Spring 2017  |  PA 5233 Section 001: Sustainable Transportation (67829)

Instructor(s)
Class Component:
Lecture
Credits:
3 Credits
Grading Basis:
A-F or Audit
Instructor Consent:
No Special Consent Required
Instruction Mode:
In Person Term Based
Times and Locations:
Regular Academic Session
 
01/17/2017 - 05/05/2017
Tue 06:00PM - 08:45PM
UMTC, West Bank
Hubert H Humphrey Center 60
Also Offered:
Course Catalog Description:
Concepts of sustainability in movement of people/goods in cities. Techniques/best practices/methods for planning/implementing interventions to improve social, economic, environmental sustainability of communities. prereq: Grad or instr consent
Class Description:

What does sustainability mean? What role do we (as planners, engineers, landscape architects and designers of our built environment) play in improving the social, economic and environmental sustainability of our communities?

What is sustainable transportation? How do the choices we make about transportation shape the ways in which our cities function and the experiences we have as their inhabitants?

This course is a unusual amalgam. It is an exploration of these larger questions with the aim of developing a framework for our understanding of mobility in cities. But it is also a detailed and focused exploration of design principles and methods to make the movement of pedestrians, bicyclists and transit riders more inviting, more comfortable, more convenient and more safe.

And it is also an opportunity to explore design tools and apply design improvements to conditions and locations in our region. We will, over the course of our time together:

  • Explore the purpose, meaning and function of cities; the role and function of movement within them; and investigate how concepts of justice, "the good society," and fair allocation of resources intertwine with concepts of economic, ecologic, and social sustainability, among others,
  • Learn methods, best practices and techniques for mobility interventions that may be characterized as "sustainable" - including best practices and methods for pedestrian planning, bicycle planning and transit planning, as well as the interconnections of each with land use planning, development, and equity, and
  • Make design recommendations, using tools we explore in class, for improving safety, comfort and convenience for pedestrians and bicyclists within current conditions and for proposed projects in our region.


    • We will focus our work on the US urban transportation context, but will also explore current mobility issues and sustainable mobility interventions in a variety of world settings and conditions, highlighting standards and emerging and best practices in use in the US, Europe, Latin America, and other locations. Materials from organizations currently engaged in sustainable mobility planning and training in developing nations (GIZ, ITDP, and others) will be part of course readings and discussion.

    Who Should Take This Class?:
    This course is primarily intended for Humphrey School students in the Urban and Regional Planning Program, graduate and undergraduate students in Civil Engineering, and graduate students in Geography and Landscape Architecture. Interested students from other disciplines may enroll with instructor approval.
    Grading:
    Attendance and class participation 10%
    Leadership and preparation: Student-led discussion topic 15%
    Redesign of a street cross-section to improve pedestrian and bicycle travel 10%
    Nice Ride Mn bikeshare system exploration and planning (group assignment) 20%
    Safe Routes to School planning for one school (group assignment) 20%
    Redesign of an intersection to improve pedestrian and bicycle travel 15%
    Other assignments 10%
    Total 100%

    Assignments are graded on a scale from 0 through 10. Description of selected grades are as follows:
    • 5 (Developing) responds to and addresses the minimal requirements of the assignment,
    • 8 (Proficient) provides fully thought-out answers, explores additional ideas and connections, and is well-written, clear and concise
    • 10 (Exceptional) integrates thinking and ideas from other disciplines, displays high quality in production, and is well-written, with images or illustrations that explain and enrich the material
    Class Format:
    Our class will meet once a week through the Spring semester, every Tuesday from 6:00 pm to 8:45 pm. We will generally divide this class time into a group discussion / activity period (from 6:00 pm to 7:15 pm) and a lecture period (from 7:30 to 8:45 pm). We will have a brief fifteen minute break between class periods. During lecture time I will offer an overview of issues and experiences related to that week's topic, and we'll have time to go over and discuss key ideas from the lecture. I will, as much as possible, work to include examples or experiences from my consulting practice so you get a sense of what a planner or designer working in this field might encounter. Our group discussion / activity time will be an opportunity for us to work together to explore themes or questions related to that week's topic. This will be the time when we host our student-led discussion sessions. We will also sometimes use this portion of class time for individual or group presentations, or for on-topic discussion depending on the week.
    Textbooks:
    https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/67829/1173
    Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
    21 February 2017

    ClassInfo Links - Spring 2017 Public Affairs Classes Taught by Antonio Rosell

    To link directly to this ClassInfo page from your website or to save it as a bookmark, use:
    http://classinfo.umn.edu/?subject=PA&catalog_nbr=5233&x500=rose0222&term=1173
    To see a URL-only list for use in the Faculty Center URL fields, use:
    http://classinfo.umn.edu/?subject=PA&catalog_nbr=5233&x500=rose0222&term=1173&url=1
    To see this page output as XML, use:
    http://classinfo.umn.edu/?subject=PA&catalog_nbr=5233&x500=rose0222&term=1173&xml=1
    To see this page output as JSON, use:
    http://classinfo.umn.edu/?subject=PA&catalog_nbr=5233&x500=rose0222&term=1173&json=1
    To see this page output as CSV, use:
    http://classinfo.umn.edu/?subject=PA&catalog_nbr=5233&x500=rose0222&term=1173&csv=1
    Schedule Viewer
    8 am
    9 am
    10 am
    11 am
    12 pm
    1 pm
    2 pm
    3 pm
    4 pm
    5 pm
    6 pm
    7 pm
    8 pm
    9 pm
    10 pm
    s
    m
    t
    w
    t
    f
    s
    ?
    Class Title

    ClassInfo created and maintained by the Humphrey School of Public Affairs.

    If you have questions about specific courses, we strongly encourage you to contact the department where the course resides.