“Change Strategies for Sustainable Cities” Class Provides Recommendations for PlaNYC

*Reposted from the Sustainable Milano blog:

In the Spring 2014 semester, Professor John Clinton, founder of the Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management M.S. program, taught a one-time offering called “Change Strategies for Sustainable Cities”. In class, graduate students from Milano and Parsons engaged in discussions of what “sustainability” really means, what it looks like when cities take sustainability seriously, and how New York City can be more sustainable. The class encouraged collaboration between students, and sought to understand the many dimensions of shaping public policy. Guest lecturers from across the university joined the class to lend their expertise to the process.

Guest lecturers and topics included:

Brandon (Biko) Koenig, PhD Student at The New School for Social Research – Research Methods

Ricardo Gotla, Director of Public Engagement at Regional Plan Association, Milano alumnus – The role and influence of the New York League of Conservation Voters

Nevin Cohen, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies, The New School for Public Engagement – The power, role, and legality of various city “plans”

Timon McPhearson, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies, The New School for Public Engagement – The interplay of people and environment in urban ecologies

Jeff Smith, Assistant Professor of Politics and Advocacy, Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy – Navigating the political arena

Mary Watson, Executive Dean, The New School For Public Engagement – Implementing change through collaboration and identification of individual strengths

Students examined the 2013 Progress Report on PlaNYC and supporting documents in order to identify opportunities to strengthen the city’s efforts to be more sustainable and resilient. Over the course of the semester, each student translated class discussions and personal research into policy memoranda with the intent to engage Mayor Bill De Blasio’s administration with issues of sustainability, and connect the identified opportunities to promote sustainability with the Mayor’s goals for increasing social justice in the city.