SDEV W3410x Urbanization and Sustainable Development 3 pts. The first decade of the 21st Century marked the first time in human history when more of world's population lived in urban as distinct from rural places. It is impossible to achieve sustainable development in a physical, social or economic manner absent an understanding of the powerful and interdependent relationship between these concepts of sustainability and urbanization. This course explores this vital nexus. Students will gain a more detailed understanding of the ways in which urban life provides opportunities and challenges for addressing climate change, access to water and energy efficiency, among other topics. The intention is to provide students majoring in Sustainable Development with an historic and contemporary understanding of the connections between the process of urbanization that now dominates the world and the range of ways in which that process, directly and indirectly, shapes the challenge of sustainable development. Offered in the Fall (even years).