|
PRIRUS INSTRUCTIONAL MODULE
|
The PSIRUS Sustainable Urban Development Module Four students wonder how to make cities better. Four student are in State Univiversity's popular "The City" course for different reasons. Like many beginning students they are posing excellent questions and have strong values. The steps they take to get answers to their questions form the basis of the three parts to this instructional modules let's get to know them. Soon we will follow them through a series of easy adventures with dazzling results as they learn how to get answers to them. COURTNEY decided to major in Urban Studies because Cupertino, California where she grew up has changed during her lifetime from a sleepy bedroom suburb into a booming high tech center. Web developer are spending much more in her dad's store and Courtney's family feels happy with the economic success of her community. But it takes her an hour and a half to commute to school along a route which would have taken forty minutes when she started high school. She can't afford to rent an apartment near school. The park where she played in primary school is a new up-scale subdivision. Courtney want's to plan cities that recapture some of the qualities and charm she associates with the Cupertino of her youth.. A book she read on "the new urbanism" peaked her interest. She is taking urban planning courses and hopes to become a city planner. JONAH decided to major in geography because he has always loved nature and the outdoors. He feels the natural and built environments are out of synch and wants to learn how to "design with nature" so that humans can live in harmony with the earth. Jonah feels that understanding population growth and urbanization will help him become and effective environmental manager and achieve these ends. SANJOY is majoring in International relations. Growing up in India and Europe Sanjoy has always been fascinated by different countries and the culture of their cities. During high school Sanjoy's family spent one school year in India while his mother worked on her import-export business. Sanjoy was shocked at the enormous growth he witnessed in India's cities. He doesn't think third world cities can continue to growth into "mega cities" without exhausing the agricultural land, water, and other natural resources in their regions. He plans to work in international development with an emphasis on third world economic development. He sees sustainable urban development as a key to success in this area. ELDRIDGE is majoring in Black Studies. He has been fascinated to learn more about African-American culture, but also has a deep concrern with racial and class inequality. Eldridge sees "urban problems" as involving increasingly poor cities populated by people of color surrounded by increasingly affluent white suburbs. He does not believe that current conditions and recent trends are sustainable. Eldridge wants to understand more about how cities work in order to fight for social justice. He hopes to directe a community based nonprofit organization that would empower people of color to achieve a better life. *** How can these students get information to help answer the questions they have? What tools will empower them to analyze information that can make them more effective? A first step is accessing information. Click below to start the adventure.
|
PRIRUS An achronym for the Politcal Science "PS" Department, International Relations "IR" Program, and Urban Studies "US' Program at San Francisco State University where these instructional modules were developed
The new urbanism A current movement in architecture and urban planning emphasizing a return to smaller scale, more humane design values of earlier cities. New urbanists design pedestrian and bicycle-friendly cities, houses with front porches to encourage neighborliness.
Mega-city A city of over 10 million people.
Sustainable urban develop- ment. Development which respects the earth and natural resources and can continue indefinitely into the future |
