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Urban Informatics and Sustainable Design
Preface
Charles Chang and Renee Richer
Introduction
Cities are at the center of societal challenges, but they are also places of innovation, opportunity and problem solving. Historians, anthropologists, and sociologists have established firm reputations writing detailed accounts of urban life, as it ran through ancient Rome, medieval Montaillou, early twentieth century Akenfield, or contemporary Shanghai. Each city, large or small, has a personality; each is distinctive way of life; each, by its difference and exoticism, can potentially be a museum display, a tourist attraction, or a book.
Urban Transformation
Yet, in the most insignificant and significant ways, cities are losing their character, as societies battle climate change with brute force, monotonic, and kitschy industrialization. The drawback is that our students of future generations have only faint idea about nature in the urban environment and the historical development of urban areas, when the air is constantly polluted, native species are replaced by industrialized street plants, and bird song is dispelled by factory noises. This is why when we ask the students to name their favorite city, they are reluctant to answer on the ground that there is nothing special to tell.
Course Objectives
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As environmentalists, Renee and I design this course to offer a different perspective for urban design. We invite students to explore how historical knowledge, unique cultural influences, ecology, and information science can be combined to create healthier, more sustainable urban environments. Throughout the semester, we examine how ecological principles can guide practical solutions to climate-related problems in cities. Students learn how plants and green spaces can help cool overheated neighborhoods, how thoughtful landscape features can improve air quality, and how smart design with native species can increase resilience against climate change. How design of the built environment can fundamentally change aspects of human health and mental health. The built environment can impact how human, and more than human life interact. These examples serve as starting points for students to imagine and test their own creative responses to environmental issues.
course structure
The course is structured to provide both a foundation and an opportunity for hands-on application. Early in the semester, students build essential skills for understanding how information about the environment is collected, analyzed, and applied. Later, they work in teams to design projects that bring together ecological knowledge and digital tools in addressing real challenges, using a small piece of land on Duke Kunshan University’s campus as an example. This brochure presents the collection of the students’ final designs, most of which offers their unique perspective.
Acknowlegements
Our course is generously supported by the 2024-2025 Duke Kunshan Community-Based Learning Grant and the 2024-2025 Duke Climate and Sustainability Teaching Fellows Program. Our students have also been privileged by the support from the Operations Team at Duke Kunshan University. We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of all sponsors and supporters.
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This blog was written by Renne Richer and Charles Chang as part of a CAST Fellows' outreach effort to share resources and personal experiences in designing courses to engage Duke Kunshan University students across disciplines with topics of sustainability and climate change.