URP 610, Section 1

Climate adaptation planning follows much the same methods and frameworks as does conventional planning, but it addresses a host of new issues with growing urgency. The topics we will focus on for this course include flooding and coastal hazards; heat and drought; wildfire; and food systems. We will address both ecosystem and human dimensions for each topic, including public health, social vulnerability, and environmental justice concerns. The course will be conducted as an applied studio workshop. Working in teams and using hypothetical clients, students will conduct climate adaptation planning ‘audits’ of their client communities. Each report will explain the problem, present results from the audit, and make recommendations to the client community on steps it might take to better plan for and adapt to impending impacts from climate change.