Weekly reading assignments

Session 1: Introductions

• Read:
  1. Introductions; What is an interdisciplinary courses? Environmental Economics: what is sustainability? Why is sustainability critical to long term economic growth?Review research project and topic exploration

Session 2: Defining Sustainable Economic Growth  

• Read:
  1. Sardar M.N. Islam, Mohan Munasinghe, Matthew Clarke. Sardar, et al, Making Long term Growth More Sustainable Ecological Economics, Volume 47, Issues 2–3, 2003, pp. 149-153.
  2. Finding a sustainable model of economic growth fit for the future. The Guardian, Jan. 22, 2013

Session 3: Why is food security an economic and environmental issue?

• Read:
  1. Achieving Food Security in the Face of Climate Change from CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS).
  2. Robert Mendelsohn. EnvironmentalEconomics and Human Health. Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 110, No. 3 (Mar., 2002), pp. 118-119.
  3. Video: “How to Feed the World in 2050: Actions in a Changing Climate” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjtIl5B1zXI
  4. Food Deserts: A Global Crisis in New York City, Causes, Impacts and Solutions. A. Segal. Consilieance: The Journal of Sustainable Development, vol. 3 issue 1, (2010), pp. 197-214. http://cityte.ch/111
  5. Guest lecture: Prof. Amanda Almond, Psychology, Dept. of Social Science

Session 4: Why sustainable consumption ?

• Read:
  1. The Elephant in the boardroom
  2. Film: “The Story of Stuff” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GorqroigqM
  3. Complete the Global footprint exercise at: http://www.footprintcalculator.org/
  4. Assignment: in-class project on related questions posted on Open Lab

Session 5: Esri (ArcGis): Using maps to detail environmental problems

• Exploration of the evolving environmental and economic landscape of New York through maps using Arc Gis. Students will work in teams of 2 or 3 on specific projects.
• Open a free public account here: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/MapTour/index.html?appid=fbe4bfa78df64be19c30d1609b1583e8&edit
• Creating a story map: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/en/
•  (Include instructions and project details here)

Session 6: Greening the Urban Economy: Economic Benefits (online)

• Read:
  1. Rowe, D. Bradley. Green roofs as a means of pollution abatement. Environmental pollution 159.8-9 (2011): 2100-2110.
  2. Film: “Do Cities Need More Green Roofs?” – NPR https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlJoBhLnqko
  3. Erica Oberndorfer, et al. Green Roofs as Urban Ecosystems  BioScience, November 2007 / Vol. 57, No. 10 https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/57/10/823/232363 

Session 7: Midterm (online)

• The midterm will be completed online in Blackboard. You must sign in to the course site on Blackboard. https://ssologin.cuny.edu/cuny.html?resource_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbbhosted.cuny.edu%252Fwebapps%252Flogin%252Fnoportal(
• The midterm will be in the Content folder

Session 8: Group Presentations / Mapping Project

• Student presentations of their maps and summary of key information and findings from the project. (include link to directions for presentations/mapping project on the Mapping project page).
• .Guest Lecturer session 12: Prof. Diana Mincyte, Department of Social Science (Sociology)

Session 9: How can urban agriculture be a model for sustainable food production and natural resource use? 

• Read:
  1. Nathan McClintock,  Why Farm the City? Theorizing Urban Agriculture through a Lens of Metabolic Rift Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, Volume 3, Issue 2, 1 July 2010, Pages 191–207 http://cityte.ch/114
  2. “Urban Farming: Growing Food in NYC” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PUVlx0jqsI
  3. The Brooklyn Grange Rooftop Farm: https://ny.curbed.com/2017/7/19/15998808/brooklyn-grange-rooftop-farm-video-tour 

Session 10: Green GDP (online)

• Read:
  1. Moving Beyond GDP:How to factor natural capital into economic decision making: https://whygreeneconomy.org/information/moving-beyond-gdp-how-to-factor-natural-capital-into-economic-decision-making-waves/
  2. Voices: Greening the Gross Domestic Product: https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/voices-greening-gross-domestic-product

Session 11: How can sustainability be measured? (online)

• Read:
  1. What is an indicator of sustainability? Sustainable Measures (nd) http://www.sustainablemeasures.com/node/89

Session 12: Sustainable cities: Planning and re-design in emerging economies

• Read:
  1. Sustainable Cities Hubs of Innovation, Low Carbon Industrialization and Climate Action. United Nations Industrial Development Organization 2016). https://www.unido.org/sites/default/files/2016-10/sustainable_cities_brochure_0.pdf
  2. “The Urban Green” (short film): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o86Ut6kAEMQ
  3. Guest Lecturer session 13: Prof. Susan Phillip, Dept. of Hospitality Management; sustainable tourism

Session 13: Sustainable cities: Green infrastructure

• Read:
  1. Mahesh Ramanujam. Charting a path forward: Key factors in applying sustainability to infrastructure, Journal of Urban Regeneration and Renewal Vol. 11, 1, 8– 15.
  2. . Guest Lecturer session 13: Prof. Gulgun Bayaz Ozturk, Economics, Dept. of Social Science

Session 14: Final Exam

• The final exam will be completed in class.

Session 15: Final Presentations