Session 9/DL Colloquium/Spring 2006

Session 9: March 13 - 19March 15 - 2 5 - 21

Sense of Place IV 

"Building a sustainable society does not mean reverting to a primitive existence. The challenge is to find a new synthesis
that melds the wisdom of nature with human institutions and technologies and lifestyles".

~Daniel D. Chiras from "Lessons from Nature"

Field Trip 4, "Urban Sustainability" Field Trip

All across the nation, communities are becoming more involved in the effort to find this new synthesis (above quote). New Urbanism, Sustainable Cities, Smart Growth, Green Design--are just a few terms being used to describe the growing trend of developing sustainably that is being undertaken across the world. In another week our class will be visiting possibly one of the most "environmentally friendly" new developments in the U.S. if all goes as planned for Babcock Ranch. Besides 90% of the 91,361 acres ranch being preserved and parts restored, the new town will be built with green building design, renewable energy as part of it's energy supply, and pedestrian friendly neighborhoods so people will not have to be so dependent on cars.

As a member of the Colloquium class you have developed your own personal knowledge and experience base and most of you have committed to a major field of university study --- all of which shape how you experience either new or familiar places. For this week's field trip your task is to take a fresh look at a nearby urban space within the city or town nearest you through the "lens" of your degree program. In other words, if you are a business major, view the city through the eyes of a businessperson; a nursing major could take a look at health issues of the city; a biologist could study the importance of green spaces found in this urban place; a criminal justice major could study how people interact with the built environment. Although your "job titles" might be very different, for this field trip exercise, each of you share a common goal and that is to apply your growing understanding of sustainability to your field of study.

With that in mind, give me 3 suggestions of how you would make the city (town) you are visiting more sustainable. For example, if your city has a river flowing through it, is its water quality a health issue for the people living there? What, if anything, needs to be done to improve the quality. Or as a businessperson, will renovating the downtown business district and building more parking places help to keep people from moving to the suburbs and adding to the "suburban sprawl" problem of more strip malls, and building on green spaces outside of the city limits? A criminal justice major might make suggestions on how "prisoners" could use their energy to make the community more sustainable through various work programs they could be a part of. It would be best to examine the real issues of the city you visit and suggest what changes would be needed to work towards sustainability.

Remember to use your chosen degree program to formulate these suggestions. Please include in your summary:

• your degree program
• the name of the city (town) you visited
• a description of your experiences
• 3 suggestions to improve the quality of life in that city (based on your growing expertise in your field of study).

Field trip #4: Urban Sustainability is due March 27th.

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