Taught By:
Holly Caggiano
Assistant Professor
School of Community and Regional Planning
University of British Columbia
Read profile here.
Motivation for Teaching Social Action:
As an early career faculty member, I am deeply invested in ensuring that my pedagogical training is robust and effective. This course development program offers a unique opportunity to enhance my teaching methods by integrating experiential learning with social action campaigns. The emphasis on social action aligns with both my teaching and research agendas, which focus on climate and energy justice in environmental planning. By participating in this program, I aim to equip my students with the knowledge and skills to drive positive change in their communities as practicing planners.
Course Description:
In the face of compounding global ecological and social inequities, thoughtful planning for environmental sustainability and resilience is a critical area of practice. Our natural and built environments both shape and are shaped by our livelihoods, cultural practices, and basic human needs. Thus, resisting extractive and inequitable environmental degradation requires us collectively to envision and practice new ways of planning. This course will provide a broad overview of the ways in which scholars theorize the many facets of environmental planning and how practitioners implement planning tools in real contexts. Together we will review historical and recent conceptions of environmental planning, examine current and emerging ecological challenges at the local, regional, and global levels, and identify tools to carry forward into future planning practices. We will unpack challenges along the way in a supportive environment, brainstorming creative solutions and learning from each other.
