J Environ Stud Sci DOI 10.1007/s13412-014-0202-z
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Integration of interdisciplinary environmental and sustainability education and research and urban sustainability Shirley Vincent & Katelyn Dutton
# AESS 2014
Abstract This article explores the results of the National Council for Science and the Environment’s 2012 census of interdisciplinary environmental and sustainability (IES) baccalaureate and graduate degree programs and the 2014 census of IES institutes and centers (IESICs) at research universities to identify how urban studies and IES education and research are being integrated in the US. The number of degree programs that explicitly integrate IES and urban studies is small, but nevertheless makes up about 3 % of all IES degrees, fairly evenly split between undergraduate and graduate degrees. These programs outnumber degree programs in urban and community planning and the built environment/architecture with formal sustainability specializations, most of which are master’s programs. The number of IES institutes and centers focused explicitly on integrating IES, and urban studies also comprise about 3 % of all IESICs at US research universities. These institutes and centers are engaged in major research and partnership efforts to support urban sustainability planning and policy and solution development and implementation. The development of academic programs that integrate environment, sustainability, and urban studies and the enhanced research capacities provided by urban sustainability-focused institutes and centers represent an important national higher education response for addressing the problems and opportunities of increasing urbanization in the US and worldwide.
S. Vincent (*) : K. Dutton Center for Environmental Education Research, National Council for Science and the Environment, 1101 17th Street NW, Suite 250, Washington, DC 20036-4722, USA e-mail:
[email protected] K. Dutton e-mail:
[email protected]
Keywords Interdisciplinary environmental and sustainability education and research . Research institutes and centers . Urban sustainability education and research
Introduction Interdisciplinary environmental and sustainability (IES) programs study coupled human-nature systems using interdisciplinary knowledge and insights gained from systems-based approaches and different epistemological viewpoints. Positioned at the science-policy, science-management, and policy-management interfaces, IES education programs have a distinctive goal: preparing sustainability-oriented problem solvers through interdisciplinary scholarship, research, practice, and informed citizenship. IES programs share these key characteristics with urban sustainability studies which also must address complex issues using interdisciplinary, systems approaches at the science-policy, science-management, and policy-management interfaces. IES education and research programs are instrumental in their colleges’ and universities’ contributions to solving the major challenges of the twenty-first century, including the issues associated with accelerating urbanization. They educate future decision makers, conduct environmental and sustainability research, promote community outreach and service, engage with campus sustainability initiatives to develop models of best practice, support collaborative research within the university, and lead collective research and project implementation projects with a diversity of external partners. IES programs are uniquely positioned to support urban sustainability-focused interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research, provide expertise for real-world projects, and develop interdisciplinary problem solvers (Clark and Wallace 2012), transacademic interface managers (Brundiers et al. 2013), interdisciplinary executive scientists (Hendren 2014),
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and disciplinary and professional experts who effectively collaborate to understand complex environmental and sustainability problems and devise solutions. Recognition of the importance of integrating IES and urban studies to advance research and promote sustainable urbanization has led to a series of international forums coordinated by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UNHABITAT), and the Global Forum on Human Settlements (GFHS). In addition, several professional peer-reviewed journals focused on integrating environmental, sustainability, and urban research have been established, including the International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development (Taylor and Francis), Sustainable Cities and Society (Elsevier), and Environment and Urbanism (Sage). In this article, we illustrate the emergence of integrated IES studies and urban studies degree programs and highlight US research institutes and centers focused on urban sustainability. The development of academic programs that integrate environment, sustainability, and urban studies and the enhanced research capacities provided by urban sustainability-focused institutes and centers represent an important national higher education response for addressing the problems and opportunities of increasing urbanization in the US and worldwide.
Integration of interdisciplinary environmental and sustainable studies and urban studies in education and research Colleges and universities in the US are at the forefront of understanding problems and devising solutions for the development of more sustainable cities and urban areas. Integration of IES and urban studies is a growing trend illustrated by the increasing number of academic programs of study, research institutes and centers, and initiatives in which colleges and universities partner directly with communities to conduct applied research and share knowledge and best practices. IES higher education and research is rapidly expanding in the US. A census of IES academic programs at US 4-year colleges and universities and a census of IES institutes and centers (IESICs) at US research universities demonstrate dramatic growth in both the number of IES degree programs (Vincent et al. 2012) and the number of IES research institutes and centers (Vincent et al. 2014). A substantial number of IES degrees—about 3 % or 51 degree programs at 47 colleges and universities—explicitly focus on urban issues or have formal specializations in urban or community studies (Table 1).1 These degree programs are fairly evenly split between undergraduate programs (21 BA and 7 BS) and graduate programs 1 Degree programs that have city, urban, or community in the degree name or formal specialization.
(7 MA, 6 MS, 6 professional master’s, and 4 PhD) and are somewhat more prevalent at master’s colleges and universities. Similarly, 3 % of all IESICs—39 institutes/centers at 31 universities—are explicitly focused on sustainable cities/ communities (Table 2). Two thirds (68 %) are hosted by publicly-funded universities. The distribution of integrated IES and urban studies programs across the US is similar to the patterns observed for IES degree programs and IES institutes and centers (Fig. 1)—most are found in the Northeast, Midwest, and coastal states (Vincent et al. 2012). The number of integrated programs (degree programs and institutes/centers) varies from a high of 13 in New York to zero in 22 states. The District of Columbia has three programs: two degree programs and the Center for Urban and Environmental Research at George Washington University. A number of other IES academic programs without a specific concentration in urban/community studies also focus on urban sustainability. Examples include degrees in sustainable development such as those offered by Columbia University (BS and PhD in Sustainable Development) and degrees in environmental planning and policy, such as those offered by Stony Brook University (BS in Environmental Design, Policy and Planning) and Virginia Tech University (BS Environmental Planning and Policy). Urban issues are also covered in the curricula of many other IES programs, and many also incorporate applied learning experiences in urban sustainability. Interestingly, degree programs that combine IES and urban studies are more prevalent than programs in urban and community planning and architecture/built environment with formal sustainability specializations (Vincent et al. 2013). The 2012 National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) census identified 17 degree programs in regional/ urban/community planning with sustainability specializations and 29 in built environment/architecture. Almost all are graduate degrees, most at the master’s level (76 % of planning degrees, 52 % of architecture/built environmental degrees). The small number of these degree programs without formal sustainability specializations is not necessarily indicative of a lack of focus on sustainability, however. Many urban and built environment-focused programs may include sustainability as a core principle, as do most IES programs. The NCSE census of IESICs found that about 8 % or 103 may be classified as focusing on the built environment. The built environment category includes three subcategories: IESICs focused on sustainable cities/communities, land use (such as the Center for Land Use and Environmental Responsibility at the University of Louisville), or the built environment generally (such as the Urban Harbors Institute at the University of Massachusetts at Boston). A recent NCSE report on a survey of the IESICs directors includes a chapter on IES institutes and centers (Vincent et al. 2014).
J Environ Stud Sci Table 1
Degree programs that integrate IES and urban studies
Institution Doctoral/research universities n=17 Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
Control
Academic unit
Degree program
Public
School of Sustainability
Public
School of Human Evolution and Social Change; College of Liberal Arts and Sciences GW Off-Campus Programs, Graduate Education Center Sustainable Communities Program; College of Social and Behavioral Sciences School of Environment and Natural Resources; College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Department of Agricultural Economic and Rural Sociology; College of Agricultural Sciences Department of Technology, Culture and Society Division of Environmental Science
BA Sustainability: Sustainable Urban Dynamics PhD Environmental Social Science: Urbanism
George Washington University, Washington, DC Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ
Private NFP
Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
Public
Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
Public
Polytechnic Institute of New York University, Brooklyn, NY SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY Texas Southern University, Houston, TX
Private NFP
Tufts University, Medford, MA
Private NFP
University of California-Davis, Davis, CA
Public
University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
Public
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
Private NFP
Master’s college and universities n=24 Antioch University-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA Antioch University-Seattle, Seattle, WA Appalachian State University, Boone, NC CUNY Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY CUNY City College, New York, NY Delta State University, Cleveland, MS Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA
Public
Public
Private NFP
Master of Professional Studies: Sustainable Urban Planning MA Sustainable Communities
BA Environment, Economy, Development and Sustainability: Community Development BS Community, Environment, and Development BS Sustainable Urban Environments Master of Professional Studies, MS, PhD Environmental Science: Environmental and Community Land Planning PhD, Master of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy
Department of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy; School of Public Affairs Department of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy; School of Public Affairs Department of Environmental Science and Policy; College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Department of Natural Resources and the Environment; College of Life Sciences and Agriculture Department of Earth and Environmental Science; School of Arts and Sciences University College; College of Arts and Sciences Division of Resource Management; College of Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Design
Master of Environmental Studies: Urban Environment BS Sustainability: Sustainable Communities and Development PhD Resource Management and Sustainable Development: Human and Community Development
Private NFP
Urban Sustainability Program
MA Urban Sustainability
Private NFP
Center for Creative Change
MA Environment and Community
Public
Sustainable Development Program; University College Urban Sustainability Program; School of Natural and Behavioral Sciences Sustainability in the Urban Environment Program; School of Architecture, School of Engineering, and Division of Science Department of Social Sciences; College of Arts and Sciences Environment and Community Program; College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
BS Sustainable Development: Community, Regional and Global Development BA Urban Sustainability
Private NFP Public
Public Public
Public Public
MA Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning BS Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning: City and Regional Planning BS Community and Environmental Planning
MS Sustainability in the Urban Environment
MS Community Development: Sustainable Development MA Environment and Community
J Environ Stud Sci Table 1 (continued) Institution
Control
Academic unit
Degree program
Minot State University, Minot, ND
Public
BA Studies in Community and Environment
Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY
Private NFP
Prescott College, Prescott, AZ
Private NFP
Rollins College, Winter Park, FL
Private NFP
San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA School for International Training, Brattleboro, VT Seattle University, Seattle, WA
Public
Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA
Public
Studies in Community and Environment Program Programs for Sustainable Planning and Development; School of Architecture and Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment Environmental Studies Undergraduate Program Environmental Studies and Civic Urbanism Program; Hamilton Holt School Environmental Studies Program; College of Health and Human Services Sustainable Development Program; Graduate Institute Environmental Studies Program; College of Arts and Sciences Department of Environmental Studies and Planning; School of Social Sciences
Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, TX University of the District of Columbia, Washington, DC
Public
College of Liberal and Applied Arts
BA Sustainable Community Development
Public
Department of Environmental Sciences; College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability, and Environmental Sciences Department of Natural Sciences; College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters Department of Environmental Science and Studies; School of Arts and Sciences Department of Environmental Science; School of Environmental, Health, and Life Sciences; College of Science, Technology, and Health Urban Studies Program
BS Environmental Science: Urban Sustainability
Private NFP Private NFP
University of Michigan-Dearborn, Dearborn, MI University of Saint Thomas-Texas, Houston, TX University of Southern Maine, Portland, ME
Public
University of Washington-Tacoma, Tacoma, WA University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Stevens Point, WI Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA Baccalaureate colleges n=8 Allegheny College, Meadville, PA
Public
Bard College, Annandale-onHudson, NY Birmingham Southern College, Birmingham, AL Green Mountain College, Poultney, VT Messiah College, Grantham, PA New College of Florida, Sarasota, FL Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA Western State Colorado University, Gunnison, CO
Public Public
Public Public Public
Private NFP Private NFP Private NFP Private NFP Private NFP Public Private NFP Public
MS Sustainable Environmental Systems
BA Sustainable Community Development BA Environmental Studies and Sustainable Urbanism BA Environmental Studies: The Urban Environment MA Sustainable Development: Advocacy, Leadership, and Social Change BA Environmental Studies: Urban Sustainability BA Environmental Studies and Planning: City and Regional Planning
BA Environmental Studies: Urban Services BA Environmental Studies: Sustainable Cities BA Environmental Planning and Policy and Master of Community Planning and Development (5-year BA/Master’s) BA Sustainable Urban Development
Natural Resources Graduate Program; College of Natural Resources Cohort Programs, Division of Extended Learning and Outreach Department of Environmental Studies; College of Environment
MS Natural Resources: Urban Forestry
Department of Environmental Science and Studies Environmental and Urban Studies Program; Interdivisional Programs Urban Environmental Studies Program
BA Environmental Studies: Urban Planning and Land Use BA Environmental and Urban Studies
Resilient and Sustainable Communities Program; Graduate Programs Department of Biological Sciences; School of Science, Engineering, and Health Environmental Studies Program
MS Resilient and Sustainable Communities
Department of Urban and Environmental Policy Environmental Studies Program
MA Social Responsibility and Sustainable Communities BA Planning and Environmental Policy: Urban Planning
BA Urban Environmental Studies
BA Sustainability Studies: Community and Urban Development BA Environmental Studies: Urban Studies and the Environment BA Urban and Environmental Policy Master in Environmental Management: Sustainable and Resilient Communities
J Environ Stud Sci Table 2 Urban research-focused institutes and centers at research universities
Institution
Control
Institute or center
Columbia University, New York, NY
Private NFP
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Private NFP
CUNY Graduate School and University Center, New York, NY George Washington University, Washington, DC Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL
Public
Center for Sustainable Urban Development Community and Regional Development Institute Institute for Sustainable Cities
Private NFP
Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN
Public
Loyola University, Chicago, IL
Private NFP
Northeastern University, Boston, MA Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA Purdue University, West Lafayette, PA
Private NFP Public
Rice University, Houston, TX SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
Private NFP Public
Private NFP
Public
Private NFP
Center for Urban and Environmental Research International Center for Sustainable New Cities Institute for Community Sustainability; and Center for Urban and Environmental Change Institute of Environmental Sustainability; and Center for Urban Research and Learning Center for Urban Environmental Studies Hamer Center for Community Design Center for Community and Environmental Design Kinder Institute for Urban Research Center for the Urban Environment
Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
Private NFP
Center for Sustainable Community Solutions Center for Sustainable Communities
University of Alabama-Birmingham, Birmingham, AL University of California-Davis, Davis, CA University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA University of California-Riverside, Riverside, CA University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
Public
Sustainable Smart Cities Research Center
Public Public
University of Colorado-Boulder, Boulder, CO University of Colorado-Denver, Denver, CO
Public Public
Urban Land Use and Transportation Center California Center for Sustainable Communities Center for Sustainable Suburban Development Center for Sustaining the Urban Environment Colorado Center for Sustainable Urbanism Colorado Center for Sustainable Urbanism
University of Louisville, Louisville, KY
Public
University of Massachusetts-Boston, Boston, MA University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN
Public
University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
Public
University of North Carolina-Charlotte, Charlotte, NC University of Oregon, Eugene, OR
Public
Public Public
Public
Public
Public
Center for Sustainable Urban Neighborhoods, Kentucky Institute for the Environment and Sustainable Development Center for Rebuilding Sustainable Communities after Disasters Metropolitan Design Center; Center for Sustainable Community Development; and Center for Urban Ecology and Sustainability Center for Urban Horticulture and Water Conservation Center for Urban and Regional Studies; and Center for Sustainable Community Design Urban Institute Institute for a Sustainable Environment; and Sustainable Cities Initiative
J Environ Stud Sci Table 2 (continued) Institution
Control
Institute or center
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA University of Washington-Seattle, Seattle, WA
Private NFP
Center for Sustainable Cities
Public
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA
Public
Northwest Center for Livable Communities; Urban Ecology Research Laboratory; and Green Futures Research and Design Lab Sustainable Communities Initiative, Metropolitan Institute
The survey included questions addressing three sets of characteristics: operational structure (administrative location within the university, reporting structure, physical space), activities (goals, partners, academic programs administered), and resources (personnel, associated faculty, budget sources). Analyses of the survey results reveal a number of interesting findings, including differences between IESICs based on their name (institute, center, or other) and category. Institutes are more likely to be housed in their own building and administratively located at the primary level of the university (not within another unit such as a college) with a director that reports to upper administration (president, chief academic officer, or chief research officer). They also tend to have a broader focus on environment, sustainability, and energy or natural systems and engage with a wider number and more diverse group of affiliated faculty. Centers are more often housed within a college with directors that report to the Fig. 1 The distribution of integrated IES and urban studies programs across the US
college dean. Centers tend to have a more narrow focus and fewer affiliated faculty. Most IESICs in the built environmental category are centers housed in their own office suite administratively located within a college with directors that report to the college dean. Most have funding for directors, and many also support associate or assistant directors and/or other administrators (such as program managers or coordinators) and staff positions. This group has the lowest proportion that support core or joint faculty. Most have formally affiliated faculty with an average number of 37. On average, three quarters of their budgets are from short-term grants and contracts, but many also receive institutional funding which averages 44 % for those with this source of funding. Only a few receive funding from donors or endowments. A few rely on state funding or fees for services. Examples include the Oregon Built Environment and Sustainable Technologies Center at Oregon State University,
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which receives state funding for economic development, and the Green Futures Research and Design Laboratory at the University of Washington at Seattle, which receives fees for community engagement and municipal planning services. Research and outreach are most often the primary goals for built environment IESICs, together comprising 81 % of their activities on average. Compared with the other IESIC categories, this group has the lowest proportion that include education as a goal (67 %) but a higher proportion that include campus sustainability as a goal (33 %). Although a lower proportion includes education as a primary goal, two thirds do have education as a goal which constitutes a quarter (25 %) of their activities on average, and a quarter (26 %) administer IES academic programs. All of these academic programs are at the graduate level (master’s degrees, doctoral degrees, graduate minors, graduate and post-graduate certificates) with the exception of a few undergraduate minors. Compared with other IESICs, this group is more likely to partner on projects with governmental organizations but less likely to partner with other higher education institutions. They are also more likely to partner with faculty in environmental science and studies, engineering and applied sciences, natural resources and agriculture, social sciences, professional fields, and the humanities but less likely to partner with faculty in the life and physical sciences. Other categories of IESICs included in the NCSE census and survey are broad environmental and/or sustainability, energy and climate change, natural systems, human wellbeing, societal systems, and technology and informatics. Many institutes and centers in these six categories also emphasize urban sustainability research. Examples include the Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability at Arizona State University, the Institute for Sustainable Solutions at Portland State University, the Earth Institute at Columbia University, the Erb Institute at the University of Michigan, and the Coastal Studies Institute at the University of Louisiana. The University of Southern California Center for Sustainable Cites also conducted a census and survey of urban sustainability centers at US universities in 2011 (Blanco and Giuliano 2011). They identified 49 urban sustainability research centers (including some that are categorized differently in the NCSE census). Their findings on the characteristics of these centers are very similar to the findings of the NCSE survey. They found a distribution pattern similar to the one illustrated in Fig. 1 with most centers located in states in the Pacific Coast, Midwest, and Northeast regions and fewer in the Southeast and Southwest regions. They also found that most centers have annual budgets below $1 million and that they rely on a diversity of funding sources with most receiving federal and state governmental support. In this survey, center directors also reported that interdisciplinary projects are more difficult to fund than more narrowly focused projects such as energy or transportation projects.
Integrated IES and urban studies degree programs, institutes, and centers In this section, we highlight some specific examples of academic programs that integrate IES and urban studies and IESICs focused on urban sustainability research and various ways in which higher education institutions are developing pioneering programs at the intersections of environmental, sustainability, and urban studies and research. Four of the articles in this issue illustrate examples of diverse education initiatives focused on urban sustainability. They all share the goal of engaging students in learning how to translate knowledge into action. Linking knowledge to action is the core goal for sustainability education and research (Kates et al. 2001; Komiyama and Takeuchi 2006; van Kerkhoff and Lebel 2006) which requires innovative new approaches to education (Wiek et al. 2012). These authors illustrate the varied ways in which urban sustainability learning programs incorporate opportunities for students to link learning with positive action in their communities through a master’s level course focused on sustainability project design and implementation, an undergraduate service learning course, an integrated curriculum that provides all students with a suite of opportunities for sustainability education, and a social media project that provides a bridge for student and community engagement. Preparing students to translate knowledge into action is the explicit purpose of a new master’s level course implemented at the Freie Universität Berlin as discussed by Braun-Wanke et al. The course, titled From Knowledge to Action: SocioEcological Transformation in Times of Multiple Crises, was designed to promote transformational learning by using a student-driven format that combined instruction in theoretical knowledge with practical method training in decision-making processes (using design thinking, world café, and open space techniques) fundraising, public relations, and project management. The first cohort of 25 political science students successfully developed and implemented five team projects with impacts on both campus and community sustainability. The students reported that the course increased their motivation and their confidence that they could drive positive change. Engaging students in experiential, applied learning is also the topic explored by Helicke. She describes an undergraduate environmental service learning course she developed at Skidmore College. Students in the course completed service learning work in urban forestry, climate change, and urban food movements. Her article describes how service learning can serve to bridge students, faculty, and public and private sector partners in exploring complex connections and contributing to sustainability actions in their communities. The article by Shay and Caplow describes the structure of an integrated sustainability curriculum at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The curriculum is a suite of
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sustainability offerings that link opportunities horizontally across the campus while also providing vertical integration options that allow students to customize their experience from gaining basic literacy in sustainability to developing the foundation for a sustainability career. The environmental capstone component of the curriculum is increasingly focused on sustainable cities and regions, as many are of the internship opportunities. Bryson describes the Schaumburg’s Sustainable Future project undertaken at Roosevelt University. This is a social media project that serves as a pedagogical tool, a venue for publishing student research, and a public education forum that documents the progress of Schaumburg and other Chicago suburbs in implementing sustainability measures and a site for critical discussion and idea exploration among students and community stakeholders. The project represents an innovative means to engage students in active, applied learning while simultaneously fostering an enhanced sense of place and promoting sustainability practices in the surrounding community. Urban sustainability-focused degree programs also exhibit wide diversity. The majority of undergraduate degrees have a primary liberal arts education approach while others—such the BS in Sustainable Urban Environments offered by the Polytechnic School of Engineering at New York University—have a more applied professional approach. This degree’s requirements include technical electives, which advance students’ knowledge of or skills in applied science, engineering, or computer science, as well as a capstone project designed to promote mastery of both technology and the liberal arts. Other examples include Occidental College which offers a BA in Urban and Environmental Policy that focuses in depth on public affairs and civic action and incorporates experiential learning in these fields, and Pennsylvania State University’s BS in Community, Environment, and Development which reflects its more rural setting by including rural sociology and agricultural economics. At the graduate level, most programs focus on environmental policy, such as the MA program in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts University, or on developing sustainable communities, such as the MA in Sustainable Communities at Northern Arizona University. However, there is also a diversity of emphases in these programs. The MA in Social Responsibility and Sustainable Communities offered by Western Kentucky University emphasizes the study of social justice. It is housed in the Department of Diversity and Community Studies and includes elective courses in the following departments, among others: Architectural and Manufacturing Sciences, Gerontology, Gender and Women’s Studies, Leadership Studies, Public Health, and Social Work. The MS in Urban Environmental Systems Management offered by the Pratt Institute is housed in the School of Architecture and focuses on infrastructure
design. Several programs offer professional master’s degrees including the Master of Environmental Studies: Urban Environment offered by the University of Pennsylvania and the Master of Professional Studies: Sustainable Urban Planning offered by George Washington University. Four universities offer doctorate degrees that integrate IES and urban studies: Environmental Social Science: Urbanism, Arizona State University; Environmental Science: Environmental and Community Land Planning, SUNY College of Environmental Forestry; Urban Planning and Environmental Policy, Texas Southern University; and Resource Management and Sustainable Development: Human and Community Development, West Virginia University. Universities and colleges have major capacities to contribute to urban sustainability research as well as education. A project undertaken by the University College London illustrates a capacity for urban sustainability research that may be fairly typical at universities (Johnson and Austwick 2014). The PICKS (Post Disciplinary Knowledge Space) project was designed to support cross-disciplinary urban sustainability research by identifying researchers and communities across disciplinary divisions working on research related to urban sustainability. Two surprising results were revealed by the faculty survey: 30 % of respondents answered “no” when asked if they identified themselves as representing a specific discipline—these researchers apparently identify more with their research interests and expertise than with a traditional discipline—and 35 % rejected the term “sustainability” as being used to describe their work but nevertheless wanted to be included in the map visualizing research on “sustainable resources for sustainable cities.” The process of mapping research at the university was successful on several levels. It encouraged researchers from a range of backgrounds to participate even when they disagreed with the institutional or normative classifiers (disciplines and/or sustainability). Researchers use the visualization tool to explore their place in the university research landscape and identify opportunities for collaborative research. University administrators use the tool to visualize networks and determine ways to better support and stimulate integrated research. Universities and colleges also make key contributions to urban sustainability through their IESICs. Two notable examples include the urban sustainability initiatives undertaken by Arizona State University’s (ASU) Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability and the Center for Sustainable Cities at the University of Southern California. ASU’s Global Institute of Sustainability hosts numerous projects focused on urban sustainability including its 100 Cities Project (http://100cities.asu.edu), its Central Arizona-Phoenix LongTerm Ecological Research project (http://caplter.asu.edu), and its Decision Center for a Desert City (http://dcdc.asu.edu). These projects, along with the many other related projects at
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ASU, carry out basic and applied research relevant to urban sustainability decision-making, work with practitioners and community stakeholders to develop practical solutions, and prepare a new generation of scientists who work successfully at the boundaries of science, policy, and management. ASU shares knowledge and best practices, fosters partnerships, provides training and information, and connects the university’s research with the front-line challenges of sustainability through its Sustainable Cities Network (https:// sustainablecities.asu.edu). The Center for Sustainable Cities at the University of Southern California (USC) engages in multidisciplinary urban sustainability research with the goal of identifying solutions that are feasible, effective, and equitable. In order to ensure that the Center’s research extends beyond the world of academia, the Center conducts educational and public outreach programs designed to engage policy makers, elected officials, corporate executives, and the general public in informed discussions that further advance the development of sustainable cities. The Center also works in cooperation with nonprofit organizations interested in collaborative research to benefit the community. Much of the Center’s research is focused on local and regional challenges, including a 2-year in-depth study of water scarcity in Southern California based on the case studies of local districts and economic analyses of climate mitigation policies at the local and state level.
Conclusion Urban sustainability is a rapidly emerging area of interdisciplinary environmental and sustainability education and research. A number of degree programs are being developed—both at the undergraduate and graduate level—designed to prepare the citizens and professionals needed to create and implement sustainable solutions for an urbanizing world. Other IES and related degrees also incorporate urban sustainability content and applied learning experiences in their curricula to bring understanding of the challenges and opportunities of urban sustainability to a wide group of students. In addition, programs such as the sustainability curriculum at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill provide opportunities for all students to obtain sustainability education and applied learning opportunities that fit with their individual goals. As illustrated by the examples of urban sustainability education initiatives discussed in this special issue of the Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, sustainability education’s goal is to translate knowledge into sustainability action. Sustainability education fulfills this goal by preparing students to understand how to design and implement projects in diverse contexts and communities through applied, experiential learning experiences.
There is also a growing number of IESICs that conduct interdisciplinary urban sustainability research and participate in real-world projects with diverse community partners—nongovernmental organizations, governmental organizations, and private sector industries. IESICs are crucial partners that work with their own local urban centers and communities as well as others both nationally and internationally to realize real-world solutions, demonstrate new models, and develop new plans and policies that support sustainable urbanization. The triad mission of colleges and universities in the US of education, service, and outreach is increasingly focused on sustainability in the context of cities and communities. Sustainability-oriented applied learning opportunities are motivating a future generations of students to become engaged and active in their own communities. The field of urban sustainability is young but growing in both scope and impact.
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