Engineering Possibilities: Decision Science in the Age of Smart Technologies (201-0-1)
Instructors
Amanda Irini Blomberg Stathopoulos
847/491-5629
Tech Institue / Room A335
Office Hours: a-stathopoulos@northwestern.edu
Meeting Info
Technological Institute MG28: Mon, Wed, Fri 10:00AM - 10:50AM
Overview of class
Two-thirds of humanity is expected to live in urban places by 2050. This poses the question of how we can develop our cities; potential for livability, competitiveness, and resilience while coping with the rising costs, inequalities, and depleted availability of space and resources> There is a broad interest in using smart technologies and data-driven solutions to improve life in cities and rethink the cities of tomorrow. This undergraduate course guides students through the many challenging questions related to reshaping cities to become more efficient, sustainable, and equitable, using smart interventions. The course aims to give a holistic understanding of the evaluation steps that urban engineers and scholars need to consider when designing solutions in cities. To be meaningful, proposed urban solutions (e.g. new technologies, data-driven polices, or digital behavioral tools) will be assessed from the perspective of how well they address identified challenges, by studying the evaluation process, and trade-offs, and considering the goals and roles of different groups and stakeholders.
Registration Requirements
MATH 224 or equivalent; CHEM-103 or CHEM-172 or equivalent.
Teaching Method
Two lecture sections (80 minutes).
Class Materials (Required)
The Blue Planet: An Introduction to Earth System Science / Brian J Skinner & Barbara W Murck / ISBN 978-0-471-23643-6 / 2011 / 3rd / John Wiley & Sons