Urban Energy Systems and Policy
City-scale energy use is the focus of this MIT course, which looks at what cities and individual users can do to cut energy consumption and carbon emissions through policy, technology, economics, and urban planning. Unlike courses that treat energy at a national or international scale, this class narrows in on urban systems: buildings, transportation, and local infrastructure, and the levers available to planners and policymakers working at that level. Materials include MIT OpenCourseWare lecture notes, readings, and assignments covering case studies of urban interventions and the tradeoffs between different policy and technology approaches. The course is designed for students with interest in energy systems, urban planning, or environmental policy, and does not require prior technical background beyond general coursework. As with other MIT OpenCourseWare offerings, all course materials are free to access and there is no certificate.