Professor: Michael E. Chang
http://cure.eas.gatech.edu/eas2420/syllabus.html
Course Objective: To discern that metropolitan areas are comprised of complex and inter-dependent human, built, and natural systems; to learn to develop meaningful measures, collect and analyze data, and communicate findings that characterize these systems, their inter-relationships, and their impact on the environment; and to explore the mechanisms that may be used to effect change in these systems.
Course Design: Through in-class discussions, assigned reading, quantitative examples and exercises, and guest lectures students will explore the components of each of the primary natural and man-made systems that service a city and seek meaningful metrics to quantify their impacts. Students will be asked to draw on familiar experiences, examples, and current events afforded by the proximity of metropolitan Atlanta. Over the semester, student teams will propose one "indicator" and be assigned one indicator for which they will collect, analyze, and summarize data to contribute to a final class report on "The State of Atlanta, 2003."
Syllabus:
Week 1
Jan. 7 - Classes Begin; Introduction: The Earth, humans, and the rise of cities
Read:
1) "Ruins Alter Ideas of How Civilization Spread," New York Times, 5/23/2000 (online);
2) "Tale of Three Cities," National Geographic, August 1999 (handout);
3) "Census: Metro Atlanta No. 4 in growth; In '90s, U.S. had largest population increase in history," Atlanta Journal & Constitution, 4/3/01 (online)
Homework: complete the Ecological Footprint quiz (online, due Jan. 9)
Jan. 9 - Why cities? Urban Metaphysics: Economic, Social, Cultural
Read:
1) "Chapter 2: Unnatural Aggregations and Natural Perceptions;"
The Crisis of AmericaÕs Cities (handout);
2) Atlanta Journal Ð Constitution, Monday Jan. 13 Horizon Section (online).
Week 2
Jan. 14 - Measuring Metabolism: The State of You, January 16-22, 2003
Homework: Personal monitoring (due Jan. 23)
Browse: City and State Indicators (online)
Jan. 16 - Urban Metabolism: Air, Food, Water, Energy, Waste, Transportation, Buildings, Land Use, People
Read: AJC Monday Jan. 20 Horizon (online)
Browse: City and State Indicators (online)
Week 3
Jan. 21 - Measuring Metabolism: The State of Atlanta, 2003
Homework:
1) team meetings (report, due Jan. 30)
2) gather historical census data (spreadsheet, due Jan. 28)
Jan. 23 - The Urban System: Humans, the things we build and use, and nature
Read: AJC Monday Jan. 27 Horizon (online)
Week 4
Jan. 28 - Introduction to Models (the mathematical kind!)
Homework: build a population model for Atlanta, 1950-2000 (due Feb. 6)
Jan. 30 - Validating Models
Read:
1) "If you have no definition of smart growth, take your pick," AJC, 8/30/99 (online)
2) AJC Monday Feb. 3 Horizon (online)
Homework: validate your population model using census data (due Feb. 6)
Week 5
Feb. 4 - Sustainability: What is it? and You and the Categorical Imperative (The State of You revisited)
Read: "Chapter 4: The Laws of the Fifth Discipline," The Fifth Discipline, P.M. Senge (handout)
Feb. 6 - Systems Thinking: rules of thumb
Read: AJC Monday Feb. 10 Horizon (online)
Homework:
1) Examples of systems thinking (due Feb. 11)
2) Team meetings Ð what are you going to do? (report due Feb. 18)
Week 6
Feb. 11 - Testing the sensitivity of models and using them to predict outcomes
Read: "Chapter 5: A Shift of Mind,: The Fifth Discipline, P.M. Senge (handout)
Homework: Predict AtlantaÕs future population 2000-2050 (due Feb. 18)
Feb. 13 - Understanding Systems: turning lines into circles
Read: AJC Monday Feb. 17 Horizon (online)
Week 7
Feb. 18 - Understanding Systems continued
Homework: Diagramming simple and complex systems (due Feb. 20)
Feb. 20 - You, the Categorical Imperative, and the State of Atlanta, 2003
Read:
1) "My Opinion: Sometimes congestion worsens more with roads," J. Bookman, AJC, 10/18/99 (online)
2) AJC Monday Feb. 24 Horizon (online)
Homework: Use your population model and class data to estimate metro impacts past, present, and future (due Feb. 27)
Week 8
Feb. 25 - Examples of applied urban systems thinking
Homework: Unintended consequences - diagram the Bookman scenarios and complete the calculations (due Feb. 27)
Feb. 27 - The State of Atlanta, 2003
Week 9
Mar. 11 - Adding Complexity to the Simple Urban Model: Water, Energy, Transportation, and Emissions
Homework: add water use, water resources, energy use, energy emissions, lane miles, vehicle miles of travel, traffic congestion, fuel use, and transportation emissions to your population model. First draft due 3/27, final draft due 4/3.
Mar. 13 - Adding Complexity to the Simple Urban Model: Water, Energy, Transportation, and Emissions continued
Read: AJC Monday Mar. 17 Horizon
Week 10
Mar. 18 - How is Public Health Measured? Guest Lecture: Mr. Rick Peltier (School of EAS, Georgia Tech).
Read: Chapter 1: "The Next Industrial Revolution;" Natural Capitalism, P. Hawken, A. Lovins, and H. Lovins.
Mar. 20 - Healthy Economies. Guest Lecture: Professor Doug Noonan (School of Public Policy, Georgia Tech)
Read:
1) Chapter 14: "Human Capitalism," Natural Capitalism, P. Hawken, A. Lovins, and H. Lovins
2) AJC Monday Mar. 24 Horizon
Week 11
Mar. 25 - Adding Complexity to the Simple Urban Model: Water, Energy, Transportation, and Emissions Ð Problem session.
Mar. 27 - Measuring things that matter: human capital, financial capital, manufactured capital, and natural capital
Read:
1) "Places to Intervene in a System," D.H. Meadows, Whole Earth, Winter 1997
2) AJC Monday Mar. 31 Horizon
Week 12
Apr. 1 - Changing Outcomes: Places to Intervene in a System
Homework: Provide examples for numbers 10 through 2 (due April 8).
Apr. 3 - State of Atlanta, 2003 Ð Data, Models, Reports, and Presentations
Read: AJC Monday Apr. 7 Horizon
Week 13
Apr. 8 - Making change happen on the urban and regional scale. Creating Models for Change (in class group exercise): Dr. Gail Cowie and Ms. Jan Coyne, the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, UGA.
Apr. 10 - Making change happen on the urban and regional scale. Creating Models for Change (in class group exercise continued): Dr. Gail Cowie and Ms. Jan Coyne, the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, UGA.
Read:
1) AJC Monday Apr. 14 Horizon
20 "The Tragedy of the Commons," Science, G. Hardin
Week 14
Apr. 15 - Buyers, Sellers, Winners and Losers
Apr. 17 - Sustainable Communities. Guest Lecture: Mr. Ron Orr, The Town of New Manchester
Read: AJC Monday Apr. 21 Horizon
Week 15
Apr. 22- State of Atlanta, 2003 Project Workshop.
Apr. 24 - Last Day of Class; State of Atlanta Project Workshop continued.
Finals Week
Apr. 28 - 8:00-10:50 (Monday), Final Project Due, team presentations (20 minutes each)