Dr. Dutta-Koehler featured at BU Conference on Sustainability Research

The recent BU Conference on Sustainability Research featured Dr. Madhu C. Dutta-Koehler, Associate Professor of the Practice and Program Coordinator, City Planning and Urban Affairs.   Dr. Dutta-Koehler participated in the Future Sustainability forum, describing her first-hand experience with smart growth, which has transformed the prospering Jamaica Plain neighborhood over the past ten years. The audience listened as she examined the outcomes of “smart growth” and its affect upon the human experience in Jamaica Plain.

Observational analysis supporting her concerns included a limited ability to see and feel the sky, shrinking capacity to park even one car near your residence, and a degraded Internet connection resulting from less-an-optimal internet infrastructure combined with increased density of users.  In conclusion, Dr. Dutta-Koehler emphasized the ongoing role of vigilant, sustainable planning, especially upon areas seemingly experiencing successful smart growth.

The Conference was sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Earth and Environment, the Pardee School of Global Studies, and the Institute for Sustainable Energy.  Over 100 people attended the conference and its forums, including Measuring Sustainability, Modeling Sustainability, Human Dimensions of Sustainability, and Future Sustainability. The attendees were treated to a lunch and an evening reception during this one-day celebration and analysis of ground-breaking sustainability research.

Watch Dr. Dutta-Koehler’s presentation (above), starting at the 2:22 mark.

– Courtney Thraen (MET’17)