Urban Planning 532:  Sustainable Development, Winter 2025 Assignments - DRAFT last updated Thursday, March 20, 2025 11:13 AM

Prof. Scott Campbell (home page) College of Architecture and Urban Planning University Of Michigan sdcamp@umich.edu (734) 763-2077

Students are expected to complete all the required readings before the scheduled class time, actively participate in class discussions and presentations, and prepare several written assignments over the semester.  Evaluation of your work will be based on substantive content, analytical rigor, and writing quality.  Be sure to follow appropriate citation guidelines in all your work. You are responsible to insuring that the use of all outside sources (articles, books, web pages, etc.) and any use of AI (e.g., ChatGPT) is explicitly and fully documented. Late assignments will result in point reductions.

There are five assignments to complete over the course of the semester. Some involve making brief class presentations. There is no exam.

Assignments	Date due	Format	individual or group task?*	in-class presentation?	Written version?	Points (out of 100)	How to upload
1. What can Ecotopian/Dystopian visions (from Science Fiction, Design, and elsewhere) tell us about Sustainable Futures?	Jan 28 - presentation Feb 2 - written version	1-2 slides + 1 page analysis/critique, single-space	individual	yes: add to google class file	one page analysis/critique (Feb 2) uploaded to Canvas	10	Jan 26: Please enter your selected example here on this google form.
2. Evaluation of a Sustainability Plan	Feb 13 -presentation Feb 16 - write-up	presentation + written analysis (1-2 pages, single-space)	individual (option: do as group of two, with correspondingly more in-depth analysis)	yes: add to google class file	uploaded to Canvas	15	Feb 5: Please enter your selected city name here on this google form. Feb 13: add presentation slides to google class file Feb 16: written analysis: Canvas
3. Measures of Sustainability	Feb 18 - presentation Mar 23 - write-up	presentation + written analysis (1-2 pages, single-space)	individual (option: do as group of two, with correspondingly more in-depth analysis)	yes: add to google class file	uploaded to Canvas	15	Feb 5: Please enter your selected city name here on this google form. Feb 18: add presentation slides to google class file Feb 23: written analysis: Canvas
4. Mini Case studies of the Connection between Land Use/Urban Form and Sustainability	Feb 27 - select your case study site Mar 13 - presentation Mar 23 - write-up	1-2 slides + 2-4 pages analysis/critique	individual (option: do as group of two, with correspondingly more in-depth analysis)	yes: add to google class file	uploaded to Canvas	15	Feb 27: write your case study location here to this google doc. Mar 11: presentation (one slide): add to google class file Mar 23: analysis/critique: Canvas
5.Group Project (this project has multiple steps)			ideal group size: 2 students (groups of 1 and 3 also an option)			[35 Total]
5a. Class develops a list of potential questions	Jan 30	text 2-4 pages					here is a google doc for you to propose questions.Please post potential questions BEFORE class on Thursday, Jan 30.
5b. Form Groups, and each Group selects a question	Mar 20
5c. Each group submits a one-page proposal/work plan detailing how they will answer the question (e.g., sources and methods). Here is an example of a proposal for a class project.	Mar 27	text: 1 page (longer if needed)			uploaded to Canvas AND to this shared google folder	5	Upload BOTH to Canvas AND to this shared google folder (so that members of your editing team can read your proposal)
5d. Groups submit a working draft of their project to their "editing" partner group	Apr 10	text: multiple pages (including sources, graphics, etc.)			shared with your editing group partner	5	Upload BOTH to Canvas AND to this shared google folder [link to be added] (so that members of your editing team can read your proposal) ALT: already post to the shared class google web page [but NOT yet publicly available]
5e. Each group provides written feedback to their editing partner group	Apr 13	oral (and optionally also written) feedback to your editing team.			shared with your editing group partner
5f. in-class Presentations	Apr 17			yes
5g. Final written version due	Apr 27				to be posted to the shared class google web page [to be made publicly available]	25
6. Last Class: Lessons learned TWO PARTS: slide + presentation; written version	Apr 22		individual	yes: 1-2 slides & presentation: add to google class file	1 page analysis/critique, single-space	10

Format and Style Guidelines (READ CAREFULLY):

1. Ecotopia/Dystopia (presentation Jan 28; text: Feb 2)

Select an example of a vision/description/depiction/design of an ecological utopia (ecotopia) or of an ecological dystopia.  Your example might be a film, a piece of literature (a novel, short story, graphic novel, science fiction, etc.), a speculative architectural design, a series of paintings or illustrations, etc.  [I look forward to a range of examples and formats. Do not worry if you coincidentally select the same example as another student -- the contrast in your interpretations will be interesting.]

Task: TWO PARTS -- (1) presentation and slide; (2) one-page analysis (uploaded to Canvas):

1. Create a slide of your image(s) and upload it to the add to google class file
[Note: if a film, you might either include some selected still images and/or a very brief movie clip. For a text, you might include some selected quotes, a book cover, and -- if relevant -- a few illustrations from the publication.] Be sure to include:

• your name
• if not obvious from the slide itself, the title of the piece of literature, movie, etc
• the sources of the image(s)

2. Write a one-page analysis/critique of your example and its vision of the future. [upload to Canvas by SUNDAY evening, Feb 2]
Here are a few (optional) questions you might consider in your critique:

• KEY: Can one deduce a specific conception of sustainability (or its absence)? (e.g., How are the sustainable or unsustainable elements of society and nature depicted?)
• What view about nature, society and/or the nature-society interaction is portrayed?
• What hopes and/or fears about the future are revealed?
• Does the issue of climate change arise?
• What antecedent ideas, art works, arguments or narratives seem to influence the way that the future is depicted?

(Note: depending on your example, not all of these questions may be relevant. For example, a science fiction novel may reveal more than a movie, which in turn might reveal more than a set of paintings or architectural designs.)

A few broader questions to consider:

• What are the reoccurring tropes of ecotopia? e.g., upbeat skyscrapers with vertical gardens; new urbanist streets; geodesic domes; community gardens; Automated cars; wind turbines?
• And the leitmotifs of ecological dystopias? e.g., water shortages and tribal violence (e.g. Mad Max Fury Road); acid rain; retreat to underground living; barren landscapes; scrapheaps (Wall-E); etc.
• How does sci-fi either mirror or shape how we envision sustainability?
• How do our current visualizations of sustainable futures either constrain or bias our visions?
• How has the rise of climate change transformed our ecotopian and dystopian visions?
• What optimistic (or bleak) visions about societal resilience (our contemporary trait of choice) do these portrayals have, and what do they reveal about our views of human nature, democracy, and civil society?
• What assumptions about progress (social, technological, political, economic) do these visions reveal?
• Do ecological utopias/dystopias represent a distinctively different type of vision of the future (with different values, ideologies and assumptions), or are they simply a variation of the larger genre of science fiction/futurism?
• Do examples of this genre neatly fall into either the ecotopian category or the dystopian category, or are there examples that ambivalently show both tendencies?
• On balance, are more of these future visions optimistic or bleak?
• What is the conception of "nature," and what is included? For example, is nature defined by unsettled landscapes/wilderness beyond the city limits? Is nature intertwined with urbanization? Is human biology (including reproduction) an extension of nature? etc.

Outside readings: I am beginning to assemble a list of readings on this wide-ranging topic. (Thanks to Annette S. Koh, Lily Baum Pollans and Kian Goh for ideas and suggestions.)

• Haraway, D. J. a. (2016). Staying with the trouble : making kin in the Chthulucene: Durham : Duke University Press. ("The Camille Stories," Ch 8)
• Yusoff, K., & Gabrys, J. (2011). Climate change and the imagination. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 2(4), 516-534. doi:10.1002/wcc.117
• Davies, W. (Ed.) (2018). Economic science fictions. London: : Goldsmiths Press.
• see also the main syllabus page

A few observations about ecotopias and dystopias:

• One may think of more examples of dystopias than utopias.  Is this because we live in pessimistic times, or because dystopias are more exciting/engaging than utopias?  (Just as many would say that Dante’s Inferno is a more exciting read than the tedious Paradiso.)
• Dystopias frequently show scarcity, primarily of water (but also sometimes food, land, energy)
• Utopias feature gardens and forests (and often skyscrapers with vertical gardens and floating green islands); dystopias feature deserts or barren post-apocalyptic landscapes (contrasting the easy abundance vs. harsh scarcity contrast)
• Signs of hope amidst the despair sometimes show themes of redemption, resilience, resistance
• common theme:  the breakdown of civil society and/or the rise of authoritarian regimes, often with a harsh social hierarchy (e.g., elites and marginalized)
• The competition and control of resources drives social conflict, and ruling elites exploit resource scarcity for social intimidation and control.
• Often some crisis (war, environmental crisis, etc.) triggers the shift into a radically different future
• Eugenics and/or crises in reproductive health sometimes feature prominently, linked to environmental pollution
• Overpopulation also a theme in some examples (Malthusian or otherwise)
• Environmental and/or climate refugees (in various forms)
• In some instances, (post)colonial theory might be useful to critique these visions of the future.
• A common narrative strategy is to juxtapose a dystopian world to an alternative, ideal utopian green world. Is this to show us the possibility of creating a better world, or instead highlights the failings and inability of our society to heal ourselves?
  

2. Evaluation of a Sustainability Plan (presentation: Feb 13; written version, Feb 16)

Task:

1. Select a case study, either a city or region in the US or elsewhere that has published a sustainability plan.
   Please enter your selected city name here on this google form.
2. Feb 13: Prepare a short presentation (2-3 minutes) for  class on Feb 21.  Given the brief time, focus on the most interesting aspects of your case study.  If you choose to use one or more slides for your presentation, please add to google class file
3. Feb 16: Write a concise (length: ca. 1-2 pages, single-space) evaluation/critique of this plan.  Possible questions to address (where appropriate) include: How is sustainability defined? How are broader sustainability goals linked to specific tasks and local policies? What common themes, strategies and priorities emerge? How effective do you think this plan is? Is sustainability addressed in a separate, stand-alone plan or incorporated into the city's comprehensive (i.e., master or general) plan? How are related issues of climate change and resilience addressed (if at all)? Does the plan have clear implementation and enforcement mechanisms? [upload to Canvas]

UPDATE:  Several of you have asked whether it’s ok to use a “climate action plan,” a “resilience plan,” etc. (rather than a plan with the term “sustainability” in the formal title).  YES, that is fine.  (And it will be interesting to listen to see if these different labels reflect substantive differences in the plans’ content and approaches.)

Note: Here is a list of ways that cities might take different approaches to planning for sustainability. No need to address all of these points in your write-up, but some of these questions might be relevant.

1. Does the city have a separate, stand-alone “sustainability plan” or is it integrated into other documents (such as the long-standing comprehensive/master/general plan)? Or a climate action plan? (Think about the pros and cons of having one integrated, omnibus plan versus having separate plans: a Comprehensive Plan, a sustainability plan, a resilience plan, a Climate Action Plan, etc.).
2. Does the plan define sustainability?  If so, how?
3. How is “sustainability” used?  Is it an explicit, measurable goal; a broader organizing principle; or more implied?
4. Does the plan focus on process or outcomes?  (and the plan’s sense of time, from short-term to long-term)
5. Does the plan call for a radical break with the past or a modest reform/redirection?  (e.g., Is sustainability presented as something new — “time for a course correction!”  Or instead does the plan reassure local citizens that “we have been doing this all along…”)
6. Does the plan address head-on the potential conflicts (e.g., over land use, resource use, budgets, transportation priorities) within sustainability, or instead does the plan emphasize sustainability as a way to rise above current conflicts?
7. Is global climate change mentioned?  If so, how?  
8. Is the vision of sustainability customized/tailored/adapted for local conditions, or does the plan instead offer a rather generic vision of sustainability?   For example, does the plan both take advantage of existing local natural resources to make the citizens take ownership of it (Cleveland’s Green city on a blue lake; or Mpls’s link to current pride of place; or Union PA’s sense of sustainability and small town living) and also address locally-specific challenges (e.g., water shortage in arid towns, or sea level rise in Florida, etc.)?
9. Does the plan link sustainability to social justice/diversity?
10. How does the plan engage the compact cities debate?  Does the plan assume that compact cities (including ideas from new urbanism, transit-oriented development, etc.) are the path towards sustainability?

3. Measures of Sustainability (presentation: Feb 18; written version, Feb 23)

Task:

1. Select a case study, either a city or region in the US or elsewhere that has (a) made a substantive effort to measure local sustainability and (b) has sufficient documentation of this effort for you to evaluate. [Note: you may choose to use the same city from your sustainability plan evaluation, though you could also choose another example if you wish.]
   Please enter your selected city name here on this google form.
2. Feb 18: Prepare a short presentation (2-3 minutes) for  class on Feb 18.  Given the brief time, focus on the most interesting aspects of your case study.  If you choose to us one or more slides for your presentation, please add them on this google form.
3. Feb 23: Write a concise (length: ca. 1-2 pages, single-space) evaluation/critique of these measurement efforts.  Possible questions to address (where appropriate) include  : what measures are used? how measured? what is the unit of analysis? Are these measures merely a guideline, or are targets/limits enforced through regulatory action, fines, etc.? [upload to Canvas by Feb 23]

Here are some further comments about this assignment (and possible questions to consider):

• Plans typically outline general goals and more specific objectives, and also strategies of implementation (see Assignment 3). But how will the city know that it is making progress towards meeting these goals and objectives? Does the city document what measures they will use and how they will collect information? (Some do and some don't.)
• Imagine that you have been hired (either as a city employee or outside contractor) to come in and determine how well (or poorly) the city is making progress towards achieving their sustainability (and/or climate) goals. Does the city appear to collect and publish this information? (Some might even have a "sustainability dashboard.") Do they present a detailed set of numbers for each aspect of sustainability (e.g., CO2 emissions, air pollution, water pollution, solid waste, etc.) or do they present a single, aggregated "sustainability index"?
• How well do they translate/convert broad concepts into specific, tangible measures? (e.g., "clean river waters" into specific measures of water quality; "promote a greener city with rich landscaping and tree canopies" into specific measures of urban tree cover , etc.).
• Do they count direct measures of a more sustainable city (e.g., reduced CO2 emissions) or indirect measures (e.g., higher pedestrian counts, reduced VMT, percent of energy from renewable sources, etc.)?
• Do they include a wide range of sustainability aspects (water, air, transportation, building materials, energy, etc.) or do they just focus on a narrow set of issues?
• How transparent is the data process? Do they present the data in a clear, visually effective way? Do they put the data in useful context (e.g., data over time; comparisons to other cities or the nation as a whole; etc.)
• My assumption is that most of your case study cities have a mix of effective and not-so-effective measures, so you might comment on both the strengths and shortcomings.
• Overall, do they do a good job of effectively collecting and presenting data? Does this data capture the key elements of sustainability? Do you think this information will be effective in their efforts to move towards a more sustainable city?

4. Mini case study on the urban form/sustainability connection (presentation: Mar 13; write-up: Mar 23)

Task: Each student will give a brief 2-3 minute presentation of a mini case study that explores the relationship between land use/urban form and environmental consequences. This assignment builds on the readings from Feb 20 - 27.

Case study selection/unit of analysis: you are to choose a city, region, neighborhood or block that allows you to explore an example of how urban form (e.g., density, land use types, design, street layouts, size, landscaping, relationship between buildings and nature, etc.) influences environmental impacts (e.g., emissions, impervious surfaces and water resources, resource use, VMT, HVAC energy use, etc.). You might instead select a specific site project (e.g., a new development that is designed or promoted -- accurately or otherwise -- as sustainable (or "green", or "carbon-neutral" or "eco-friendly", etc.). Or you could go the opposite direction, and examine an urban form that you think is unusually UNsustainable, and explore if this is the case and why (e.g., a sprawling Sunbelt city, etc.)
Be sure to select your case study by Feb 27 and write your case study location here (google doc).

Format:
(a) Mar 13 presentation (depending on class size, ca. 2-3 minutes, plus one or several slides) - add your slides to google class file
(b) Mar 23 written analysis (uploaded to Canvas )

Each written analysis should include the following elements if relevant (though you do have discretion about the focus and sequence of the parts of your analysis):

• the name of the site, location or project
• its geographic context/location (include a simple map if useful)
• if a specific project (e.g., a new development), some basic details: e.g., the year proposed or constructed, its size, architect, client, residents or tenants, etc. Include a site plan or diagram if useful.
• the central question of your case study analysis. a few examples: "City x has the reputation of being a "green" city. What is the source of this reputation, and is it supported by practices and outcomes on the ground?"; "Developer A is proposing a large new multi-use live/work project along New Urbanist principles. I investigate the project's various design and land use elements to see where environmental benefits might arise."; "City z has implemented a non-motorized transportation plan to encourage walking and bicycling. Is the plan working, and does it work for all residents of the city, or primarily the young, affluent and white?"; "Houston has the reputation of being a low-density, unzoned, highly air-conditioned and thus unsustainable urban settlement form. Is it really any worse environmentally than, say, New York City?" etc. [Note: that question about Houston vs. New York City is likely too ambitious for this short assignment, but perhaps there would be a way to look at a specific, bite-sized aspect of this question.]
• the specific focus of your project. Are you primarily looking at energy use, water use, land use, carbon balance, vehicle emissions, environmental justice/injustice, green infrastructure, recycling, public transit, renewable energy, etc.?
• suggested page length: 2-4 pages. Single-spaced ok. Feel free to find the format that works best for you: e.g., single- or multiple-text columns; the use of text, maps, graphics, plans, images, data tables; organization.

Working alone or in groups?
Individual (option: do as group of two, with correspondingly more in-depth analysis)

Advice:

• This assignment is modest-sized and exploratory, so to make it manageable, you might strategically focus on a specific characteristic or aspect of the built environment.
• Note: Be sure to explicitly focus on the links between sustainability and urban form. (One can think of many different ways that human behavior, technologies, and policies take us either closer or further away from sustainability. For this assignment, focus specifically on the ways that we shape our built environments, design our cities and suburbs, develop transportation networks, etc. -- as opposed to, say, how we use/recycle/dispose of materials, what we eat, produce energy, etc.)
• Concisely provide context: the location/geography; the timeframe (likely contemporary, but a historical case is also welcome); the important characteristics of the location's urban form/land use; the specific environmental impacts/measures you examine; etc.
• Since this analysis examines urban form, you may find it useful to include visuals (such as a map, diagrams, plans, designs, photos, etc.)
• Be explicit in your write-up about what information/analysis/interpretations are your own and what are from outside sources (e.g., third-party evaluations). And of course, cite all sources.

5. Group Project:

We develop, early on in the course, a set of foundational but answerable questions regarding urban sustainability that the class wants answered. (These questions should be challenging and not have a simple, readily available answer. But they should be sufficiently specific and concrete that you can provide a tangible, defensible answer by April.)

• Students form groups (ideally of 2 students; 1 or 3 also an option) and each group selects a question to research over the course of the semester.
• The final product: a concise answer to the question, with well-documented evidence, data, sources, methods, examples.
• Format: a publicly available web page, to serve as a public resource.

• 5a. Class develops a list of potential questions ->here is a google doc for you to propose questions. Please post potential questions BEFORE class on Thursday, Jan 30.	Jan 30
  5b. Form Groups, and each Group selects a question (we will finalize the list of questions in class Feb 6)	Mar 20
  5c. Each group submits a one-page proposal/work plan detailing how they will answer the question (e.g., sources and methods). Here is an example of a proposal for a class project. upload BOTH to Canvas AND to this shared google folder (so your editing groups can access it)	Mar 27
  5d. Groups submit a working draft of their project to their "editing" partner group	Apr 10
  5e. Each group provides written feedback to their editing partner group	Apr 13
  5f. in-class Presentations	Apr 17
  5g. Final written version due	Apr 27

More detailed instructions for each step to be provided.

6. Last Class: Lessons learned (Apr 22)

This last session will provide an opportunity to link common themes from the class sessions and develop a set of principles for sustainable urbanism.

TASK: Each student is to prepare a concise, insightful distillation of lessons / principles about sustainable urbanism/planning for sustainability. You are to prepare several items:

This task has TWO PARTS:
(a) a brief (2) minute oral presentation that concisely highlights your central points. Include a slide to be shared with the class on this google class file. [link to be added]
[NOTE:  one slide will do, but if you find it easier to present your materials on two slides, that is also an option.] Consider various formats, including diagrams, maps, tables, illustrations, a numbered list. Use supplementary text where appropriate to elaborate specific ideas/points.

(b) A one-page (single-spaced) narrative that concisely explores these ideas. Note: Format is flexible. You could write a text narrative alone, or combine with graphics, conceptual maps, etc. [to be uploaded to Canvas]