emphasized here.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

-- Understand the origins of the sustainability concept, theoretical perspectives on it, and current applications

-- Improve ability to think critically and holistically about current issues

-- Improve ability to develop constructive solutions to real-world problems

-- Improve ability to engage with others and be productive leaders within a range of settings

-- Improve writing, research, graphic representation, oral presentation, and site design skills  

CLASS REQUIREMENTS

• Regular online attendance for lecture sessions and sections
• Complete assigned readings on-time (important for class discussions)
• Watch video of walking tour
• Individual Assignments: 1 design exercise, 1 10-page research paper (proposal, draft, and final due separately and graded separately. Yes, the draft has to be 10 pages like the final.)
• Support Team Assignments (teams of 5-6 post 3 short assignments graded as a team)
• Final Exam

 GRADING

10 percent – One-page research paper proposal

10 percent – Draft of 10-page research paper

20 percent – Final 10-page research paper

15 percent – Neighborhood design assignment

15 percent –Three Support Team assignments (Comments on each other’s research proposals; site analysis; reading review)

20 percent – Final Exam

 8 percent – Participation/effort

 2 percent – Team evaluation

The online version of the class has dropped the Midterm in favor of Support Team assignments. You’ll have a lot more interaction with your peers this way. The frequent guidance from your peers and TA should help you improve your work and earn the highest possible grade.

We are happy to accommodate students with disabilities in whatever ways are appropriate. Please email the instructor to make arrangements.

A comprehensive list of resources for students is at https://ebeler.faculty.ucdavis.edu/resources/faq-student-resources/. In particular, we highly recommend that students familiarize themselves with the Academic Assistance and Tutoring Centers on campus, especially its Writing Support Center, which can be very useful for the research paper in this class.

BONUS POINTS

This year there are two ways to earn bonus points:

-- Attend a city council meeting (any city; probably online) and write a 2-page double-spaced reflection on some aspect of the meeting. Alternately, you can attend an event or organizational meeting that you wouldn’t otherwise have gone to, and write it up in the same way. (2 points)

-- Present a sustainability example in 3 minutes to the class, identifying something new and different about this example, how it came about, and what it might mean for a sustainable future. Include an image or two if possible. This is an opportunity to practice presentation skills. Email the instructor with the proposed example first for feedback & a scheduled time. Can only be done once per student. Slots will probably fill up by the middle of the quarter. (2 points)

ONLINE ISSUES AND ETIQUETTE

We know that the online nature of this class may cause problems for some students. Please let the instructor know about particular challenges you face regarding technology and broadband access. We strongly encourage using a computer with a decent camera and mic rather than a smartphone for class activities. We will record classes, and links will be available in a Word document under the Files tab in Canvas. However, we very much encourage real-time participation since that allows you to participate in break-out group discussions, polls, chats, and exercises.

Just as with an in-person class, please be on-time. If you want to ask a question or make a comment during a lecture, use the Raise Hand feature in Zoom. Then feel free to speak up if the instructor doesn’t see this. Keep comments short so that others have a chance to speak. Listen carefully to what others say, rather than just thinking about your own comment or point of view.

PARTICIPATION

We want students to be actively engaged in the class, and 8 percent of the final grade is Participation. There are multiple ways to show active participation. Attending class and section meetings and contributing to discussions is one. We will also reward contributions to your Support Team, as reflected on the team evaluation, and effort and improvement during the quarter. Meeting with your TA or the instructor during office hours to talk about ways to improve your work (and then incorporating their suggestions!) is a final way to show effort.

SUPPORT TEAM ASSIGNMENTS AND LEADERSHIP

We will set up Support Teams of ~5 students early in the quarter, and these teams will complete three short assignments together, as well as being a resource for supporting one another throughout the quarter. The idea is for you to work together in your team to help everyone do well in this class. It will be up to you to arrange meetings and set groundrules for effective and respectful communication (do that at your first meeting!).

Actively participating in the teams will help you practice multiple forms of leadership. For example, each team member can reach out to other members either during meetings or separately, help them to get more actively involved, help facilitate group discussions, listen to others, suggest resources, help figure out improved forms of communication, clarify meeting times and who will submit each assignment, talk each other through academic or personal challenges, etc. In your communications, always be respectful and kind. Phrase feedback positively and constructively. At the end of the quarter all team members will evaluate each others’ contributions to the team. Those evaluations will be reflected in course participation grades. 

COURSE MATERIALS

There is no course materials fee for this class. The text is The Sustainable Urban Development Reader, Third Edition(Routledge, 2013), edited by Stephen M. Wheeler and Timothy Beatley. An electronic version is available from the UCD bookstore; many used copies should be available at the UCD bookstore or online. A few additional readings will be on Canvas under the Files tab. We won’t read every piece in the textbook, but do look at other chapters as well.

One or two short readings will usually be assigned for each class period. These are intended to give you insight into different perspectives related to sustainable development. Read the Editors’ Introduction as well as the text of each reading. Look for key concepts and phrases. Ask yourself questions such as:

• What are this author’s main themes/interests?
• In what historical context were they writing?
• Were they reacting to a particular tradition or situation?
• What is the style of their writing? What are the pros and cons of this style?
• What about their work is most useful to situations today?

OFFICE HOURS

Wed mornings 9-12 online. You can sign up at https://calendly.com/smwheeler/lda_classes. If you cannot make this time, email smwheeler@ucdavis.edu.

The teaching assistants for LDA 3 are:

NAME	SECTIONS	OFFICE HOURS
Gulnara Nabiyeva gnnabiyeva@ucdavis.edu	Fri 9 (Sec 8), 10 (2)	Thurs 11-1; https://us04web.zoom.us/j/4642250457?pwd=a05KamkycTFpVHlKVEVOa3F4WlE3UT09
Alex Raffanti alraffanti@ucdavis.edu	Fri 8 (Sec 5), 9 (1)	Tues 10:30-12:30; https://calendly.com/alexraffanti/office-hours
Sudikshya Bhandari sabhandari@ucdavis.edu	Fri 11 (3), 12 (4)	Thurs 11-1;  https://ucdavis.zoom.us/j/3341514473?pwd=MjZPVng1S3pybk43cU5mZmFsVHkyUT09
Sophie Barrowman sbarrowman@ucdavis.edu	F 10  (7), 11 (6)	Fri 12-2; https://calendly.com/sbarrowman/lda3-office-hours
Yuting Yin ytyin@ucdavis.edu	Fri 1:10 (9), https://ucdavis.zoom.us/j/94097093512 2:10 (10)  https://ucdavis.zoom.us/j/94026137663	Fri 3-5;  https://ucdavis.zoom.us/j/97819619861

Email them for other times if you can’t make those weekly office hours.

ACADEMIC HONESTY

In line with U.C. Davis policy, students are expected to maintain high standards of academic honesty. This means that all work that you present as your own must in fact have been done by you, and that all sources must be properly cited. In particular, do not copy material from websites unless for short quotes with citations. Also, do not copy graphics without citation unless they lack citation in the original. We will use plagiarism detectors when grading papers.

There are multiple ways to cite information. APA style is recommended for this course, as it is most common in the social sciences. A reference guide is available on the LDA 3 Canvas site and from https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. If you have questions about citation procedures or academic honesty, please ask the instructor or TAs. Academic dishonesty may lead to failing the course or other more serious measures.

NEWS/ANNOUNCEMENTS/EXAMPLES

In this course we try to link class material to real-world events. So at the beginning of each class we’ll have ~10 minutes to share announcements or current events related to sustainability. Please feel free to speak up during this time, but keep your announcement or comments brief. This year before some classes we’ll also include short Example Presentations by students or the instructor.

GRAPHIC EXERCISES

We will do some graphic exercises (quick drawings of various types) in class and section. No experience is needed. Assignments can be done by hand with markers and paper or with a simple graphic software package such as Google Draw (other suggestions are provided on an LDA 3 Graphic Tools document under the Files tab in Canvas). Please have 4-6 colored markers with broad (chisel) tips and some decent 8.5”x11” or larger paper available during class sessions. Often we will do a graphic exercise and then move into breakout sessions where you can show your work to others. We may also ask for volunteers to show your work to the whole class.

DIVERSITY, INCLUSION, AND POSITIONALITY STATEMENT

Although the instructor of this course is a white male, he has tried to include readings by authors from diverse gender and racial backgrounds, and seeks to emphasize social equity and justice topics throughout the course. He considers every student to be equal, and seeks to respond with respect to all. For many years he has pushed for a more diverse faculty and student body at U.C. Davis, and for improved social equity in American society.

All students are invited to participate equally. There is no such thing as a bad question or comment (unless it is one that disrespects or dominates your peers). Don’t worry about feeling shy or feeling like your point of view is less valuable because you’re not from a white, male, and/or American background, or have less experience than others. We want everyone to feel like they can participate equally in this class. 

CLASS SCHEDULE

	PART 1: “SUSTAINABILITY” AND THE SUSTAINABILITY DISCOURSE
Class 1 Tues 3/30	Course Introduction How do we define “sustainable development”? (class brainstorm) Sustainability skills Sustainability challenges and opportunities
Class 2 Thurs 4/1   Reading:	How can we understand different perspectives on sustainability? (lecture + videos) Exercise: Role play of different perspectives (Cape Wind) §  Introduction to Part 1 (pp. 8-10) §  Donella Meadows et al.: “Perspectives, Problems, and Models” (pp. 49-54)
Section #1	Form Support Teams and brainstorm research paper topics. What sustainability-related subject would be fun for you to research this quarter?
Class 3 Tues 4/6   Reading:	How can you write a great paper for this class? The Three E’s (1): Environmental roots of the sustainability discourse Exercise: Sketch design for a development site §  Ann Whiston Spirn, “City and Nature” (pp. 61-65) §  William Zinsser “Principles of Writing” (skim pp. 6-45; it’s easy reading)
Class 4 Thur 4/8   Reading:	The Three E’s (2): Economic perspectives on sustainability In-class debate: Is capitalism sustainable? Video: The example of Mondragon §  Herman Daly: “The Steady-State Economy” (pp. 55-60) §  William Zinsser, Part 2, “Methods” (pp. 49-91)
Section #2	Research Paper Topic Review: Support Teams review draft research paper proposals in section. Each team member should bring a draft to section with proposed paper title, research question, a paragraph on why this topic is important to sustainability, and expected findings (what are interesting/cutting edge implications?).
Class 5 Tues 4/13   Reading:	The Three E’s (3): Social equity and sustainability Videos: Camden NJ; e-waste in Africa Discussion: How has social inequity affected each of us? §  Robert Bullard: “People-of-Color Environmentalism” (pp. 235-241) §  Dolores Hayden: “Domesticating Urban Space” (pp. 242-247)
Class 6 Thurs 4/15 Reading:	A Fourth E: Ethical/Spiritual perspectives on sustainability Exercise analyzing an issue: Is desalinization a sustainable water solution for CA? § Aldo Leopold: “The Land Ethic” (pp. 24-33)
Section #3	RESEARCH PAPER PROPOSALS DUE THURS 4/15 11:59 PM Cognitive mapping of sustainability issues in a place you grew up. Have blank paper and broad-tip markers available.
Class 7 Tues 4/20 Reading:	What tools can help guide us toward sustainability? (The U.N. Sustainable Development Goals; Indicators; Ecological Footprints; Carbon Calculators, etc.) Exercise: Sustainability Indicators §  Review U.N. SDG website at https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/ §  M. Wackernagel & W. Rees, “What Is an Ecological Footprint?” (pp. 289-296) SUPPORT TEAM ASSIGNMENT #1 DUE 4/20 11:59 PM: FEEDBACK ON EACH OTHERS’ PAPER PROPOSALS
Class 8 Thur 4/22	Who can influence action towards sustainability? Guest Speaker: Gloria Partida, Mayor of Davis (invited)
Section #4	Development approval role-play
Class 9 Tues 4/27 Reading	PART 2: HOW CAN WE PUT SUSTAINABILITY GOALS INTO PRACTICE? Addressing structural racism/sexism/classism/homophobia/economic power Guest Speaker: Gulnara Nabiyeva – Sustainability, Segregation, and Diversity To be determined
Class 10 Thur 4/29 Reading	How can land be used more sustainably? Exercise: Plan a sustainable community Peter Calthorpe, “The Next American Metropolis” (pp. 119-129)
Section #5	Introduce neighborhood design assignment; site analysis discussion in groups
Class 11 Tues 5/4 Reading:	How can we get around more sustainably? Exercise to be determined §  Robert Cervero, “Transit and the Metropolis: Finding Harmony” (pp. 153-160) §  John Pucher, “Cycling for Everyone: Lessons from Europe” (pp. 168-178) TEAM ASSIGNMENT #2 DUE 5/4 11:59 PM: SITE ANALYSIS
Class 12 Thur 5/6 Reading:	How can we move toward more sustainable economies? Exercise to be determined §  Paul Hawken, “Natural Capitalism” (pp. 276-284) §  Mark Roseland, “Strengthening Local Economies” (pp. 293-303) DRAFT 10-PAGE PAPER DUE FRI 5/7 11:59 PM
Section #6	Site design exercise
Class 13 Tues 5/11 Reading:	How could we have more sustainable food systems? Guest Lecture: Alex Raffanti – Urban Farming and Food Accessibility Class Debate: Should GMOs be part of a sustainable future? §  Michael Pollan, “The Food Movement, Rising” (pp. 339-343)
Class 14 Thur 5/13 Reading:	How can buildings become more sustainable? Guest Speaker: Malia Curby (UCD Design & Construction Management) §      W. McDonough, “Design, Ecology, Ethics, and the Making of Things” (311-317) §      David Eisenberg & Peter Yost, “Sustainability and Building Codes” (323-327)
Section #7	NEIGHBORHOOD DESIGN ASSIGNMENT #3 PRESENTED IN SECTION + DUE ON CANVAS BY FRI 5/14 11:59 PM
Class 15 Tues 5/18  Reading:	How could we have more sustainable and affordable housing? Exercise: Design a sustainable housing unit §  Chapter 13 “Housing, Food, and Health” from Stephen M. Wheeler, Planning for Sustainability, Second Edition, pp. 174-183 (on Canvas) Draft papers returned via Canvas
Class 16 Thur 5/20   Reading:	How can we use materials and energy more sustainably? Guest Lecture: Sophie Barrowman – Food Waste & Composting Film: The Nature of Cities §  Herbert Girardet, “The Metabolism of Cities” (pp. 197-204) §  Lester Brown, “Harnessing Wind, Solar, and Geothermal Energy” (pp. 205-213) TEAM ASSIGNMENT 3: READING REVIEW DUE THURS 5/20 11:59 PM
Section #8	To be determined
Class 17 Tues 5/25 Reading:	How do we deal with climate change? Guest speaker or exercise to be announced §  Bill McKibben, “The End of Nature” (pp. 71-78) §  Stephen Pacala and Robert Socolow, “Stabilization Wedges” (pp. 93-100)
Class 18 Thurs 5/27 Reading:	How can sustainable development happen in societies internationally? Videos: Curitiba and other International Examples §  Jonas Rabinovitch and Josef Leitman, “Urban Planning in Curitiba” (pp. 410-421) §  Timothy Beatley, “Planning for Sustainability in Europe” (pp. 422-431)
Section #9	Final Exam Review
Class 19 Tues 6/1   Reading:	International Development (2) Guest Lecture: Yuting Yin – Ecovillages in China Guest Lecture: Sudikshya Bhandari – Cultural Sustainability and Nepal In-Class Exercise: International development strategies §  Janice E. Perlman with Molly O’Meara Sheehan, ““Fighting Poverty and Environmental Injustice in Cities” (pp. 248-260) §  Matteo, Marchisio. “China on Right Track to Getting Greener” (on Canvas) RESEARCH PAPERS DUE TUES 6/1 11:59 PM ON CANVAS
Class 20 Thurs 6/3 Reading:	What can we learn from ecological utopias? Review: What remaining questions do you have about sustainability? §  Ernest Callenbach, selections from Ecotopia (pp. 478-486) §  Ursula LeGuin, “Description of Abbenay” (pp. 487-490) §  Stephen M. Wheeler, “The View from the Twenty-Third Century” (pp. 491-494)
Mon 6/7 Tues 6/8	TEAM EVALUATIONS DUE 11:59 PM FINAL EXAM  3:30-5:30 PM