Judd Schechtman

Cities are at a crossroads, facing both significant challenges and unparalleled opportunities. From Napoleon's Baron Haussmann's remaking of Paris in the 1800s to climate change and the increasingly severe risk of flooding from hurricanes and sea-level rise, this course explores the evolution and future of urban environments with a focus on sustainability and resilience. We will examine the historical development of cities, including key movements like the City Beautiful movement and Garden Cities, and then explore the impacts of postwar growth, suburban sprawl, and the rise of the automobile on communities and the natural world. The course delves into the contributions of modern architects, such as Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright, and examines the historic battle between Jane Jacobs and Robert Moses, which epitomizes the conflict between community-driven urbanism and top-down planning. Late 20th-century trends such as New Urbanism and Transit-Oriented Development will also be discussed. Students will analyze how segregation, economic and racial justice, and historic preservation shape urban spaces, with a focus on the environmental justice movement and the equal right to a healthy environment. We will also study the intersection of human settlement and natural systems, including water, wastewater, and solid-waste management, before turning to the pressing issue of climate change and urban resilience. By investigating the increasing severity of climate events and their impacts on infrastructure and communities, students will gain the knowledge and skills needed to contribute to the development of sustainable and resilient cities in a rapidly changing world.

The way people move through cities is undergoing a transformation across the globe. As urban populations surge, particularly in developing countries, Millennials and Gen Z are gravitating toward central cities with robust public transportation systems. The rise of cycling, micromobility, and the expansion of bike-sharing and electric scooter systems are reshaping urban mobility. Despite plenty of controversy, we cannot ignore Elon Musk's electrification innovations, as well as sharing economy disruptors such as Uber, offering new possibilities for sustainable urban travel. Cities, however, still grapple with severe congestion, the alarming toll of traffic accidents, and escalating carbon emissions—all of which pose serious threats to our planet. We will delve into key topics such as the design and planning implications of urban sprawl versus compact cities, congestion pricing, transit-oriented development, cycling and pedestrian infrastructure, and public transport systems from light to high-speed rail. We will also address urban design for sustainable streets, such as traffic calming measures and plaza development, as well as emerging technologies including drones and aviation technology. Throughout the course, we will focus on examples from the United States, Europe, Latin America, and Asia, analyzing how global transportation trends influence local communities and contribute to the development of sustainable cities. We will also have field trips within the metro region to explore some of these innovations in New York. You will have the opportunity throughout the semester to conduct research on the transportation history and innovation in a global city. The goal of the class is to equip students with the knowledge and skills to foster green, healthy, sustainable transportation systems and cities for the future.

This course examines the intersection of law, environmental policy, and justice, focusing on the legal frameworks that shape the right to a clean and healthy environment—particularly for historically marginalized communities. The first part of the course explores urban environmental-justice issues, including the history of waste management, housing policy, food justice, access to green spaces, and the legacy of redlining and its ongoing effects on access to resources in urban areas. Students will also address infrastructure challenges and pollution in urban settings, as well as the social and legal dimensions of environmental inequities in cities. In the second half of the course, students will turn to more traditional environmental-justice topics, including the impacts of hazardous and nuclear waste, industrial pollution, energy generation, mining, agriculture, and the long-term effects of environmental disasters. Special attention will be paid to the environmental and legal challenges facing Native American communities, particularly in relation to mining and nuclear waste disposal. Through a study of key environmental legislation—including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), alongside relevant federal and state case law—students will critically assess how environmental laws and policies have shaped the distribution of environmental benefits and burdens, particularly in relation to marginalized communities. As part of the course, students will work on a conference project focused on either an environmental-justice neighborhood in a US city or a historic environmental-justice case study and participate in field trips to industrial and polluted communities in New York City, which will provide firsthand insight into the legal, social, and environmental challenges that these communities face. By the end of the course, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of how environmental law—through both statutes and case law—has addressed disparities and how legal tools can be used to promote more equitable environmental outcomes.