Designing Tomorrow: Exploring Sustainable Cities
Lesson Description
Video Resource
Key Concepts
- Sustainable Development
- Environmental Planning
- Urban Sprawl
- Environmental Justice
- Ecological Design
- Retrofitting
- Gray Green Divide
Learning Objectives
- Students will be able to define sustainable development and explain its importance in urban planning.
- Students will be able to analyze the environmental and social challenges faced by cities.
- Students will be able to evaluate different approaches to creating more sustainable urban environments.
- Students will be able to explain the importance of ecological design.
Educator Instructions
- Introduction (5 mins)
Begin by showing the Crash Course Geography video 'Sustainable Cities.' Briefly introduce the topic and explain that students will be exploring the challenges and solutions related to creating sustainable urban environments. - Video Analysis & Discussion (20 mins)
After watching the video, facilitate a class discussion using the provided discussion questions. Encourage students to share their thoughts on the concepts presented and consider the local relevance of these issues. - Interactive Exercise: Urban Redesign (25 mins)
Divide students into small groups and assign them the interactive exercise. Have them brainstorm and propose changes based on the information from the video. - Presentation & Wrap-up (10 mins)
Each group will present their urban redesign plans to the class. Conclude with a summary of key concepts and emphasize the importance of sustainable urban planning for the future.
Interactive Exercises
- Urban Redesign Challenge
Divide students into groups. Each group is assigned a specific area of their local city or a hypothetical urban environment. Challenge them to propose redesigns that incorporate sustainable principles discussed in the video, focusing on areas like transportation, energy use, green spaces, waste management, and housing. They should consider the environmental, social, and economic impacts of their proposed changes.
Discussion Questions
- What does it mean for a city to be 'sustainable'?
- What are some of the biggest environmental challenges facing cities today?
- How can urban planning contribute to environmental justice and social equity?
- What are some examples of ecological design that could be implemented in cities?
- How does gentrification pose a threat to sustainable neighborhood development?
- In what ways can retrofitting old buildings have a global impact?
Skills Developed
- Critical Thinking
- Problem-Solving
- Collaboration
- Spatial Reasoning
- Systems Thinking
Multiple Choice Questions
Question 1:
Which of the following is a key component of environmental planning?
Correct Answer: Promoting economic opportunities and environmental justice
Question 2:
What is 'smart growth planning' primarily aimed at controlling?
Correct Answer: The movement of sprawl into undeveloped land
Question 3:
What is a potential negative consequence of new urbanism and smart growth?
Correct Answer: Gentrification that displaces residents
Question 4:
The 'gray-green divide' refers to:
Correct Answer: The unequal distribution of green spaces and infrastructure within a city
Question 5:
What is a 'brownfield development'?
Correct Answer: A project built on land that has already been used
Question 6:
What is the main goal of non-speculative housing, as seen in the La Borda Co-op example?
Correct Answer: To provide affordable housing options by removing profit incentives
Question 7:
What is the goal of environmental justice?
Correct Answer: To ensure every person is protected from environmental hazards, regardless of demographics
Question 8:
What is ecological design?
Correct Answer: Building design that mimics nature
Question 9:
What is urban sprawl?
Correct Answer: The rapid expansion of cities into surrounding rural areas
Question 10:
Which of the following contributes to the 'urban heat island' effect?
Correct Answer: The absorption of heat by asphalt, concrete, and steel
Fill in the Blank Questions
Question 1:
____________ development aims to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Correct Answer: Sustainable
Question 2:
____________ is an interdisciplinary field involving urban planning, geography, economics, and even agriculture.
Correct Answer: Environmental planning
Question 3:
__________ is when the value of land and rent increase in lower income areas from a new influx of investment.
Correct Answer: Gentrification
Question 4:
The unequal distribution of green spaces in a city is known as the __________.
Correct Answer: gray green divide
Question 5:
Building on land that was previously used is known as __________ development.
Correct Answer: brownfield
Question 6:
Using the sun for heating and cooling is known as __________ solar design.
Correct Answer: passive
Question 7:
Trying to control and direct the movement of sprawl is part of __________ planning.
Correct Answer: smart growth
Question 8:
A group of people who come together to collectively manage a resource is called a __________.
Correct Answer: cooperative
Question 9:
The __________ effect is when all of the asphalt, concrete, stone, and steel absorbs heat and prevents air pollution from dissipating.
Correct Answer: urban heat island
Question 10:
__________ is the idea that every person is entitled to protection from environmental hazards regardless of demographics.
Correct Answer: Environmental justice
Educational Standards
Teaching Materials
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