CLIMATE CASE: Subtropical Urbanism

This is a project-based seminar that focuses on applied climate research, examining in detail and through text and drawings the climate changes that are impacting a densified urban center. The work will focus on uncovering current and impending climate threats; how these threats may have been amplified by current urban development; pre-development conditions, ecologies and cultures that might point toward more holistic, multi-species approaches to human habitation; and speculations on a range of tactics that could allow for ways to live with and adapt to ongoing and projected changes in the environment. The seminar will be run as a true collaborative laboratory, with work sessions and research sharing incorporated into seminar meetings.

Among the topics we will cover:
• Governance, jurisdiction, regulation, and stakeholders
• Indigenous history and historical shorelines
• Climate threats: sea level rise, storms, stormwater, wind, heat, biodiversity loss (land, water)
• Past, present, possibility
• Documentation and communication

The work will focus on the bay front of Sarasota, Florida, a subtropical urban center noted for its cultural institutions (Ringling Museum, Architecture Sarasota, etc.), beaches, and outdoor lifestyle. For students eligible to travel, the seminar will include a trip to Sarasota for fieldwork, research, and engaging local experts and stakeholders.

The seminar will be open to students from all departments and programs, including MDes. Drawing skills are required.