Resilient Communities from the Ground Up

American cities have experimented with ways to remake themselves in response to climate change for decades. These efforts, often driven by grassroots activism, offer valuable lessons for transforming the places we live. This course focuses on the unique ways US cities are working to mitigate and adapt to climate change while creating equitable and livable communities in the process. The course relates national models to field study in Boston metropolitan area, highlighting the region's bold approaches to addressing climate change. We meet with government officials in city hall, talk with scientists studying the impact of heat and flooding, designers transforming the city's streets, and local advocates and community groups changing their neighborhoods for the better. Students in the course have the opportunity to work on an extended project in Dorchester, the largest neighborhood in Boston and one of its most racially diverse. The history of redlining and other discriminatory practices have left their mark on this environmental justice (EJ) community, evident in below-average tree canopy cover leading to higher temperatures, inadequate public transportation, and dangerous roads without adequate protected biking infrastructure. Yet, Dorchester also has a strong community of advocates and neighborhood leaders determined to bring investments there. Students spend class time meeting with locals to understand how their organizations, advocacy efforts, and businesses aim to serve the people of Dorchester. In collaboration with community partners Speak for the Trees, Livable Streets Alliance, and Fields Corner Main Streets, students work on a collective project that serves the long-term needs of Dorchester's residents. Assignments focus on field study, where students survey the dynamics of the street and examine how disparities in the urban tree canopy or commuting time correlate to race and income. They interview residents to understand their experience of public space and map land use to determine where opportunities lie for creating greater community resilience. For the final assignment, students create a collective proposal to our community partners and a resource useful in their ongoing advocacy. Students come away from the course understanding how they can take action in their daily lives and careers to support efforts in their own communities for emboldening solutions.