The Valley as Laboratory: Steps Toward a Restorative Urbanism
In this Praxis Lab, students explored the ways cities, like our own, can thrive by focusing on their strengths and addressing underlying challenges. Using the city’s physiology as a metaphor, students diagnosed issues and developed solutions to restore vitality to local spaces, applying principles such as urban acupuncture and urban metabolism.
The course began with a deep dive into the environmental, social, and economic systems that shape cities. Students worked together to identify opportunities for improvement, building on the strengths of their community to create a healthier urban ecology. Building on the success of a previous Praxis Lab, "The Campus as Laboratory," the course led to tangible outcomes, including the addition of food trucks to Marriott Plaza.
Instructors:
Stephen Goldsmith
Sumner Swaner
More Praxis Labs
Infectious Disease on the Run
Margaret P. Battin, PhD
Wendy Hobson-Rohrer, MD
This Praxis Lab examined the history, science, and ethical implications of pandemics, from the Black Plague to COVID-19. Students analyzed how diseases spread, the social and political responses to outbreaks, and the ethical considerations of public health interventions.
How We Die
Margaret P. Battin, PhD
This Praxis Lab explored the evolving landscape of death and dying in the modern world, examining the shift from infectious disease mortality to prolonged battles with degenerative illnesses like cancer, heart failure, and dementia.
Education, Incarceration & Justice: Punishment and Opportunity in an Era of Mass Imprisonment
Erin Castro
Roberto Garcia
This Praxis Lab examined the deep connections between education, incarceration, and justice in the United States, a country with the highest incarceration rate in the world. Students explored the historical and systemic forces that have expanded the carceral state, disproportionately affecting low-income communities and communities of color.