GEOG 18 Urbanization and the Environment
Over half the world's population live in urban areas. The 1992 Rio Summit raised awareness of the potentially serious environmental, health, and social implications of continuing urbanization. This course explores the environmental effects of urbanization from an international comparative perspective. How do the environmental consequences of urbanization in the developing world (Global South) differ from those associated with the developed world (Global North)? How are notions of environment socially constructed as "nature" and how does this translate into political action in different places? The course critically assesses the ability of planners to make lasting improvements in the urban environment.