Dr. Jonathan Scherch will present this paper at the EcoCity World Summit 2008.  Click here for more details.

Abstract:

In 2007, the author was invited to Dhaka, Bangladesh, amid widespread flooding and political unrest, for meetings and consultations with NGO, business and government leaders involved in sustainable development and poverty alleviation programs. Subsequent visits with residents of densely populated urban slums, factory workers of garment industries, and residents of swamped rural villages reaffirmed the vital importance of interdisciplinary education for sustainability and related agency of integrated resource systems for engaging communities facing complex social, economic and environmental crises. This paper will report on the outcome of educational activities and design strategies for mobilizing urban-rural resources, community and institutional relationships, and shared realities towards low-energy, resource-abundant, carbon-responsible, and culturally-affirmative eco-city development. Implications and recommendations for social work, social change and sustainable community development with at-risk populations are discussed.