Pedagogy 2025

Abstract

‘Sustainable Urbanism’ is an experimental, multi-disciplinary class offered to students attending Syracuse University’s Study Abroad Program in London. Structured around a series of creative projects, the course interrogates a wide spectrum of issues from circular economy, green and blue infrastructure, energy use to climate justice, air quality, and rewilding. It does this through methods including design, architecture, creative writing, sound, performance, history, and filmmaking. Each semester the content changes, reflecting the expertise of its guest tutors. One class may focus on urban soundscapes and the impact of sound on human and animal experience; another on archival material relating to social movements; another on creative writing as a means for understanding the city. The final project is a student-led showcase, in which groups lead a site-specific session exploring environmental subject matter relevant to the local context. Through this challenge the students develop skills in communication of sustainability narratives. Students are required to submit a hand-written journal documenting their experiences of the course and their personal reflections on urban space through a lens of sustainability. These journals are a valuable means for assessing the impact of the course and its longer-term legacy. More than anything, the course aims to provide students the space and time required to generate a deep connection to their environment. This paper describes the process of developing the Sustainable Urbanism course, reflects on the pedagogical testbed it has provided, draws out the challenges faced, and considers if such multi-disciplinary, creative practice can be expanded outside the academy.