SOC 395D - Housing Practices & Public Policies: Sustainability for Low Income Informal Settlements in the Americas This cross-listed course with the LBJ School of Public Affairs (PA388K), Community and Regional Planning (CRP388), & Latin American Studies (LA381) Spring Semester 2010 Unique Number: SOC = 46603; PA = 62485; CRP = 01512; LAS = 40749 Meeting Time: Wednesdays 9:12:00 Meeting Place SRH: 3.214 Instructor: Peter M Ward, peter.ward@mail.utexas.edu Office SRH 3.228 (LBJ) & BUR 532 (SOC) Office Hours: Th 2:00-:4:00 SRH 3.228 or by appointment 475-8621 with Deborah Holley (471-0289) dsholley@mail.utexas.edu COURSE AIMS AND PURPOSE This research-and-teaching project forms part of the core “Urban Sustainability” doctoral program in the School of Architecture. The class will explore low-cost sustainable technology applications and policy development proposals for installation and retrofitting lower-income homes in the Southern parts of the USA (primarily) and by extension to consolidating and consolidated self-build settlements in Latin American cities. In the USA we will analyze the state of the art relating to sustainable housing and infrastructure applications for lower and lower middle income urban populations in inner urban and first suburb neighborhoods of Austin. The aim is to identify the potential applications for low income self-managed housing in Texas border colonias; in Informal Homestead Subdivisions (IfHSs) in the peri-urban rural hinterlands of metropolitan areas in Texas; and in consolidating and consolidated self-help settlements in Latin American cities. The class is likely to involve some fieldwork in Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and El Paso. Previous policy oriented classes at the LBJ School (Policy Research projects) have explored a number of these topic areas: housing practices in Latin American and Southern US cities; low densities and densification policies for colonias; intermediate technology drainage and wastewater systems. This course will build upon those class materials and will explore best practices and applications for sustainable (low-income) housing development throughout the Americas. While we will examine a number of areas of sustainability our primary task will be to figure out the extent to which significant savings and advances in sustainability can be achieved through sensitive policy development and implementation in the various housing arenas that we are considering. In Southern climatic conditions solar panels (especially) can provide significant energy supplementation. Solar water heating panels, especially, may be expected to generate warm water for household needs, and can be retrofitted to traditional gas water heaters with savings of up to 80% of normal water heating costs. The seminar will investigate what technologies already exist (or are under development) and the potential for their adaptation and production at low cost. It will also examine how such applications might be integrated within new and existing housing structures and lot arrangements (either as roof components or as stand-alone panels in the yard). Associated with the integration of renewable energy components would be insulation technology improvements. All these elements form part of the Obama Administration’s current thinking and stimulus package. What is absent from these discussions is more general thinking about how to develop and provide incentives for widespread applications among poorer neighborhoods; how to develop NGO and local community involvement and participation; and how to embed such initiatives within the statewide and city legislative process. Therefore the primary focus will be on energy efficient applications and self-managed home design and improvements, as well as the wider use of renewable energy technologies in low income housing production and housing rehab. We expect to advance understanding of the opportunities for housing adaptation (and production) of low cost solar panels in order to provide warm water and energy suitable for low-income householder needs in informal homestead subdivisions and colonias. These applications will be set within a broader understanding of the nature of these housing production systems, and other aspects of sustainability in such areas – intermediate technology for drainage and wastewater systems; fiscal sustainability; and social sustainability (mobilization of human capital); judicial (legal) sustainability & inheritance; and how best to introduce such research into the policy and legislative process. All students will need to log onto the Blackboard, since this will be the principal mechanism for information dissemination and group liaison. KEY TEXTS. I do not expect to assign any one particular text, but as you go along part of the task will be to prepare an annotated bibliography of materials consulted in order to provide a master reference list for future work. However, as particular readings of importance are identified, these will be uploaded onto Blackboard to provide efficient access to everyone. Key texts that you should probably consult sooner rather than later are: Peter Ward. 1999. Colonias and Public Policy in Texas and Mexico: Urbanization by Stealth. University of Texas Press. Paperback. $25 +/Steven Moore (ed) 2010. Pragmatic Sustainability: Theoretical and Practical Tools. Routledge. $36 paperback. Not available until February 14. GRADING AND FINAL EXAM. Assessment will be assigned thus: 30% for the contributions to briefing papers, working papers, etc., 70% for class participation and performance; (30% of which half will be on the basis of peer group assessment). COURSE OUTLINE Week Topic 1) Jan 20. Introduction: Class Organization and Goals Overview Lecture: Self-help housing, Irregular Settlements; and Public Policy in Latin America. (Reading = See Document “Readings Week 1”) 2) Jan 27. Innerburbs; Colonias, & Informal Subdivisions – Our Study Arenas Overview Lecture: 1) Colonias in the Texas Border – Comparisons with Mexico 2) Colonias outside of the border – Informal Homestead Subdivisions. (Reading = See Document “Readings Week 2” 3) The innerburbs…& Urban Rehab. ½ day fieldwork – to be arranged. Probably Friday 5th or Saturday 6th. 3) Feb 3rd Preparation of the Preliminary Matrix Identifying the Key Variables Impacting Upon Implementation of Sustainable Techologies In class brainstorming for each urban setting (LA cities, colonias, innerburbs etc.) Deliverable # 1: Summary overview related to the Matrix. (For 9th Feb). 4) Feb 10th Introduction of Arenas of Sustainability Introduction Dwelling applications for renewable energies and energy conservation Site environmental applications Other alternative & low tech approaches towards sustainability: Solid waste management Sewage and Wastewater systems (gray and black water) Group Work Begins 5) Feb 17th Group Progress Reports & Discussion 6) Feb. 24. Group work Continues Drafting of Individual Base Documents and Annotated Bibliographies Deliverable # 2 due Tuesday March 2nd 7) March 3rd Introduction & Overview of the Spheres of Policy Making for Sustainability in Texas & other selected First thoughts - Brainstorming i) ii) iii) iv) Technical & Programmatic (dwelling and site) Fiscal and Financial Judicial/Legal Social & Organizational: NGOs Community mobilization Group assignments & group work begins; data collection. 8) March 10th Group Work and Data Collection Strategies/Search Class meets to discuss progress reports and to describe their research goals and strategies. 9) March 17th No Class Spring Break - but fieldwork can continue if that suits 10) March 24 Class Meeting & Progress Report 11) March 31 “Fieldwork”/ Data Collection & Group Work Continues Drafting of Base Document begins 12) April 7 Class Presentations & Discussion of Base Document (Deliverable # 3) Deliverable # 3 due today 13) April 14: Defining the Matrix and Identification of Suite of Policy Recommendations & Applications In class brainstorming Allocation of tasks by group and aims of final paper and Matrix discussion 14) April 21st Preparation of Final Papers & Deliverable # 4 (continues) 15) April 28th Presentations of Deliverable # 4 14) May 5th Whither (or Wither) Sustainable Housing? Priorities & Future Perspectives and Imperatives Class Discussion and Roundtable with UT experts. PMW 1/14/2010