FINAL INTS 3705 Urbanization and Environmental Health
Fall 2009
Prof. Sandy Johnson
[email protected]
Office: Ben Cherrington Hall Room 101C
303-871-6031
Office Hours: Tuesday 4 - 5, weds 9 - 10 or by appointment
Overview:
Rapid urbanization is one of the hallmarks of global development. The pace of urbanization
which marked the end of the 20th century is unprecedented. The new urban landscape is one of
contrast: between the rich and the poor, the clean and the dirty; the healthy and the sicklocal
interests and global interests. Large urban center and megacities are marked by unequal
development. Movement towards urbanization and global integration has brought problems of
environmental degradation, pollution, and deregulation while creating or exacerbating
inequalities and vulnerabilities in the human inhabitants of urban centers. As environmental
health has been challenged, so too has the health of residents of the urban centers.
The response has been community activism drawing upon traditional and untraditional actors.
Community leaders, lawyers, epidemiologists, and public health workers are successfully
challenging power hierarchies and the sense of ‘inevitability’ associated with globalization and
urban decay.
This course will present a framework to analyze the impact of urbanization on environmental
safety and public health in a comparative context of major urban centers in the developed and
developing world and provide a practicum in which to develop cross-disciplinary stratagems for
addressing specific issues of urban environmental blight.
We will examine urbanization through a theoretical framework of human development,
environmental health and environmental law. We will explore how public policy and urban
planning can create short- and long-term impacts on both environmental and human health
outcomes. We will focus on how public health and law inform each other in the formation of
policy and legal challenges which seek to improve environmental health, and outcomes of
community activism. Our specific case studies will look at the megalopolis of Los Angles and
Mexico City.
This class will be taught in conjunction with the Environmental Law clinic. Several weeks will
be spent with students working together with law students to structure health policy and legal
responses to urban health challenges. During this time, we will engage in dialogue with
community activists, public health workers and lawyers currently working on environmental
health issues in California and Mexico.
Goals
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Explore trends in urbanization
Describe health impacts of urbanization common to the developed and developing world.
FINAL •
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Understand physical and social constituents of urban health.
Develop a basic toolkit to identify and describe regulatory frameworks, policy issues and
primary actors involved in environmental and health assessments for urban development.
Where do you get information? Who can grant access? Who enforces rules? How do
you change the rules?
Assess comparative institutional and regulatory frameworks for protection of human
health and regulation of urban environment
Apply lessons in local context
Assessment
Group participation – 10%
Critique of article assessing health outcome – 15%
Group project –35%
Final Paper 40%
Group Participation (10%)
You will be assigned a working group for this practicum. Each group will determine the roles
and responsibilities of the constituent members, and will review each other’s performance.
Short Paper (15%)
You will be asked to critique a study on health outcomes related to urban pollution. Format will
be handed out on Oct. 6.
Group Project (35%)
Korbel students will be divided into small groups with Sturm College of Law Students in order
to evaluate air pollution health impacts and legal issues associated with sitting a hypothetical
municipal waste landfill in the metro Denver area. Teams will represent the Denver Public
Health (government), the landfill operator and a local environmental action group. Korbel
students will be responsible for environmental policy and health assessments whereas Sturm
students will be responsible for legal aspects of the project. Teams will present their research to
the class. Further details will follow.
Final Paper (40%)
You will compare the strengths and weaknesses of the regulatory framework, institutional
capacity, and community organization to respond to environmental health challenges in Mexico
City, Los Angeles, and Denver. This will be a ten page paper which draws upon class readings,
presentations, group work and independent research, and will be handed in lieu of a final exam.
Further details will be handed out in class. Your paper is due BY 2 PM ON NOVEMBER 21.
Any reference sources used in the homework assignments or final paper must be cited following
Chicago Manual of Style or MLA guidelines for social science papers. See
http://www.du.edu/writing/resources.htm . Papers should be typed, double-spaced, with one inch
FINAL margins on all sides using a 12 point font. I have a zero-tolerance policy for plagiarism. This
includes submitting a paper written for a previous class. At minimum, plagiarized work will
result in a failing grade for this class. Please consult your student handbook for DU’s full policy.
The Writing and Research Center is an excellent resource. For further information, or to schedule
an appointment, see http://www.du.edu/writing/student.htm .
No late papers or homework assignments will be accepted.
Class policies
This class entails extensive reading for the first 2/3s of class. During the final 1/3 of class
students are expected to engage in research for group projects and final paper. As the term
progresses, I may substitute or supplement reserved readings. Any changes or additions will be
announced in class. Students are expected to have read the appropriate assignments and be
prepared to discuss and debate every day. I do not expect that you will fully understand the
materials but exposure to them prior to lecture is essential to aid your understanding.
Absenteeism will lower your grade. Should circumstances beyond your control cause you to
miss three or more classes, it is your responsibility t o contact the professor to discuss options for
completing the class. You are responsible for material presented when you are not in class. In
class, students should conduct themselves in a professional and courteous manner, and arrive on
time. Tardiness is not acceptable. If you are more than 15 minutes late, you will be considered
absent.
If you qualify for accommodations, please see me at the beginning of the quarter so that the issue
may be addressed in accordance to University policy. If you have any potential scheduling
conflicts due to religious observances, please see me to two weeks prior to the date in question.
Please talk to me if you have any questions or problems with class materials or assignments.
Office hours are posted and I am available by appointment outside these hours. I can also be
reached via phone (preferred) and email.
All readings are available to students whether or not they are physically able to attend class.
Blackboard provides a forum for electronic communication which may be particularly useful to
project teams and can be accessed remotely. The wiki allows for exchange of documents and
communication between team members. Students should contact the professor in case of illness
should alternative arrangements for work completion be necessary. In accordance with DU
policy, should the professor be unable to attend class, she will notify students electronically.
Further details on class lecture will be presented should such come to pass
Electronic devices including cell-phones, text messengers, Blackberries, and MP3 players
are not permitted in class. I should never see these. Computers are allowed only for the
purpose of note taking or for presentation. If you are found to be surfing the net,
FINAL answering email, etc. you will lose the privilege of having a computer in class, and may be
asked to leave class.
Required Texts:
We will rely on two primary texts and numerous
articles/Chapters. These articles can be found on the
CD provided at the beginning of class. If you have
trouble with your CD rom, notify the instructor.
However, since full citations are given, you are expected
to be able to look up the article through various internet
sources. Do not wait until the last minute to access
articles.
Hynes, H. Patricia and Russ Lopez (eds). 2009. Urban
Health: Readings in the Social, Built, and Physical
Environments of US Cities. Boston: Jones and Bartlett
Publishers.
UNHABITAT. 2008. State of the World’s Cities
2008/2009. London: Earthscan. Available for download
(free) at http://www.unchs.org/categories.asp?catid=557
Minimum requirements for a ‘C’ grade Completion of assigned readings Completion of all assignments Grade of ‘C’ or higher on group project and final paper Participation in class and group discussions; demonstrates preparedness for group presentations and contributes to group Demonstration of technical competence in all assignments Requirements to earn a grade of ‘B’ Successful completion of all requirements for a ‘C’ Take a leadership role in class discussions Demonstrate thoughtfulness and ability to relate materials in class discussion and assignments. Assignments should demonstrate excellence in description and analysis or communication style. Achieve a grade of ‘B’ or higher average on assignments and final paper. Class Schedule
Week 1 - 3: Global Context of Urbanization
Sept. 15 Introduction
• Sassen, Saskia. 2006. “Chapter Two: The
Urban Impact of Economic Globalization” in
Cities in a World Economy. Thousand Oaks
(CA):Pine Forge Press. Page 15 – 44
Sept. 17 Introduction continues
To earn a grade of ‘A’ Fulfill all requirements for a ‘B’ grade Demonstrate mastery of the subject as reflected in class and group discussions, and in assignments. Assignments consistently demonstrate excellence in description, analysis and communication style Achieve an average grade of ‘A’ on assignments and final paper. FINAL •
UNHABITAT. 2008. “Part One: Spatial Harmony: State of the World’s Cities
2008/2009. London: Earthscan. Pages 1 – 47.
o May be downloaded at http://www.unchs.org/categories.asp?catid=557
Sept. 22 Cities and economic development
• Quigley, John. 2009. “Chapter 4: Urbanization, Agglomeration, and Economic
Development” in Michael Spence, Patricia Clarke Annez, Robert Buckley (eds).
Urbanization and Growth. Washington DC. World Bank. Pgs. 115-132
• Hynes text, Article One “ The Age of Extremes: Concentrated Affluence and Poverty
in the Twenty-First Century.”
Sept. 24 Urban Health
• Bluestone, Barry, Mary Huff Stevenson, and Russell Williams. 2008. The Urban
Experience: Economics, Society, and Public Policy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
“Chap. 11: Urban Social Infrastructure” pgs. 372 – 400.
• Hynes text, Article 2 “Health Inequalities in the United States: Prospects and
Solutions” pgs. 37 - 64 .
Sept. 29 Inequality and the urban context
• UNHABITAT. 2008. “Part Two: Social Harmony” in State of the World’s Cities. Pgs. 50
– 89
• Hynes Article 6: “Urban Sprawl and Public Health” pgs. 141 - 168
Oct. 1 Social environment and environmental justice
• Hynes Text, Article 3 “To Mitigate, Resist or Undo: Addressing Structural Influences
on the Health of Urban Populations: pgs. 65 – 78.
• Bullard, Robert and Glenn Johnson. 2000. “Environmental Justice: Grassroots
Activism and Its Impact on Public Policy Decision Making.” Journal of Social Issues
56(3):555-578.
OPTIONAL READING
• Stavenhagen, Rodolfo. 1991. “Human Rights, Democracy and Development in Latin
America” Economic and Industrial Democracy 12
Weeks 4 – 5 Physical Environment
Oct 6 How to read a health report.
• Bell, Michelle et al. 2008. “Vulnerability to heat-related mortality in Latin America: a
case-crossover study in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Santiago, Chile and Mexico City, Mexico.”
International Journal of Epidemiology. 37:796-804.
BRING ARTICLE TO CLASS
Oct. 8 Air Pollution
FINAL •
Hynes text, Article 9 “Health, Wealth, and Air Pollution: Advancing Theory and
Methods” pgs 191 – 216.
Oct 13 Urban Brownfields and toxic waste
• Hynes text, Article 10 “Examining urban Brownfields through the public health
‘Macroscope.” Pgs. 217-236.
Oct 15 Joint Class Intro to Project and Air Pollution
• UN Habitat. 2008. “Part 3:Environmental Harmony” pgs. 122-156
Week 6 – 7 Built Environment
Oct 20 Urban Planning, Housing Construction and health.
• Hynes text, Article 5 “Housing and Health: Time Again for Public Health” pg. 101-128
• UNHabitat, Part 2: Social Harmony (Con’t), pgs. 90 – 108.
Oct 22 Indoor environment
• Hynes text, Article 6 “Indoor Environments and health: Moving into the 21st Century”
pgs. 129-140.
• UNHabitat, Sections 4.1 and 4.5, pgs. 184-195 and 226 - 237
Oct 27 Transportation
UNHabitat. 2008. Sections 3.4-3.6, pgs. 156 - 183
Oct. 29 Climate Change – Its everyone’s business
• Satterthwaite, David. 2008. Climate Change and Urbanization: Effects and
Implications for Urban governance. A report to the United Nations Expert Group
Meeting on Population distribution, Urbanization, Internal Migration and
Development.
Weeks 7 – 10 Joint Project with Law School
Nov 3 Los Angeles Regulatory
Review http://www.aqmd.gov/
Nov 5 Environmental Policy
Review http://www.environmentla.org/
Nov 10 Community Organization
• Drury, Richard T. “Moving a Mountain: The Struggle for Environmental Justice in
Southeast Los Angeles.” Environmental Law Reporter: News & Analysis; May2008,
Vol. 38 Issue 5, p10338-10346, 9p
FINAL Nov. 12 Mexico
• Environmental Monitoring of the North Porto Alegre Landfill, Brazil Author(s):
O. Kuajara, J. C. D. Sanchez, R. A. Ballestrin, E. C. Teixeira Source: Water
Environment Research, Vol. 69, No. 6 (Sep. - Oct., 1997), pp. 1170-1177
Nov. 17 Class Presentations
Nov. 19 Class Presentations
FINAL PAPERS ARE DUE BY 2 PM ON NOVEMBER 21, 2009.