Sustainable Cities Minor | The New School

Overview

The Sustainable Cities minor is offered through Parsons School of Design.

This minor looks at the social sustainability of urban life, community-based design practices and processes, and the multiple scales of the modern city. In the minor, the environmental resilience of cities is regarded as an essential element of urbanism. Students learn design process and methodologies, including sketching, drawing, and making, along with diverse ways of learning about and engaging in the urban space. The minor anticipates collaborative community-based initiatives and activity, as well as creative explorations at multiple physical and phenomenal scales.

The Sustainable Cities minor requires successful completion of 18 credits across five subject areas, as outlined in the chart below.

Course availability may vary from semester to semester. Some courses may be in development and offered at a later time. Students seeking to pursue alternative coursework to fulfill the minor should consult with their advisors.

Curriculum

Subject Area	Sample Courses	Credits
Studio-Based Skills and Methods	PUFY 1030 Drawing/Imaging* PSDS 2510 Visualizing Urban Change PUFY 1020 Space/Materiality* PUFY 1200 Drawing: Design Drawing in Context* PUFY 1261 Experiments in Visual Storytelling	3
Urban Infrastructure	PSDS 2510 Visualizing Urban Change PUDM 2101 Economics and Ethics of Sustainable Design UENV 2400 Urban Ecology NFDS 4245 Social Justice in the Sustainable Food System UURB 3800 Urban Practice and Design Strategies PSDS 3530 Collab: Cooperating Cities PSDS 2530 Community Supported Textiles NFDS 2957 Zero Food Waste UURB 4510 The Design of Cities UURB 4521 Political Economy of the City UURB 3001 Planning Sustainable Cities UURB 4191 Urban Century	3
History and Theory	PLSD 2100 History of Architecture: Lecture/ PLSD 2101 History of Architecture: Recitation PLSD 2200 Introduction to Architectural Theory Lecture/ PLSD 2201 Introduction to Architectural Theory Recitation PLSD 4008 The Archaeology of New York City: From Manhatta to Manhattan UURB 4524 African Cities PLSD 2003 History & Theory of Temporary Environments UURB 2026 City of Islands UURB 3501 NYC Past Present and Future UURB 2411 Urban Planning, Design, and Social Justice UURB 3871 The Insecure Metropolis	3
Studio / Fieldwork	UURB 3031 City Studio PSCE 3020 Design Build UENV 3200 Spatial Thinking with GIS PSCE 3010 Ephemeral Constructions UURB 3620 Photojournalism and Urban Crisis UURB 3610 Gentrification: Through Media	6
Sustainability and Environmental Issues	UENV 2400 Urban Ecology UENV 3400 Urban Resilience UENV 2000 Environment and Society UENV 3501 Environmental Economics UENV 3750 Green Roof Ecology UENV 3511 Policy Food Systems and Environment UENV 4714 Food and the Environment UURB 4078 Urban Poverty and Inequality PSAM 4830 Landscape and Space PSCE 4100 Restorative Justice in Design PUFY 1100 Sustainable Systems PUFY 1101 Sustainable Systems Practices LSCI 2500 Chemistry of the Environment	3

*Students needing introductory art/design skills are strongly encouraged to choose one of these course options.

Learning Outcomes

A student who has completed this minor should be able to demonstrate:

Competence in describing and responding to design problems in urban settings and ecosystems
Competence in creating and developing visual form in response to design problems, including an understanding of principles of visual organization/composition and application
An understanding of the physical, cognitive, cultural, and social human factors that shape design decisions
An understanding of tools, technologies, and materials, including their roles in the creation, production, and use of visual forms, including both traditional and digital media
An understanding of design history, theory, and criticism
An understanding of basic professional practices, including the ability to organize design projects and to work productively in teams
An understanding of ecological literacy and innovative uses of environmental resources

Eligibility

The Sustainable Cities minor is available to undergraduate students across The New School, with the exception of students enrolled in the BA in Urban Studies.

For questions regarding this minor's curriculum, including requests for course substitutions, please contact the interim point person, Brian McGrath, Professor of Urban Design, at [email protected].

How to Declare or Change a Minor

General guidelines for declaring a minor are available here. Current students can declare or change a minor by logging in to my.newschool.edu, clicking on the Academics tab, and then clicking on the link to Major/Minor Declarations.

Take the Next Step

Contact your Student Success advisor to discuss how a minor will fit with your degree requirements.

Declare or change a minor on my.newschool.edu in the Academics tab.

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Sustainable Cities (Minor)