Urban Environmental Systems Management

Program Mission 

The mission of the Urban Environmental Systems Management program is to provide an innovative,  professional development education to a diverse student body.  Students learn the interdisciplinary skills needed to assess contemporary environmental issues; catalyze innovative environmental problem solving; uphold environmental and social justice; and engage diverse stakeholders in designing and developing sustainable plans, policies and communities.  Graduates are prepared to take on a range of roles as policy analysts, sustainability consultants, low impact developers, researchers and advocates, collaborating with environmental scientists, policymakers and communities.

 

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In response to the environmental challenges of the 21st century, including climate change, public and private sectors worldwide are seeking to "green" their practices. Today there is an increasing demand for environmental professionals who have a holistic understanding of the complex interactions that lead to environmental problems and are able to collaborate with multiple disciplines to identify and implement sustainable best practices. Pratt Institute's Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment is proud to offer a redesigned 40 credit Master of Science in Urban Environmental Systems Management.  By combining a foundation of theoretical and technical core courses with innovative mini-courses, Pratt offers a uniquely comprehensive curriculum that fosters exposure to "cutting edge" practicing professionals.

Learning Objectives

Through their studies in the Urban Environmental Systems Management program, students will:

 

1. Develop the ability to assess and critically examine environmental issues related to water and air quality, solid waste management, urban energy systems and building performance.
2. Demonstrate a foundational understanding of the legal, economic and regulatory framework of federal, state and New York City environmental policy and review.
3. Learn stakeholder engagement and uphold social and environmental justice while demonstrating the ability to engage in collaborative, interdisciplinary, environmental problem solving.
4. Develop an understanding of sustainable community development.
5. Design sustainable environmental policies and plans with verifiable indicators and metrics.
6. Understand and argue the cost of environmental externalities associated with current economic policy and development.
7. Develop a baseline level of technical proficiency and professional communication skills: written, oral and visual.

 

 

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Contact

Programs for Sustainable Planning and Development
Higgins Hall, Room 206
61 St. James Place
Brooklyn, NY 11238

Jaime Stein, Coordinator, Urban Environmental Systems Management  
Email: jstein9@pratt.edu   
Phone: 718-399-4323

Lacey Tauber, Assistant to the Chair
Email: ltauber@pratt.edu   
Phone: 718-399-4340

 

 

Admissions

APPLY HERE

Admissions Contact Information

• For general questions regarding Admissions, contact the Admissions Office by selecting 'Admissions' on the Main Page's top left tool bar.
• For further questions regarding admisssions to the Urban Environmental Systems Management program, contact Jaime Stein at jstein9@pratt.edu  or 718-399-4323.

Application Deadlines*:

• January 5th for Fall Semester (December 1st recommended for International applicants
• October 1st for Spring Semester (September 1st recommended for International applicants

*Applications will be accepted after deadlines until the program is full.

Open Houses 

Prospective students of the Pratt Institute City & Regional Planning Program, Historic Preservation and Environmental Systems Management are always welcome to drop by on the first Tuesday of each month from 5-8pm (holidays included). 

Location: Higgins Hall North, Room 206D, 61 St. James Place (at Lafayette). Higgins Hall is one block south of the main campus directly south on Hall Street (Hall Street is the same as St. James Place). G train to Clinton/Washington, exit at the back of the train, and Higgins Hall is one block east. 

RSVP preferred: contact ltauber@pratt.edu . Please indicate what program(s) interest you: City & Regional Planning, Historic Preservation, Urban Environmental Systems Management.

Pratt Institute has just been awarded $475,000 by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection for green infrastructure projects on our Brooklyn campus!

Pratt Institute North Hall green roof proposal

Pratt Institute ARC parking lot bioswale proposal

 

From NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg's press release:

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PR- 145-12
April 21, 2012
MAYOR BLOOMBERG AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION COMMISSIONER STRICKLAND AWARD $4.6 MILLION TO PROJECTS THAT WILL PROTECT NEW YORK WATERWAYS
11 Innovative Projects Advance PlaNYC Goals to Improve Stormwater Management
Key Projects Incorporate Green Infrastructure at Bronx Zoo, The New School, Pratt Institute
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Carter Strickland today awarded $4.6 million in grants to community-based green infrastructure projects that will improve the water quality of New York Harbor by reducing combined sewer overflows. The 11 winners of the Green Infrastructure Grant Program represent a key component of the NYC Green Infrastructure Plan – launched by Mayor Bloomberg in 2010 to support PlaNYC’s goals for improved waterways. New York City, like other older urban centers, is largely serviced by a combined sewer system carrying stormwater and wastewater through a single pipe. During heavy storms, the system can exceed its capacity, and must discharge a mix of stormwater and wastewater—called a combined sewer overflow, or CSO—into New York Harbor. The winning projects cover nearly seven acres and will help meet the Green Infrastructure Plan’s core target to capture one inch of rainfall on 10 percent of the City’s impervious surfaces in combined sewer watersheds over 20 years. The winners will provide a total of $3.3 million in matching contributions for their selected projects. Key projects that will receive grants include green roofs at The New School’s Gold University Center building and the flagship campus of Pratt Institute, and a porous pavement parking lot at Bronx Zoo.
“New York City’s waterways are a critical resource that we must preserve, and by investing in these impressive projects, we are committing to improving water quality and meeting our PlaNYC sustainability goals,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “Through creative, cost-effective approaches, we can better manage our stormwater overflows and the City is proud to have partnerships that make these solutions a priority.”
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Pratt Institute
Amount:  $475,167
Location:  200 Willoughby Street, Brooklyn
Pratt has proposed a green roof and porous parking lot on their main Clinton Hill campus, which is within the East River watershed. The North Hall green roof, which houses the campus cafeteria as well as classrooms, will be planted with native species and monitored to measure energy efficiency benefits. The Cannoneer Court Permeable Parking Lot will retrofit the 100 parking space lot with bioswales, trench drains and plantings.  Pratt will monitor the effectiveness of this method as a potential model for citywide parking lot design.  Pratt Institute is providing up to $68,910 in matching funds for the projects.
“Pratt Institute is thrilled and proud to have been awarded funding from the Department of Environmental Protection Green Infrastructure Grant Program,” said Pratt Institute President Thomas F. Schutte. “Students, faculty, and staff throughout the Institute as well as Pratt’s local communities will have the opportunity to participate in all phases of these green infrastructure projects—from design and construction to maintenance and monitoring.”

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The proposal was a collaborative effort between the Institute's Facilities Management team and the Urban Environmental Systems Management program.  The innovative designs are those of Urban Environmental Systems Management Professor Paul Mankiewicz.  Paul's designs and vision continue to be on the leading edge of green infrastructure within the City.  We are delighted to be granted the funds to have his designs implemented on campus.

I also wanted to recognize the very talented UESM students who served as the design team for this proposal.  The winning proposal could not have been completed without the excellent design and concept contributions of UESM students Leonel Lima Ponce, Rosa Munar and Yair Wolff!  Thank you all and congratulations!

A unique component of our proposal is the integration of students, faculty and community at all stages of the projects.  This Summer, design and contractor professionals will work collaboratively with the facilities team, students and faculty to refine and complete each project's design.  Professors Elliott Maltby and Gita Nandan will guide this process during our Summer Green Infrastructure Design & Build course.  Once built the projects will be maintained and monitored by a team of student, Green Infrastructure Fellows.

The projects will also serve as training grounds and classrooms for community based organizations providing green infrastructure training and students from our Center for Continuing and Professional Studies professional certificate in urban green infrastructure.

We will be documenting the progress of these projects on this website, http://www.pratt.edu/esm Follo.w us during this exciting initiative!

 

SUMMER 2012

Highlighted Courses

• Green Infrastructure Design & Build.  faculty: Elliott Maltby & Gita Nandan

The Green Infrastructure Design & Build course will develop the design, in detail, of the winning DEP Green Infrastructure Grant proposal by Pratt PSPD. The proposal includes a green roof for Pratt Institute's North Hall, and a bioswale system to replace a non-functional parking lot at the ARC building, working with the opportunities and constraints of the specific site and client. Through the development of each design, students will understand andapply techniques of construction and implementation, gaining valuable experience of the practical aspects of green right-of-way and green-roof design. 

Learning Objectives:
To understand the complexities of green infrastructure design and construction, within the particulars of New York City and the stormwater management Best Practices discourse. To gain a thorough understanding of the practicalities of green infrastructure and examine the multiple benefits (economic, environmental and social) ascribed to it. Green infrastructure extends far beyond the metrics of stormwater management and has the potential to generate innovative methods to reverse decades of environmental injustice and degradation.

 

• Studio: Sustainable Development.  faculty: Amy Anderson, Jen Becker, Jaime Stein

The Sustainable Business Studio course will introduce students to the concepts of Environmental Management Systems (EMS), providing an opportunity fto work directly with a local New York City manufacturing company to design an EMS based on the ISO 14001 Standard. Students will learn about the various viable approaches to EMS, and gain a more thorough understanding of ISO 14001 in preparation for consultation with the studio client. The studio will then complete the design of an EMS (including a company environmental policy statement, assessed environmental impacts, permitting and compliance, set objectives and targets), culminating with an action plan to be delivered to the client for implementation. Students will have the opportunity to work directly with one of two clients, including metal fabricator/manufacturer Architectural Grille, to gain a clearer understanding of the benefits and challenges of designing and implementing an EMS in a small business setting. This will require in-person client meetings and occasional visits to the factory. In addition, the studio professors will invite guest presenters working in this field to provide further insight into their own experience and the various roles available in the profession today.

 

For more details about each course go to the course catalog and click on Architecture in the Schools column, Grad Center for Planning in the Department column, and in the courses column click on the courses that you are interested in learning more about.