Urban Sprawl to Urban Awe: Welcome Urban and Sustainability Studies!
Taking care of the environment is a part of most Brentwood students' daily lives. Brentwood’s Environmental Action Team (BEAT) constantly promotes a greener school, and often accomplishes its eco-friendly initiatives. Brentwood’s newest and first-of-its-kind course, Urban and Sustainability Studies 12, has hit the ground running in this first term. Students have been applying their embedded ecological thinking to their coursework, learning what it really takes to become a greener city planner.
We began the year learning about the five stages of the design process and how to create and design a sustainable structure. This first unit covered the history of urbanization and how urban design, all the way from Mesopotamia, is still similar today. We applied the knowledge of acquiring resources and safety, and completed many assignments that challenged our thinking skills. Luiza R, Alex ‘26 said, “I really liked playing Settlers of Catan or watching the movie Urbanized. Both activities made what we were learning come to life.” A part of the course is learning about different terms for city planning. For example, Megacity, Mixed-Use Neighbourhood, Urban Sprawl, etc., are all topics covered for students to apply to their studies of different cities across the world. From Bogota to Copenhagen, lessons were taught on how creating more sustainable systems for cities improves well-being for residents.
On October 20th, we ventured into Victoria to study its architecture and apply what we were learning in class in real life. Ms Knorren exclaimed, "I am excited to allow the students to look at cities a little differently. So often, we walk down a street without thinking about the work that goes into what is around us. Today we had the chance to hear from an urban planner and an urban engineer about that work, thought, and creativity." As we roamed around the city, we learned about the intricate details put into creating such an environmentally stable city. Factors like economic opportunities, population, and city appeal all fall into what students have learned and now implement into their thought processes.
Violet G, Hope ‘27, said, “It was fascinating to see what I had learned in class right in front of my face. I can’t believe how many factors go into planning just one building.” As students roamed and listened, all the buildings they passed suddenly had a new meaning. They were able to identify the material used and how well the upkeep of the building was. Simultaneously learning about the city planning of Victoria, these aspiring urban planners took notes on a specific building to then turn that information into their newest upcoming project, making their own city.
In such a short amount of time, we students have learned a multitude of lessons that will forever change our thinking going forward. More and more green initiatives are being promoted in the class that challenge us to brainstorm and create structures and designs.
A huge thank you to Ms Knorren for taking the leap to teach the class and all those who have supported the creation of Urban and Sustainability Studies!
Lila C, Hope ‘26