This course discusses what the government, private sector, and other actors can do to ensure that cities develop sustainably.

Half of the world’s current population lives in urban areas for various reasons, including economic opportunity. However, many city-dwellers face major challenges such as poverty, unemployment and lack of adequate infrastructure. Since urban areas remain central regions for economic development, there is great potential in fixing the aforementioned problems and creating sustainable systems without sacrificing economic output.

By addressing the issues of poor infrastructure and poverty in cities, sustainable development goal (SDG) 11, sustainable cities and communities, can be reached. Created in partnership with the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS), this course explores the issues of poverty and poor infrastructure in cities and presents the impacts of technological innovations on urban systems.

Target Audience
Undergraduate and graduate students in architecture, development and public policy, sustainable development practitioners and private-sector actors in fields relevant to sustainable development and urban planning.

Learning Objectives
To understand what makes up cities in terms of governance, land management and utilities and the humanitarian issues that impact urban areas.