Built Environment and Health

How we shape and build our cities has important implications for the health and well-being of people. In this course we explore important linkages between the urban built environment and public health outcomes using ecological, urban planning, and community-based lenses through theory and a series of case studies. We then translate our knowledge of these linkages to propose ecological solutions to issues at the nexus of the built environment and public health.

Trees in the City

This course introduces foundational urban ecological concepts using the specific case of urban trees. The structure of the course is inspired by a recurring organized session of the same name convened at the American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting that has included a wide range of disciplines as well as practitioner and community organizing perspectives to understand the social and ecological implications of urban vegetation. The course aims to cover the same breadth of material. This is a community-engaged course, where we partner with an environmental non-profit located in Los Angeles to identify ways in which we can most effectively create reciprocal value within the organization.

Science Communication

This course focuses on the importance of narrative and storytelling to producing engaging science communication. Using the science of science communication we create science communication materials for diverse audiences that center visual communication, specifically photo and video. Effective science communication can bolster public support of science, inform policy, and transform and improve our science.