NICHOLAS SCHOOL OF THE ENVIRONMENT DUKE UNIVERSITY ENVIRON 590.37 Sustainable Cities and Urban Design Instructor: Anthony M. Sease, PE, RA, LEED-AP tony.sease@duke.edu Phone: 919.405.2000 - v1.0-24aug15 The Hammarby Model, Hammarby Sjöstad, Stockholm Overview This course addresses urban form and the design of cities in the context of increasing clarity in the linkages between patterns of human settlement and indicators of sustainability. Historical considerations inform our exploration, but those considerations are secondary to developing: 1) knowledge of influencing factors in urban design, 2) an understanding of the experiential aspects of urban form, and 3) familiarity with and an ability to critique contemporary planning and urban design practices. The intended benefits of the course are to develop a broad sense of forces that have influenced the making of cities, particularly forces that remain influential to today s practitioner, and to couple that understanding with a sense of design as an intentional act in advancing the sustainability of human settlements. Students should complete the course with 1) a high-level familiarity of generative forces in the shaping of human settlements especially in recent generations, 2) a fluency with precedents in urban design and analysis, and 3) an understanding of contemporary planning and design practices in sustainable urbanism. In its breadth, the course is a survey rather than an exhaustive study of any single component or characteristic of the built environment. Objectives of the course include: 1) Establishing an understanding of historical and contemporary forces and actors influencing built form; 2) Establishing an understanding of the relationship between built form and energy demand, including reference to contemporary measures of sustainability such as LEED-ND;
3) Introducing selected contemporary practices, policies and precedents in sustainable urbanism; 4) Introducing design as an intentional act in the shaping of urban form, with consideration of disciplinary boundaries and agency; 5) Establishing an understanding of scale and dimension, particularly relative to the act of inhabiting, building, or regulating place; 6) Equipping each student with the reflective and analytical capacity to consider one s own decisions with respect to the built environment. The course is generally organized into three concurrent parts: 1) establishing a general frame of reference for historical context and influencing factors, including discursive framing of sustainable urbanism; 2) consideration of specific urban components, design standards, and evolving best practices; and 3) case studies in contemporary urban design practice. Class Format Class sessions will be a combination of lecture, discussion, case studies, critique, and student presentations. Assigned reading materials form a basis for each session, but may or may not be directly referenced in the particular lecture. However, students are responsible for knowing the content of BOTH the required readings and the lectures and class discussion materials. Please note that regular attendance and participation in class is expected, and will contribute to your semester grade. Students participation will be assessed based on the quality, regularity, and appropriateness of questions and contributions to discussions. Logistics Class meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3:05-4:20 PM in LSRC Room A156. Announcements, assignments and many readings will be posted on the course Sakai site. Some sessions may be conducted in situ, through walks around campus and possibly in downtown Durham, with scheduling announcements made well in advance. Each student s class participation is essential in enriching discussions, both with direct course content as well as relevant personal experiences or observations. Texting, e-mail, web surfing, or performing other work during class are prohibited, in part as distractions to others; conducting such activities will impact one s course grade. Laptops are not allowed for use in class, unless specifically instructed otherwise for specific research or course purposes. Laptops for note taking inhibit one of the primary objectives of the course, that is, the enabling of students to establish a level of familiarity and comfort in documenting and reflecting graphically on experiential aspects of urban form. SKETCH NOTEBOOKS will be required in order to accommodate note taking, field observations, and reflections in sketches and in text. More about this requirement follows. Assignments Design is a participatory act, one facilitated through drawing. Design in this sense is also empirical, with the ability to document one s observations being a critical step in ascertaining the essential design qualities of a given condition. The Australian architect Glenn Murcutt describes drawing as an act of discovery. Assignments in the course include a graphic, visual component, and are structured to engage students in exercises observing and documenting urban form by reflecting on their on experiences in the built environment. Students will also be required to keep a sketch notebook for the course, where notations, sketches and other observations of urban form, particularly focusing on the experiential characteristics, should be recorded. It is strongly recommended that the sketch notebook and the student s course notes be one and the same, although this is not required. Keeping a single notebook for the course will facilitate the integration of observations made throughout the semester, including plans, field studies, lectures, and readings, and will be beneficial as the midterm exam is open notes, handwritten only. Please note that I do not typically post presentation slides, although if there are specific images or references you would like to have I am generally able to comply with such requests. Availability of Readings There is one required book for the course: Seven Rules for Sustainable Communities: Design Strategies for the Post-Carbon World by Patrick Condon, 2010. Three other books are highly recommended, each with different strengths I will describe in class: The Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time by Jeff Speck, 2013, Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design with Nature by Douglas Farr, 2008, and Sustainable Infrastructure: The Guide to Green Engineering and Design by S. Bry Sarte, 2010. 2
Readings other than the Condon book will generally be available for download from Sakai or as an electronic resource from the library. First class excepted, readings for each session should be done in advance of the respective class meeting. Additional recommended resources by date of publication include: o Tactical Urbanism: Short-term Action for Long-term Change, by Mike Lydon and Anthony Garcia, 2015 o How to Study Public Life, by Jan Gehl and Bridgett Svarre, 2013 o A Country of Cities: A Manifesto for an Urban America, by Vishaan Chakrabarti, 2013 o Green Cities of Europe: Global Lessons on Green Urbanism, by Timothy Beatley, 2012 o Green Metropolis: Why Living Smaller, Living Closer and Driving Less are the Keys to Sustainability, by David Owen, 2009 o Retrofitting Suburbia, by Ellen Dunham-Jones and June Williamson, 2009 Grading There will be a midterm exam but no final. The course grade will be calculated as followed: 5% Class participation, including contributions to class discussions and Q&A 25% Urban analysis exercises (3) - including in-class discussions 15% Group presentations - case studies at the city scale 15% Midterm exam (open notebook) 10% Individual student presentations, related to final paper topics 30% Final papers (6-12 pages, double-spaced - specifics subject to change) Duke Community Standard and the Nicholas School Honor Code Any student enrolled in the course also agrees to uphold the Duke Community Standard. All students are required to be familiar with and to act in accordance with information as described on the Nicholas School website at https://nicholas.duke.edu/advising/nicholas-school-honor-code. Plagiarism may result in a failing grade for the course. Policy on late submittals or missed assignments For all but the final paper, late submittals of assignments will be subjected to a full letter grade penalty if not submitted by the deadline, to a two-letter grade penalty if not submitted within 48 hours of the due date, and assigned a grade of zero if not submitted within one week of the deadline. For the final paper, no late submittals will be accepted. Missed presentations or in-class critiques will be subject to a grade penalty at the discretion of the instructor. Instructor Contact You are welcome to discuss with me lectures, readings, assignments or other matters related to the course. If you would like to meet in person, Tuesday and Thursday afternoons before class will generally be best. Please e-mail me for an appointment at tony.sease@duke.edu. 3
Course Schedule (Subject to revision) * Readings from the Companion to Urban Design are available electronically through the Duke library. 8/25 Introduction to Urban Form and Design * Randolph T. Hester and Marcia J. McNally, Intertwist and intertwine: Sustainability, meet urban design, in Banerjee, T. & Loukaitou-Sideris, eds., Companion to Urban Design (Routledge, 2011): 619-631. 8/27 The City and Its Elements PATHS The connective fabric as public realm EDGES Defining place NODES Forming the center DISTRICTS Forming the neighborhood LANDMARKS Image and identity Kevin Lynch, The Image of the City (MIT Press, 1960): "The Image of the Environment," 1-13; (Also, skim, noting the five key elements in "The City Image and Its Elements," 46-87.) Gorden Cullen, The Concise Townscape (Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1961): Introduction, 7-12. 9/1 The Case for Sustainable Urbanism The built environment today; compact, complete and connected communities Douglas Farr, Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design with Nature (Wiley, 2008): "The Built Environment: Where We Are Today," 18-39; "Sustainable Urbanism: Where We Need to Go, 40-61; "The Sustainable Corridor," p. 113. World, Chapter 1, Introduction, pp. 1-15. 9/3 LEED-ND (LEED for Neighborhood Development) Urban Analysis Assignment #1 Issued: Neighborhood Structure Introduction, starting with Neighborhood Development, Defined, pages xi-xx, LEED for Neighborhood Development 2009, U.S. Green Building Council, www.usgbc.org/leed/nd/ (excerpt included on Sakai) Also note point categories and relative weightings. 9/8 The Neighborhood Unit Ebenezer Howard, Clarence Perry, and the Neighborhood Unit Diagram; Peruse, especially the graphics: Ebenezer Howard, Garden Cities of To-Morrow (Faber, 1902): "The Town-Country Magnet," 50-57, "Social Cities," 138-147. Michael Southworth & Eran Ben-Joseph, Streets and the Shaping of Cities (McGraw-Hill, 1997): Streets for the Motorcar Age, starting with The Rise of Comprehensive Planning, 58-76. Clarence Perry, The Neighborhood Unit. In R. LeGates and F. Stout, eds., The City Reader (Routledge, 2011): 486-491, stopping at A neighborhood unit for an industrial section. Michael Southworth & Eran Ben-Joseph, Streets and the Shaping of Cities (McGraw-Hill, 1997): Streets for the Motorcar Age, starting with The Rise of Comprehensive Planning, 58-76. 4
9/10 20 th Century Development Forces 20 th century financing, design, and transportation standardization Robert Fishman, "The Post-War American Suburb: A New Form, A New City," in Daniel Schaffer, ed., Two Centuries of American Planning (Johns Hopkins U. Press, 1988): 265-278. Kenneth Jackson, Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States (Oxford University Press, 1985): "The Baby Boom and the Age of the Subdivision," 231-245. 9/15 Streets and the Form of Cities Streets and form, motoring and Moses, connectivity, sub-urban form, streets as public space Michael Southworth & Eran Ben-Joseph, Streets and the Shaping of Cities (McGraw-Hill, 1997): Introduction: Street Standards and the Built Environment, 1-8, Bureaucracy Takes Control, 77-96. World, Chapter 2, Restore the Streetcar City, pp. 17-38 9/17 ASSIGNMENT DUE: Urban Analysis #1, Neighborhood Structure - In-class critique 9/22 The Social Life of Small Urban Places FILM: William, Whyte, The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces (1988) Urban Analysis Assignment #2 Issued: Urban Space Gorden Cullen, The Concise Townscape (Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1961): Closure, 106-110. J. Gehl and B. Svarre, How to Study Public Life, (Island Press, 2013): "Who, What, Where? 9-20, and "Counting, Mapping, Tracking and Other Tools, 21-36 What Makes a Successful Place? Project for Public Spaces [website], http://www.pps.org/reference/grplacefeat/ 9/24 Walkability and the contemporary city: design, mobility, and the public realm Pedestrian science; spatial justice * John Rennie Short & Luis Mauricio Pinet-Peralta (2010): "No Accident: Traffic and Pedestrians in the Modern City", Mobilities, 5:1, 41-59 9/29 Group presentations I - Green cities * Timothy Beatley, ed., Green Cities of Europe: Global Lessons on Green Urbanism, (Island Press, 2012): Introduction: Why Study European Cities? 1-28, and chapter excerpts assigned by group 10/1 Group presentation II - Green Cities * Timothy Beatley, ed., Green Cities of Europe: Global Lessons on Green Urbanism, (Island Press, 2012): Introduction: Why Study European Cities? 1-28, and chapter excerpts assigned by group 10/6 Streets, Avenues and Boulevards Allen Jacobs, intersection design, role of the street tree Allen Jacobs, et. al., The Boulevard Book (MIT Press, 2002): 2-9. 5
* Elizabeth Macdonald, Streets and the public realm: emerging designs, in Banerjee, T. & Loukaitou-Sideris, eds., Companion to Urban Design (Routledge, 2011): 419-431. World, Chapter 3, Design an Interconnected Street System, pp. 39-65 10/8 Assignment Due: Urban Analysis #2, Urban Space - In-class critique 10/13 FALL BREAK - NO CLASS 10/15 Urban Transformations: Downtown Durham Tour Allan B. Jacobs, Looking at Cities, (Harvard, 1985): Starting to look, 1-13; Looking back, 133-141 Making Better Places: Ten City Design Resolutions, Jeff Speck, Planetizen, http://www.planetizen.com/node/138 J. Gehl and B. Svarre, How to Study Public Life, (Island Press, 2013): "How they did it: Research notes, 81-122 10/20 Form-Based Codes * [Rain Date for Durham Walking Tour] 10/22 Midterm Exam Daniel G. Parolek, et.al., Form-Based Codes: A Guide for Planners, Urban Designers, Municipalities, and Developers (Wiley, 2008): "Introduction," 3-14 Stephanos Polyzoides, The Time is Now, in Parolek, et.al., Form-Based Codes (Wiley, 2008): xiiixviii. Additional resources: * Emily Talen, Form-based codes vs. conventional zoning, in Banerjee, T. & Loukaitou- Sideris, eds., Companion to Urban Design (Routledge, 2011): 526-536 10/27 Landscape Urbanism vis-à-vis Nolli s Map of Rome Frederick Steiner, Design for a Vulnerable Planet, (University of Texas Press, 2011): "Making Territory: The Potential of Landscape Urbanism, 51-64 * Brenda Scheer, Metropolitan form and landscape urbanism, in Banerjee, T. & Loukaitou- Sideris, eds., Companion to Urban Design (Routledge, 2011): 611-618 10/29 21 st Century Development Trends: Water and urban design Video excerpts - Biological Capital S. Bry Sarté, Sustainable Infrastructure: The Guide to Green Engineering and Design (Wiley, 2010): "Achieving Water Balance," 66-74 Peruse the Hammarby Sjöstad website, especially the Hammarby Model http://www.hammarbysjostad.se/ 6
S. Bry Sarté, Sustainable Infrastructure: The Guide to Green Engineering and Design (Wiley, 2010): Gray Water as a Resource, 128-144 11/3 Water-Centric Infrastructure & Retrofits Case studies, possibly Co-op City, Battery Park City, Research Triangle Park World, Chapter 7, Create a Linked System of Natural Areas and Parks, pp. 111-128. Susan Fainstein, The Just City, Resurgence (1976-2001), pp. 93-100. World, Chapter 8, Invest in Lighter, Greener, Cheaper, Smarter Infrastructure, pp. 129-160. 11/5 Suburban Transformations/Transit Oriented Development Retrofitting suburbia, & video excerpts: Ellen Dunham-Jones Ellen Dunham-Jones and June Williamson, Retrofitting Suburbia (Wiley, 2009): Introduction, viiixiv; Instant Architecture, Instant Cities, and Incremental Metropolitanism, 2-14. Douglas Farr, Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design with Nature, "Explaining Density," pp. 103-105. * Stefanos Polyzoides, Notes on transit-oriented development, in Banerjee, T. & Loukaitou- Sideris, eds., Companion to Urban Design (Routledge, 2011): 644-653. World, Chapter 4, Locate Commercial Services, Frequent Transit, and Schools within a Fiveminute Walk pp. 67-78. World, Chapter 5, Locate Good Jobs Close to Affordable Homes, pp. 79-93. 11/10 Tactical Urbanism Readings TBD 11/12 Student Presentations 11/17 Student Presentations 11/19 Student Presentations 11/24 LAST CLASS SESSION: ASSIGNMENT DUE: Urban Analysis #3 - Urban Interventions - Pin-up/Critique Final papers are due no later than 7pm, Tuesday, December 8th, via submittal on Sakai under Assignments. Late submittals will not be accepted. 7