This semester, Environmental Studies (ENVS), the academic arm of the Bailey College of the Environment, is offering a student forum called Constructing Sustainability: Solutions to the Environmental and Housing Crises. The forum aims to equip students with the ability to engage in and think critically about the interdisciplinary nature of the current “affordability” crisis. A major question posed to the class is, “How can we reconcile the pressing reality of the climate and ecological crises with urgent demands for affordable housing?”
The forum’s student leaders, Thalia Witkovsky ‘27 and Luca D’Agruma ‘27, designed the course as an introductory survey of the intersection of the major contemporary issues within the fields of housing, climate, and urban policy. A copy of the syllabus is linked here, if you’re interested in learning more.
From top left to right: Leonardo D., Casey D., Sasha R., Annie W., Thalia W., Elana H., John S., and Sasha L. From bottom left to right: Miles C., Harry F., Luca D., and Brendan B. 
From top left to right: Leonardo D., Casey D., Sasha R., Annie W., Thalia W., Elana H., John S., and Sasha L. From bottom left to right: Miles C., Harry F., Luca D., and Brendan B.
Supervised by Professor Mary Alice Haddad, the forum fills a gap in the environmental studies curriculum by emphasizing technical, financial, policy and advocacy-based solutions that are paving the way forward for sustainable and affordable housing.
So far the class has discussed functions and flaws of both the private and public market, including gentrification and segregation. In debate format, students articulated how “abundance” and “degrowth” theories would address housing, environmental, economic, and social issues.
“Taking Constructing Sustainability has given me the chance to learn, meet, and interact with new like-minded peers…we have built an intellectual community of trust to explore solutions to our pressing climate crisis,” shared Sasha Raskin ‘28. “The new environmental theories and policies I have learned in this class have opened my mind to the impact of development and zoning frameworks, and the many people working to actively improve these frameworks. With the creativity of the authors we have read, as well as my peers in the class, I have more hope that we can find solutions to the climate and housing crises.”
More recently, students have been identifying solutions for and issues with land use, permitting, environmental review, finance, community activism, materials, and energy.
“I’ve loved Constructing Sustainability,” said Casey Dunning-Sorey ‘28. “Our discussions center on solutions that are actively being tried and tested in the real world, giving us the opportunity to have valuable discussions that are relevant to the present day.”
At the end of the course, students will prepare and present a case study of their choosing that deals with a specific solution to any of the themes touched on throughout the semester.
“As a coordinator for Habitat for Humanity, I have seen an extreme lack of education pertaining to the housing crisis,” said Annie Wrubel ‘28. “This class has exposed me to the overwhelming reality of the housing and climate crisis, while preparing me well to develop sustainable solutions.”