Sustainable Cities, Sustainable Universities: Re-Engineering the Campus of Today for the World of Tomorrow

Abstract

On hundreds, if not thousands, of campuses across the world, courses, policies and infrastructure have been designed and revised in the pursuit of sustainability. A similar goal is pursued by as many cities. But, while there are many policies and many projects, how they fit together and contribute to the larger objective is not at all clear. In this paper, the shortcomings of most sustainability programs and projects in campuses and cities are addressed, and it points towards the need to develop a more-historical, holistic and dynamic “ecosystem” approach. This paper offers several models for working in this direction and a brief case study of “sustainable food” at UC Santa Cruz as a preliminary illustration.