Urban Sustainability

Instructor: Daniel Warshawsky
Office: Hancock B56C
Office Hours: MW 3-5pm or by appointment
Phone: 213-740-2876
Email: warshaws@usc.edu

Food Studies 2000x: Urban Sustainability
Fall 2011, Tuesday and Thursday 2-3pm, Taper Hall 201

The twenty-first century is commonly known as the urban century, as more people live in cities than
ever before in human history. However, urbanization has been associated with the emergence of new
urban challenges, such as growth of informal settlements, inadequate access to water and food, lack of
healthy living spaces, climate change, and the energy crisis. Very often, urban sustainability is listed as
one of society’s key challenges, as scholars, policy makers, and residents struggle to balance economic,
social, and environmental concerns. The purpose of this course is to introduce students to these
conceptual debates and the real world case studies which urban residents confront. The first half of this
course exposes students to the various issues and theories which scholars and policymakers have used to
conceptualize urban sustainability. The second half of this course uses real-world case studies from the
Global North and the Global South as a way to investigate daily life in contemporary cities with a focus
on health, nutrition, and food insecurity. In addition to the midterm and final examinations, students will
be required to write two course papers, with independent research a core component of the final paper.

Course Objectives
• Understand the different ways of conceptualizing urban sustainability
• Recognize the real world challenges to produce sustainable cities
• Understand concepts of authorship and representation when analyzing texts
• Develop independent research skills

Required Texts
• Wheeler, S. and Beatley, T. 2009. The Sustainable Urban Development Reader. 2nd edition. London:
Routledge.
• Beall, J. and Fox, S. 2010. Cities and Development. London: Routledge.
• Koc, M., MacRae, R., Mougeot, L. J. A., and Welsh, J. 1999. For Hunger Proof Cities. Ottawa, CA:
International Development Research Centre.
• Cohen, M. J. and Clapp, J. 2009. The Global Food Crisis: Governance Challenges and Opportunities.
Waterloo, Canada: Wilfrid Laurier University Press.
• A course reader will be available at the bookstore.

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Course Schedule

COURSE PART I: CONCEPTUALIZING URBAN SUSTAINABILITY

August 26 and August 31: Introduction

Wheeler, S. and Beatley, T. 2009. The Sustainable Urban Development Reader. 2nd edition. London:
Routledge. pp. 1-34.

Beall, J. and Fox, S. 2010. Cities and Development. London: Routledge. pp. 22-54.

Vos, R. O. 2007. “Defining sustainability: a conceptual orientation.” Perspective in Journal of Chemical
Technology and Biotechnology 82 (4): 334-339.

Sneddon, C. S. 2000. “‘Sustainability’ in Ecological Economics, Ecology and Livelihoods: A Review.”
Progress in Human Geography 24 (4): 521-549.

September 2 and September 7: Sustainable Cities in a Global Perspective



Satterthwaite, D. 2004. “The Key Issues and the Works Included.” The Earthscan Reader in Sustainable
Cities. Satterthwaite, D., ed. London: Earthscan. pp. 3-22.

McGranahan, D. and Satterthwaite, D. 2003. “Urban Centers: An Assessment of Sustainability.” Annual
Review of Environmental Resources 28 (1): 243-274.

September 9 and September 14: City Growth and Land Development

Routledge. pp. 67-110 and 157-178.


Logan, J. R. and Molotch, H. 1978. Urban Fortunes: The Political Economy of Place. Berkeley:
University of California Press. pp. 1-45.

Peterson, P. E., Stone, C. N., and Sharp, E. B. 2005. “The Political Economy of Cities,” American
Urban Politics: The Reader. 4th edition. Judd, D. R. and Kantor, P., eds. New York: Longman. pp. 25-
87

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September 16 and September 21: Appropriation of Nature


Cronon, W. 1996. “The Trouble with Wilderness: Or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature.”
Environmental History 1 (1): 7-28.

Wolch, J. 1996. “Zoopolis.” Capitalism, Nature, and Socialism 7 (2): 21-47.

Lenzen, M. and Peters, G. M. 2010. “How City Dwellers Affect Their Resource Hinterland: a Spatial
Impact Study of Australian Households.” Journal of Industrial Ecology 14 (1): 73-90.

September 23 and September 28: Nature in Cities and Cities in Nature



Hough, M. 1995. Cities and Natural Process. London: Routledge. pp. 100-202.

Robertson, M. M. 2004. “The Neoliberalization of Eco-system Services: Wetland Mitigation and
Problems in Environmental Governance.” Geoforum 35 (3): 361-373.

September 30 and October 5: Urban Consumption


Princen, T. 2002. “Consumption and Its Externalities: Where Economy Meets Ecology.” Confronting
Consumption. Princen, T., Maniates, M. and Conca, K., eds. Cambridge: MIT Press. pp. 23-42.

Conca, K. 2002. “Consumption and Environment in a Global Economy.” Confronting Consumption.
Princen, T., Maniates, M. and Conca, K., eds. Cambridge: MIT Press. pp. 133-153.

Robbins, P. and Sharp, J. T. 2003. “Producing and Consuming Chemicals: The Moral Economy of the
American Lawn.” Economic Geography. 79 (4): 425-451.

October 7 and October 12: Urban Metabolism


Xuemai, B. 2007. “Industrial Ecology and the Global Impacts of Cities.” Journal of Industrial Ecology.
11 (2): 1-6.

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Brunner, P. H. 2007. “Reshaping Urban Metabolism.” Journal of Industrial Ecology 11 (2): 11-13.

Leach, M. A., Bauen, A., and Lucas, N. J .D. 1997. “A Systems Approach to Materials Flows in
Sustainable Cities: A Case Study of Paper.” Journal of Environmental Planning and Management 40
(1): 7034-723.

October 14: Midterm Exam

COURSE PART II: SUSTAINABLE SPACES & PLACES: FOCUS ON FOOD AND HEALTH

October 19 and October 21: Environmental Justice and Human Health in the Global North


Bullard, R. D. 2005. The Quest for Environmental Justice: Human Rights and the Politics of Pollution.
Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 1-67.

Koc, M., MacRae, R., Mougeot, L. J. A., and Welsh, J. 1999. For Hunger Proof Cities. Ottawa, Canada:
International Development Research Centre. pp. 1-64.

Pulido, L., Sidawi, S., and Vos, R. O. 1996. “An Archeology of Environmental Racism in Los Angeles.”
Urban Geography 17 (5): 419-439.

Boone, C. G., Buckley, G. L., Grove, J., and Morgan, S. 2009. “Parks and People: An Environmental
Justice Inquiry in Baltimore, Maryland.” Annals of the Association of American Geographers 99 (4):
767-787.

October 26 and October 28: Measuring Green Sustainability Initiatives in the Global North


Wolch, J. 2007. “Green Urban Worlds.” Association of American Geographers 97 (2): 373-384.

Pastor, Jr., M., Lopez-Garza, M., Dreier, P., and Grigsby, III, J. E. 2000. Regions that Work: How Cities
and Suburbs Can Grow Together. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. pp. 1-24 and 95-140.

McEvoy, D., Gibbs, D. C., and Longhurst, J. W. S. 2000. “The Employment Implications of a Low-
Carbon Economy. Sustainable Development 8 (1): 27-38.

November 2 and November 4: Local Sustainable Food Initiatives in the Global North

Gottlieb, R. and Joshi, A. 2010. Food Justice. Cambridge: MIT Press. pp. 1-54.

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Winne, M. 2008. Closing the Food Gap. Boston: Beacon Press. pp. 37-84.

Block, D. and Kouba, J. 2006. “A Comparison of the Availability and Affordability of a Market Basket
in Two Communities in the Chicago Area.” Public Health Nutrition 9 (7): 837–845.

November 9 and November 11: Food Flows, Sustainability, and Development in the Global South

Potter, R. B., Binns, T., Elliott, J. A., and Smith, D. 2009. “Globalization, Development, and
Underdevelopment.” Geographies of Development. Harlow, England: Pearson. pp. 126-180.

Power, M. 2004. “Illuminating the Dark Side of Development” and “Resisting the Temptations of
Remedies, Mirages, and Fairy-Tales.” Rethinking Development Geographies. London: Routledge. pp.
20-44 and 219-235.

Crush, J. 1995. “Introduction: Power of Development.” Power of Development. Crush, J., ed. London:

Cohen, M. J. and Clapp, J. 2009. The Global Food Crisis: Governance Challenges and Opportunities.
Waterloo, Canada: Wilfrid Laurier University Press. pp. 1-58.

November 16 and November 18: Sustainability from the Perspective of the Urban Slum


Davis, M. 2006. Planet of Slums. New York: Verso. pp. 1-49.

Potter, R. B., Binns, T., Elliott, J. A., and Smith, D. 2009. “Resources and the Environment”
Geographies of Development. Harlow, England: Pearson. pp. 227-267.

November 23: Week of Thanksgiving, Growing Sustainability through Film

Kennedy, S. H. 2008. The Garden. Black Valley Films.

November 30 and December 2: Local Sustainable Food Initiatives in the Global South

Lourenco-Lindell, I. 2001. “Social Networks and Urban Vulnerability to Hunger.” Associational Life in
African Cities. Tostensen, A., Tvedten, I., and Vaa, M., eds. Stockholm: Nordiska Afrikainstitutet. pp.
30-45.

Tinker, I. 1997. “The Street Food Project: Influencing Development.” Street Foods. Oxford: Oxford
University Press. pp. 147-195.

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Lynch, K. 2005. “Food.” Rural-Urban Interaction in the Developing World. London: Routledge. pp. 35-
67.

Desai, A. 2002. We Are the Poors. New York: Monthly Review Press. pp. 7-40.

December 7 and 9: City Growth, Climate Change, and Sustainability in Peril

McGranahan, G., Balk, D., and Anderson, B. 2007. “The Rising Tide Assessing the Risks of Climate
Change and Human Settlements in Low Elevation Coastal Zones.” Environment and Urbanization
19 (1): 17-37.

Bulkeley, H. and Betsill, M. 2005. “Rethinking Sustainable Cities: Multilevel Governance and the
'Urban' Politics of Climate Change.” Environmental Politics 14(1): 42-63.

Cohen, M. J. and Clapp, J. 2009. The Global Food Crisis: Governance Challenges and Opportunities.
Waterloo, Canada: Wilfrid Laurier University Press. pp. 129-178.


December 14: Student Paper Presentations

December 20: Final Exam

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Course Assessment
Attendance and Participation (10 percent)
Discussion will be an important part of the class, so you should come to class prepared with comments
and questions. Readings should be completed before coming to class to ensure that time is used as
wisely as possible. Class attendance is mandatory. If you need to miss class for a health reason or family
emergency, you must present a documented excuse within a week of missing that class.

Short Class Paper (15 percent): Due October 7
Students will be asked to write a short 5 page paper comparing the various theoretical approaches to
understanding urban sustainability. More details will be available once the paper assignment has been
provided to students.

Long Research Paper (30 percent): Due November 30
Students will be asked to analyze one aspect of life in a world region using class materials and library
resources to support their argument. This paper should be 10 pages long and should focus on a key
urban sustainability issue. Topic choice is flexible; however, students must have their paper topics
approved by the instructor. Students will present their research findings to the class at the end of the
semester. More details will be available once the paper assignment has been provided to students after
the midterm.

Midterm Exam (20 percent): October 14
The midterm exam will consist of short and long essays based on material covered in the first half of the
class.

Final Exam (25 percent): December 20
The final exam will consist of short and long essays based on material covered in the second half of the
class.

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Urban Sustainability

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