Past Class Topic 2009

Adaptation to Change

Professors
Dr. Jennifer Evans-Cowley (Ohio State University)
Professor Dr. Bernhard Mueller (Technical University, Dresden, Germany)
Dr. Paulina Schippacasse (Technical University, Dresden, Germany)
Andreas Otto (Technical University, Dresden, Germany)

For 2009, the topic of the class is "Adaptation to Change: Aging as a Challenge to Urban and Regional Development. Columbus, Ohio and Dresden, Germany were case studies for the program."

The idea is to focus on issues that arise as society ages. The U.S. has long had an abundant supply of young people to work in factories, offices, and in other jobs. Both Germany and the United States are facing significant demographic shifts with a growing number of senior citizens. Both Germany and the United States have struggled with how to best address the issues associated with an aging society.  While the United States has a history of urban sprawl, the German development tradition has been historically different, though some sprawled development has begun on the outskirts of urban areas. How do the different housing development patterns impact the ability of metropolitan areas to support an aging society. Issues of how to keep downtown areas active remain critical as well. Examining the changing labor force as well as the power of silver marketing on keeping sales high.

The focus topics are Housing, Economy, Infrastructure, Health Care and Governance.

Click here for this year's syllabus.