Climate Change, Real Estate, and Public Policy [Module 1]

Climate change impacts such as sea level rise, more intense storms, heat waves, droughts, and wildfires are increasingly impacting people and cities worldwide. This interdisciplinary course explores how public and private real estate actors are addressing this challenge. Adaptation approaches such as building retrofits, managed retreat, revised land use regulations and building codes, green and grey infrastructure, and regional climate governance are explored. Mitigation approaches such as building-scale emissions limits and building energy retrofits will also be examined. This course will equip students with analytical frameworks and practical tools to approach the intersection of real estate, public policy, and community needs shaped by climate change.