48
environmental sustainability
The Urban Environmental Systems
Management program is entirely
devoted to urban environmental policy
and systems. “Green development” and
LEED courses augment the Facilities
Management program curriculum.
The Historic Preservation program is
already “greened,” as the most sustain-
able action is to preserve and reuse.
urbanism
In this century as in the last, the major
human force on our planet is migration
to metropolitan areas, while the major
challenge of the present and future is
addressing global warming. Prior city
planning values of aesthetics (as per the
City Beautiful movement of the late 19th
century) and new technology (as per the
City Efficient movement of the mid-20th
century) must now be augmented with
a new City Sustainable movement. The
PSPD is especially committed to realizing
this paradigm on the community as well
as the citywide basis.
social equity and
economic viability
True sustainability considers factors such
as social justice and financial realities.
Advocacy and participatory planning are
core principles, further propelled by the
Livable Cities and the Environmental
Justice movements. Sustainability is
not just a new set of technologies and
standards; it is also a value system.
professionalism and
internships
Relevant employment and internships
are an important component of the
PSPD’s educational approach. Students
entering with work in a relevant
field may earn credits through work
experience/portfolio credit. Unpaid
and paid internships are available.
The resulting variety of professional
experiences enriches seminar discussions
and studio teamwork, provides students
with a wealth of contacts in the field,
and strengthens their job qualifications.
impact
Through internships, partnerships,
studios, demonstrations of professional
competence, and directed research,
students have ample opportunity to
work on real-world and real-time issues.
Successes are illustrated in this catalog
and in the PSPD newsletter. (Check the
websites for each program.) New York’s
history, diversity, and international
character offer a rich training ground for
planners, preservationists, developers,
and sustainability practitioners.
Students graduate equipped with
the technical know-how, collaborative
skills, and critical thinking necessary
to pursue professional careers and plan
for environmental and social justice in
urban places. Alumni play leading roles
in a broad spectrum of jobs in the public,
private, and non-profit sectors.
PSPD courses are offered in the
evenings, except for the Historic
Preservation program’s courses, which
are concentrated on two weekdays
and evenings. This scheduling affords
students maximum flexibility to work
or intern, and affords the PSPD the
ability to tap as faculty the region’s
most accomplished professionals. These
include the founders of community
organizations, executives in development
firms, New York City commissioners,
political leaders, and more.
The PSPD strengthens the research
credentials and sustainability values of
the School of Architecture and Pratt
Institute. In 2009–2010, for instance,
the PSPD was engaged to participate
in the 2035 Economic Sustainability
Master Plan for Long Island, New
York. The PSPD frequently organizes
lectures and conferences on urban
issues. Recent examples are “Affirming
Green: Emerging Trends in Ecological
Design,” and “Art in the Contested City:
A Conference Exploring the Role of the
Arts in Contemporary Struggles Over
Urban Space.” One PSPD professor was
co-curator of the U.S. exhibit at the 2008
Venice Architecture Biennale, “Into the
Open: Positioning Practice.”
the pratt center
The PSPD collaborates closely with
the Pratt Center for Community
Development (www.prattcenter.
net)—one of the nation’s foremost
university-based research and technical
assistance organizations in the service of
disadvantaged communities. A number