ENGS 45 Sustainable Urban Systems (Berlin)
Today, more than 50% of the world population lives in cities on less than 2% of the planetary surface. This urbanization is expected to remain a megatrend for the next decades. The resulting concentration of infrastructure and activities has created human ecosystems distinct from natural ecosystems, and their future depends not only on their internal sustainability but also on symbiotic interactions with the natural ecosystems on which they ultimately depend. This engineering course addresses the technological aspects of urban sustainability, including energy procurement, energy consumption and green energy, air quality, water supply, use and treatment, building infrastructure, transportation, resource conservation, decarbonization, city planning and the role of automation and information technology in modern sustainable cities. In the context of the triple bottom line (the framework that considers financial, social and environmental impacts), the course further addresses, but to a lesser extent, the aspects of sustainable economics, socio-ethical aspects of urban sustainability and cities as a hub for innovation.