ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst

This page contains all the materials related to the Fall 2020 Pandemic Course: Peril & Promise; Urban Planning & Design Implications COVID-19. The slides of every class are accessible below. If you click on the link for the slides, you will find additional materials for that specific class, such as readings.

The idea for this course began at a LARP faculty meeting in Spring 2020. As the impact and scope of the COVID-19 pandemic set in, it was becoming clear that life for students, staff and faculty was about to change, drastically. As we quickly put in place new policies and remote teaching platforms, we also wanted to address the crisis as it impacts each of our lives, personally and professionally. Above all, we wanted to have a way for students and faculty to come together, to support each other and to talk about ways we could address the crisis in “real time”.

Utilizing the department’s extensive experience in regional planning and the design of sustainable cities plus outside speakers (including alumni), each class included a presentation and discussion facilitated by a different instructor. Discussions and assignments emphasized the connections between COVID-19 and important planning/design topics: resilient communities and sustainable design, equity and housing, public space and urban vitality, economy and urban development, social infrastructure, etc.

For more information, please contact: dipasquale@umass.edu.