Registration Eligibility
No Prerequisite Required
Start Date
09/25/2018
End Date
09/25/2018
Description
1) Green Infrastructure Investment and Health
Urban populations are becoming more focused on individual, family and community health. Many aspects of urban life can directly and indirectly impact human health, including housing quality, transportation access, air and water quality, noise, and access to green space. However there can be significant variability in these factors between neighborhoods, and recent research has shown that – especially within cities – an individual’s health can be projected based on which zip code they live in. It falls to planners and policy-makers to improve the quality of life within their cities, and to address inequities between urban neighborhoods. But with limited budgets, how can we choose which improvements to invest in to optimize benefits to our populations? And how can we quantify the health impacts associated with these proposed improvements? Through the concept of Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) – a metric developed by the World Health Organization to measure health burden in populations related to specific causes – we can describe in concise, commensurate, and easily understandable numbers what environmental stressors or improvements will mean for health, and provide key information to enable health-sustainable decisions on green infrastructure and resiliency projects. I will explain the concept, and walk through an example application.
2) Community Land Trusts: land ownership; stewardship, resilience, and evolving business models
The Bronx, NYC, faces a rapidly changing urban landscape and destabilization of established communities. 50 years ago, similar circumstances led to the social and economic collapse of the borough. Today, densification and gentrification pressures threaten existing community institutions, putting increasing stress on the City’s natural resources and resiliency efforts. These parallel pressures make the Bronx a useful case study, with lessons learned broadly applicable to urban neighborhoods across the country, as cities continue to embrace the 21st century knowledge economy. Community Land Trusts are one such tool, addressing disconnects between municipal governments and the private sector in tackling issues including regional planning, changing climates, growing populations, and evolving technology. Local governments don’t have the direct control or resources to develop land according to regional planning needs; private companies are bound by the economics of individual sites. A community land trust would mitigate these limitations – allowing governments to more effectively target their resources, individuals to have more direct control and involvement, and professional companies to realize greater business opportunities. This approach allows a community to collectively assess, plan, and negotiate to ensure development will be directed toward meeting the community’s aspirations and needs, respecting the values, scale, and character within; supporting community requirements for economic and environmental infrastructure and providing long term strategies for ongoing growth and resilience. This model prioritizes multi-purpose green space, organizing infrastructure services into newly developed living systems that improve longevity and functionality, while prioritizing community need.
3) Re-Envisioning A Post-Industrial City Through Urban Agriculture
Galvanized by a proposed and contentious livestock ordinance, residents of Brockton, Massachusetts, are looking to improve quality of life and landscape through urban agriculture. Brockton’s history of indust
Location
New York City, NY
Distance Learning
No
Course Equivalency
Yes
Subjects
Agriculture / Local Food Production
Health, Safety and Welfare
Yes
Hours
1.50
Learning Outcomes
1) • Policy development
• Investment guidance
• Economic tools
• Health impacts
2) • What is a Community Land Trust?
• How do Community Land Trusts impact green infrastructure development?
• How does the Community Land Trust model protect local resilience?
• Evolving business models: who is the client?
3) • Methods for city-wide agricultural analysis
• A framework for developing comprehensive urban agriculture policy
• Approaches to community outreach and engagement
• Methods for evaluating and integrating post-submission efforts
Instructors
1) Colleen Burgess - Ramboll2) Jeremy Stand - Stand Development and ConsultingPetr Stand - Stand Development and Consulting3) Andrew Kilduff - TK.designlabTim Tensen - TK.designlab
Course Codes
CA18S9
Provider
Green Roofs for Healthy Cities