Measures of Green Urbanism Course | IIT Kharagpur | Sustainable Urban Planning

Course Details

Building Sustainable Cities: A Deep Dive into Measures of Green Urbanism

The quest for sustainable urban development is one of the defining challenges of our time. As cities expand, the need for frameworks that balance growth with equity, environmental stewardship, and livability becomes paramount. The course Measures of Green Urbanism, offered by the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, provides a critical and structured exploration of this very challenge. Designed and instructed by Prof. Ankhi Banerjee, this 4-week postgraduate program moves beyond theoretical concepts to focus on the practical metrics, indicators, and benchmarks essential for evaluating and guiding sustainable urban development, particularly in the context of developing nations like India.

Course Overview: Bridging Global Goals with Local Realities

This intensive course is structured around the core principles of Green Urbanism and directly engages with the targets of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. It addresses a critical gap in urban planning: while many sustainable schemes are adopted from developed nations, their success in developing contexts is often limited without proper contextualization. This course emphasizes the need for research that details local problems, lived realities, and indigenous solutions, teaching participants how to modify global indicators to fit specific socio-economic and cultural environments.

Your Instructor: Expertise in Sustainable Urban Development

The course is led by Prof. Ankhi Banerjee, an Associate Professor at the Ranbir & Chitra Gupta School of Infrastructure Design and Management, IIT Kharagpur. With a rich academic background in Architecture, Urban Design, and a doctorate from IIT Kharag, Prof. Banerjee brings both deep theoretical knowledge and practical project experience. Her research portfolio, encompassing housing affordability, urban morphology, livability, and smart urban regeneration, ensures that the course content is both rigorous and relevant to contemporary urban issues in India.

Who Should Enroll?

This course is meticulously designed for a dedicated audience committed to shaping the future of cities:

• Postgraduate Students in Architecture, Urban Planning, Civil Engineering, and Environmental Design.
• Academicians and Researchers focusing on urban studies, sustainability, and housing.
• Professionals working in real estate development, urban consulting, and public policy.
• Practitioners from government and supporting organizations like Urban Local Bodies, CPWD, National Institute of Urban Affairs, and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

A Detailed 4-Week Journey into Green Urbanism

The course is logically sequenced to build from foundational principles to complex, integrated applications.

Week 1: Foundations of Sustainable Measurement

The journey begins by establishing a solid conceptual base. Participants will explore the core principles of Green Urbanism and the four key components of sustainable cities and communities. The week focuses on the crucial task of developing, evaluating, and using performance indicators—the essential tools for measuring progress toward sustainability goals.

Week 2: Decoding Housing Affordability

A sustainable city is an affordable city. Week 2 delves deep into the multifaceted concept of housing affordability. It examines various definitions, measures, and benchmarks, analyzing factors affecting supply and demand. The curriculum extends to related critical issues like household transportation patterns, residential mobility, accessibility, and location choice, culminating in techniques for performance analysis and prioritization.

Week 3: The Social Fabric: Livability and Quality of Life

Sustainability is not just environmental; it is profoundly social. This week investigates the pillars of social sustainability, including livability, social cohesion, and the creation of age-friendly neighborhoods. Participants will learn to measure access to neighborhood infrastructure and develop indices for critical aspects like open space provision and water and waste management.

Week 4: Designing the Compact, Connected City

The course concludes by envisioning the physical form of a sustainable city. Week 4 explores the Compact City model, its concepts, and components. It covers innovative paradigms like the 15-Minute City and Transit-Oriented Development (TOD). The focus is on integrating mobility and public transport into urban design and, most importantly, formulating practical measures and benchmarks to achieve these compact urban forms.

Essential Reading and Industry Recognition

The course draws upon a curated list of seminal texts that blend global scholarship with local policy, including works from Springer, MIT Press, Routledge, and publications from UN Habitat and the Government of India. The curriculum is designed with strong industry support in mind, aligning with the needs of key Indian urban development bodies, making it an invaluable credential for professionals in the public and private sectors.

Conclusion: Equipping the Next Generation of Urban Leaders

The Measures of Green Urbanism course is more than an academic module; it is a toolkit for change. By equipping students, academics, and professionals with the skills to define, measure, and implement sustainability, it empowers them to move from generic planning to context-sensitive, evidence-based urban development. For anyone serious about contributing to the creation of equitable, accessible, and livable cities in India and beyond, this course offers the critical knowledge and frameworks to turn sustainable vision into measurable reality.

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