Healthy Buildings (at HSPH)

The way we design and operate buildings plays a central role in our health, due to both the time we spend indoors and the climate-impact of the energy used to power our buildings. This course, cross-listed between Harvard Graduate School of Design and Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, seeks to leverage the science and approaches from each discipline to find building-related solutions to the public health challenges of our time. Students will explore building strategies that can improve indoor air quality, help prevent the spread of airborne infectious disease, reduce exposure to toxic materials, improve thermal resilience, and support overall well-being, while also examining the role buildings play in our energy system, the cascading health impacts of associated air pollution and climate change, and building design and technologies that can support climate mitigation, climate adaptation, and climate resilience. Through a mix of lectures, case studies, hands-on workshops, real-world building assessments, and a final project pairing students from each school, students will engage deeply in a solutions-focused course at the intersection of public health, environmental health, architecture, and design.

Native Americans in the 21st Century: Nation Building II (at HKS)

This community based research course focuses on some of the major issues Native American Indian tribes and nations face in the 21st century. It provides in-depth, hands-on exposure to native development issues, including: sovereignty, economic development, constitutional reform, leadership, health and social welfare, tribal finances, land and water rights, culture and language, religious freedom, and education. In particular, the course emphasizes problem definition, client relationships, and designing and completing a research project for a tribe, tribal department, or those active in Indian Country. The course is devoted primarily to preparation and presentation of a comprehensive research paper based on work with a tribal community. In addition to faculty presentations on topics such as field research methods and problem definition, students will make presentations on their work in progress/near-ultimate findings.

This course is offered by the Havard Kennedy School as DEV-502, and is also jointly listed with the Graduate School of Education as A-102, and the Faculty of Arts and Science as EMR-121, and the Chan School of Public Health as ID-248, and the Graduate School of Design as SES-5427. For students interested in additional courses on Native America please also see HKS DEV-501M “Native Americans in the 21st Century: Nation Building I” (Joseph Kalt and Angela Riley) and GSD SES-5513  “Native Nations and Contemporary Land Use” (Eric Henson).

This course meets at HKS in room Wexner 330. Please see the HKS website for information regarding first class meetings. 

Building Equitable Cities: Policy Tools for Housing and Community Development (at HKS)

An introduction to policymaking in American cities, focusing on economic, demographic, institutional, and political settings. It examines inclusive and equitable economic development and job growth in the context of metropolitan regions and the emerging “new economy.”  Topics include: federal, state, and local government strategies for expanding community economic development and affordable housing opportunities, equitable transit-oriented development and resiliency. Of special concern is the continuing spatial and racial isolation of low-income populations, especially minority populations, in central-city neighborhoods and how suburbanization of employment, reduction in low-skilled jobs, and racial discrimination combine to limit housing and employment opportunities. Current federal policy such as Opportunity Zones and tax credit initiatives will be examined relative to policy goals of addressing communities that have historically been discriminated both by the public and private sectors.  During the semester, students will complete a brief policy memorandum, and participate in a term-long group project exploring policy options to address an urban problem or issue for a specific city.

See the HKS website for shopping period and classroom information.

Philosophy of Technology: From Marx and Heidegger to AI, Genome Editing, and Geoengineering (HKS)

Technology shapes how power is exercised in society, and thereby also shapes how the present changes into the future. Technological innovation is all around us, and new possibilities in fields like artificial intelligence, genome-editing and geoengineering not only reallocate power, but might transform human life itself considerably, to the point of modifying the essence of what it is to be human. While ethical considerations enter prominently, the philosophy of technology is broader than its ethics. It aims to interpret and critically assess the role of technology for human life and guide us to a more thoughtful integration of technology in our individual lives and in public decision making.  This course aims to teach you to do just that, starting with basic stances and key figures in the field and then progressing towards a number of challenges around specific types of technology as they arise for the 21st century. At times it is tech optimism that dominates these debates (sometimes even techno-boosterism that sees technology as key to heaven on earth), at other times it is more low-spirited attitudes from romantic uneasiness to doom-and-gloom Luddism and technology-bashing. A closer look at these attitudes – alongside reflection on how technology and power are intertwined — will help generate a more skeptical attitude towards all of them and contribute to more level-headed debates, which is badly needed.

This course is jointly-listed with HKS as DPI-207.

Students are required to attend a section for this course, time TBD.

See HKS DPI 207 for room information.

Non-GSD students who wish to cross-register should petition through the HKS listing. 

Link to HKS shopping and exam schedules.

 

 

Designing Critical Practices

Today, landscape architecture is a field in active transformation. At a broad scale, the climate crisis is transforming the built and natural environment surrounding us—putting frontline communities at risk of warming, expanding oceans, inland flooding, and pollution, scorching our cities and open spaces, destroying the foundation of global biodiversity, threatening agricultural production, and entirely reconstituting what it means to design for places in the midst of profound and uncertain change. At the same time, shifting market forces, supply chain crises, technological advancements, diversifying client pools, and evolving societal attitudes toward open space are reshaping practice as we know it, rapidly expanding the reach and scope of design services while grappling to value them appropriately.
 
The ground has shifted beneath us, and the way we have practiced landscape architecture for the last century is no longer applicable. Our context requires a new approach, affecting both the work of design and the structure of the business itself. For too long, self-regard and siloed competition across the design fields have prevented us from looking elsewhere for inspiration—but today, emerging professionals and leaders alike have much to learn from the business models, operational structures, and management structures of firms in creative industries, technology, manufacturing, and beyond.
 
The central premise of this course: to prepare students for a changing market, we will honestly examine the current state at play in the design industry, analyzing a wide cross-section of firm typologies and scales, while also looking beyond the field for inspiration. We will investigate these ideas through detailed case studies, guest lectures, workshops, discussions, assignments, and student-led research.
 
The course is divided into two sections (1) Contemporary Landscape Architecture Practice Today and (2) Looking Outside the Field. The first examines methods and structures for practicing landscape architecture today and the second looks outside the field. Students will use the ideas shared during the two modules to imagine alternative frameworks for practice. Throughout the semester, students will be asked to consider both the broader forces affecting design today and real, actionable ways to meet these challenges through practice, culminating in a final project that will be shared and presented to the class for discussion.
 
In-class participation is essential for this seminar. Each section will begin with an in-person workshop designed to orient students with strategies, terminologies, and goals for the content to follow.

This course assumes entry-level familiarity with the basics of professional practice in landscape architecture—including business types, design phases and processes, RFP/Q processes, and other essential elements of contemporary landscape architecture firms. At the beginning of the semester, we will briefly review these fundamentals of practice, including workplace culture, systems, norms, and team hierarchies, in order to set the stage for examining new modes of practice.

Urban Design Principles and Practices

This interdisciplinary course introduces students to urban design including its history, principles and processes, and impacts on people, places, and communities.

Over the course of the semester, students will gain a foundational understanding of the history and evolution of the field and the modes and methods of practice through readings and presentations, conversations with practitioners, interactive class discussions and workshops, and site visits. Students will acquire knowledge about the field, learn about professional resources and tools, and develop skills to navigate and participate in urban design processes and projects.

Throughout the course, we will explore the role of urban design in cities and society. We will consider the actors involved and intersections with architecture, landscape architecture, public policy, real estate development, urban planning, and other disciplines. We will examine the influence of culture and history, economics, and politics, and the benefits of advocacy and public engagement to advance ambitious civic visions and create beautiful, inclusive, and resilient places.

Each student will develop, practice, and refine skills of observation, inquiry, and critique via the semester-long research, evaluation, and documentation of a completed Boston development. Weekly prompts will help students integrate and apply ideas and lessons learned from readings and discussions and communicate them verbally, visually, and in writing. Students will share and discuss their progress with the class via informal presentations and pin-ups throughout the semester. Instructor and peer feedback on these and weekly assignments will contribute to and inform each student’s production of a detailed, illustrated case study about their project which is due at the conclusion of the semester.

This course is open to anyone interested in learning about design and the urban environment. Urban design is, by nature, experiential and visual. Prior experience with design, planning, and visual representation is not required, however a keen curiosity and desire to observe, explore, and learn is expected.
 

Introduction to Real Estate Finance, Development, and Management

Behind every building is a vision.  Discover how to bring yours to life.

Real estate is an exciting and highly entrepreneurial field, where success hinges on the ability to manage projects with skill, diligence, and vision.  This course offers a comprehensive journey through the world of real estate finance, development, and management, using case studies, hands-on financial modeling, and interactive exercises to prepare you to excel in this dynamic field.

You’ll explore the full lifecycle of real estate investments–acquisition, renovation, operation, and disposition–across key property types, including residential, retail, industrial, office, and mixed-use.   You’ll learn how projects get built: from market analysis and site selection to project feasibility and construction.  In addition, you’ll acquire tools of investment analysis and learn how to raise capital through debt and equity partnerships.

Taught by a practitioner in the field, this course equips you with the knowledge and skills to transform your vision into real estate developments and investments that shape communities and create lasting value.

Students who have taken 5204 cannot take this course for credit. 

This course welcomes cross-registered students. Interested students should e-mail the instructional staff at [email protected] and attend the first day of class. Detailed instructions for filing your petition will be provided during class. Petition approval depends on space availability and a review by the instructional staff. Students cannot take both 5291 and 5204 for credit. 

Leadership, Entrepreneurship

This course explores how to conceive, build, and lead successful real estate organizations. Students learn how to create an initial strategy, craft and implement a business plan, manage an organizational culture, and compete in a world in which the only constant is change. The mediating role of ethical standards is emphasized throughout the course, helping students identify specific challenges in real estate settings and strategies to guard against ethical failures.

This module course takes place Tuesday, May 13th through Friday, May 23rd. Enrollment is limited to students in the GSD MRE program.

Negotiation

This course combines evolving academic theory with simulations to teach the concepts and practice of effective multi-party negotiation among developers, owners, governments, community groups, tenants, lenders, and investors.

This module course takes place Tuesday, May 13th through Friday, May 23rd. Enrollment is limited to students in the GSD MRE program.

Leadership, Entrepreneurship

This course explores how to conceive, build, and lead successful real estate organizations. Students learn how to create an initial strategy, craft and implement a business plan, manage an organizational culture, and compete in a world in which the only constant is change. The mediating role of ethical standards is emphasized throughout the course, helping students identify specific challenges in real estate settings and strategies to guard against ethical failures.

This module course takes place Monday, May 18th through Friday, May 29th, 2026. Class does not meet on Memorial Day, Monday, May 25th. Enrollment is limited to students in the GSD MRE program.