Environmental Policy and Planning sPring 07
Department of Urban Studies and Planning Massachusetts Institute of Technology web.mit.edu/dusp/epp
News and Views EPP International Environmental Practicum: Environmental Justice and The Energy Efficient City: As I’m sure you know, MIT has launched an Energy Initiative -- mainly a research program Water Resources in South Africa designed to attract substantial corporate funding. While it is supposed to cover the gamut of energy issues, a number of us in the School of Architecture and Planning feel that the effort thus far has underplayed the importance of strategies for reducing the demand for and the environmental impacts of energy development. That’s why the School-wide Committee appointed by Dean Santos has proposed something called Designing the Energy Efficient City. We feel that our School should take the lead on the campus in pressing for research, teaching and policy interventions focused on reducing the demand for fossil fuels by showing how the design of buildings, city districts, metropolitan areas and even larger regions can substantially reduce the demand for energy and the environmental impacts of energy development
The Energy Efficient City Initiative will begin with a China Resevoir of the Ethekwini Water and Sanitation Programme in Durban, South Africa. credit: Ethekwini Water and Sanitation Programme Project, a Renewable Energy Project, an on-going Campus Project and an interdisciplinary research effort aimed at EPP is sponsoring a practicum on environmental justice and extending the technology focus of the green building design water resources in South Africa next spring and summer. Students work already underway in the School of Architecture and picture 2 enrolled in the practicum will engage in preparatory work Planning. The China Project will focus on a section of Bejing during the spring semester at MIT, followed by approximately and examine ways in which changes in the approaches to four weeks of fieldwork in the vicinity of Durban, South Africa’s city design and development might reduce the demand for second largest city. Practicum students will be responsible for energy. collecting primary data, analyzing the data, and developing The Campus Project will focus on ways in which we can a report that details the potential benefits and constraints of experiment with new technologies and tools (like better the choices made by a municipality with respect to their water life cycle analysis) can reduce energy demand on the MIT supply and sanitation services. The students also will analyze continued on page 2 continued on page 6 Inside Lori Ribeiro working in Renewable Energy...... 3 Catherine Ashcraft in the Field...... 10 MUSIC update...... 4 Awards ...... 11 Zoe Wilson, Visiting Lecturer ...... 6 Recent Dissertation and Theses...... 11 Incoming EPP Students...... 7 Energy and the Environment Class...... 8 Susskind Receieves Global Environment Award.... 12 Navajo Peacemaking and Natural Resources...... 9 Spring 2007 News and Views Continued from page 1
studios. The Renewable Energy Project is one that will be of EPP is one of the four program groups in the Department. special interest to students in EPP. A number of states have The EPP faculty works hard to ensure continuity in the basic recently adopted policies requiring all electricity suppliers undergraduate and graduate courses offered each year for SB, within their border to commit to a goal of supplying 20% of all MCP and PHD students. If everyone on the faculty only gave the electricity from non-polluting sources by 2020. Unfortunately, courses he or she wanted to teach each year, students would this goal has mostly been adopted on the grounds that it is a never be able to pursue a planned course of study. So, it is up worthwhile objective with little or no analysis of the desirability to the Program groups to ensure that a sequence of courses is or impacts of various options for achieving the 2020 goal. always available, regardless of who may be on leave. Program groups lobby the Department for the funds required to make We propose to team up with the systems dynamics group at replacement appointments when someone is away. Sloan as well as members of the School of Engineering who work on renewable energy assessment to do the modeling EPP organizes a range of informal activities throughout the year and policy analysis that should have preceded the adoption designed to build community among students, faculty and of such policies. In addition, we propose to organize regional staff with environment/sustainable development/renewable policy dialogues (that would be informed by our analysis), energy interests. We also make sure that there are sufficient so that a wide range of stakeholders can be involved in thesis advisors to go around for EPP students. We raise research considering the policy options available. All this will depend, funds to support incoming and returning EPP students who of course, on whether our School is allocated any of the “seed need financial aid. DUSP aid for MCP students in EPP is more money” currently being sought from large corporate donors than doubled by the funds generated by the EPP faculty. EPP who are being asked to underwrite the MIT Energy Initiative. also helps students make connections to EPP alumni who can assist them in their job searches. We communicate what students and faculty are doing so that the rest of the campus Net-Energy Producing Houses: Bill and Margot Moomaw as well as potential applicants and colleagues around the world gave a great presentation at the EPP Luncheon Series a few know about our work. weeks ago describing their efforts to build a seriously energy efficient house (in Western Massachusetts). EPP faculty makes sure that there is someone available to meet with all potential applicants to MIT with environmental Bill is a Professor of Environmental Policy at Tufts (and a interests. We review applications folders, and try to admit MCP chemist). Margot has been involved in the health planning and PHDs students who, together, will constitute a sufficient field for many years. It took a enormously focused effort on community to justify the courses and the research activities we their part to find contractors willing to work with the super- have in place. If we count Associated EPP faculty (like Michael energy-efficient materials that Bill and Margot selected. They Flaxman who is also a mainstay of UIS, Anne Spirn, Eran Ben also insisted that all work on the house had to be undertaken Joseph, and Terry Szold who are part of CDD, and Nic Ashford with solar powered tools. In the end, they have built a house who is on the TPP faculty) we are a group of 10. We need to that is a net-energy producing structure. They walked us meet regularly to pay attention to cross-cutting interests like through the steps in their design and investment decisions and the new EPP Certificate Program. While students in DUSP are told us about the homework required to inform their choices. admitted through Program Groups and then encouraged They have set the standard in Massachusetts for LEED Platinum to become part of more than one or none at all, once they home design (by an individual home builder). It is incredibly arrive at MIT, the EPP faculty needs to commit substantial exciting to see what can be accomplished when someone administrative and personal time to ensuring that the group sets their mind to the goal of building net-energy producing functions effectively. While it makes increasing sense to work houses! on projects, teach certain courses, and encourage interventions Reflections on Program Groups in the Department of Urban that cut across program group interests, there wouldn’t be Studies and Planning. Some people think Program groups anything to cut across if we didn’t work equally hard to meet create boundaries and obstacles for students who want to our program group obligations. While we need to make sure pursue cross-cutting themes. While I don’t think any student that the Program Groups don’t create obstacles to creative should be restricted from taking course work in as many inquiry or department-wide collaboration, students and faculty program areas as they like, we should not lose sight of the need to pitch in to make sure that Program Groups like EPP do important role Program groups play. the important tasks assigned to them.
environmental policy and Planning Lori Robeiro Working on Renewable Energy
Lori was pleased to speak at an EPP Career Forum in May to share her experiences. Although it was very difficult to complete a one-year program at DUSP as a single working parent, Lori sees the benefits in her daily work and is grateful that she had the opportunity. She can be reached at lribeiro@ bluewavestrategies.com .
Lori Robeiro stands next to the City of Brockton’s Brownfields to Brightfields which is New England’s largest solar energy generating station. Lori Ribeiro completed her Master of Science from EPP in August 2006. Her thesis was entitled, “Does it have to be so complicated? Municipal renewable energy projects in Massachusetts.” Lori had direct experience through several years she had invested in developing the City of Brockton’s Brownfields to Brightfields project. In September 2006, Brockton completed installation of New England’s largest solar energy generating station – or Brightfield – on a former manufactured gas plant brownfield site.
Lori is now working half time as a senior consultant at BlueWave Strategies in Boston where she is consulting with several renewable energy clients. Her first project was to help Evergreen Solar, a Massachusetts manufacturer of solar panels, to work with the state to develop and advocate for a set of policy reform and financial incentives necessary to create a robust marketplace for solar energy generation in Massachusetts. She Above: City of Brockton’s Brownfields to Brightfields which is New is also consulting to a private company seeking to install two England’s largest solar energy generating station. Photo Credit: Schott wind turbines for onsite generation, a wind project developer, Solar and a tidal energy startup company. She has spoken to the Below: Brightfields Site Plan Massachusetts Municipal Association’s Environmental Policy Committee and testified before the state legislature on necessary policy reforms, using her thesis recommendations as the basis of her presentation.
In the other half of her time, Lori is working with the Cambridge Energy Alliance, a new nonprofit organization formed in partnership between the Kendall Foundation and the City of Cambridge to carry out a first-in-the-nation level of energy efficiency measures in a single city. Over the next five years, the Cambridge Energy Alliance will perform a $100+ million energy efficiency implementation effort, while also installing, where feasible, new renewable and clean energy generation, and technologies that curb electricity use during peak demand periods. She is very excited to be working directly with MIT, Harvard and Whole Foods Markets. Lori is also working with the City of Boston to help develop a similar program. Spring 2007 MUSIC Update
MUSIC interns, faculty, and affliates with USGS senior staff Mark Meyers, Barbara Ryan. and Bruce Jones.
Meeting Between USGS Director and MIT President MUSIC Interns Spring was another busy semester for MUSIC. A visit by the Congratulations to Alexis Shulman, Chris Lyddy, Katherine USGS Director, Mark Myers, Associate Director for Geography, Wallace, and Sharlene Leurig on completing their MCP Barbara Ryan, and Chief Scientist for Geography, Bruce Jones program. As have MUSIC interns before them, they have helped highlighted the spring. They met with President Susan enormously to build and evolve MUSIC. We will welcome two Hockfield, Dean of the School of Architecture and Planning, new interns, Allison Lassiter and Jennifer Edwards, in the fall. Adele Santos, Chair of the Department of Urban Studies and Allison is interested in conservation biology and Jennifer in Planning, Larry Vale and MUSIC co-directors Larry Susskind energy. They will join returning second year interns, Tijs van and Herman Karl to discuss the future of MUSIC at MIT. USGS Maasakkers, Siobhan Watson, Beth Williams, and Mimi Zhang. confirmed its commitment to develop and sustain MUSIC and Tijs has been accepted into the DUSP Ph.D. program. He MIT sees it as an important vehicle for integrating science more will join Beaudry Kock and Hye Yeon Park (a student in the effectively into policy making.L arry and Herman presented the Engineering Systems Division working with MUSIC) as MUSIC MUSIC program and the process of training of a new class of doctoral researchers. environmental professional—the Science Impact Coordinator.
Following the meeting, the USGS leaders spent the day reviewing MUSIC projects. After the project review, MUSIC interns and affiliates and invited MIT faculty and guests gathered for lunch at the MIT faculty club with the USGS leaders. After lunch, Mark, Barb and Bruce participated in 11.375, “Role of Science and Scientists in Collaborative Approaches to Environmental Policymaking,” sharing their views on the role of science in policymaking with the students. Charles Curtin, MUSIC Scholar-in-Residence, teaches 11.375 with Herman and David Mattson, who will begin his MUSIC Scholar residency in fall 2007, participated in the seminar discussion. Chris Lyddy and Beth Williams present their research on the Cooperative Sagebrush Initiative to USGS senior staff on May 3rd. Bruce Jones (right) and Barbara Ryan MUSIC Faculty (left) give Judy Layzer and Herman Karl attended the National Conference feedback to MUSIC Interns on Ecosystem Restoration in Kansas City in April. Judy gave a talk, during the poster “Natural Experiments: The Politics of Ecosystem Management session in which in the U.S.”, which was based on extensive research conducted Interns presented for her forthcoming book “Natural Experiments: Ecosystem their research Management and the Environment.” Herman moderated the projects. session, “Planning III—Cooperation.” Photo credit: Xenia Kumph
environmental policy and Planning Talks and Lectures Projects MUSIC hosted two distinguished guests as EPP luncheon Marisa Arpels, a MUSIC Affiliate, has begun conducting a speakers. Bruce McCloskey, Director of the Colorado Division stakeholder assessment in cooperation with the Eastern Mystic of Wildlife spoke on “Energy Development and Wildlife Watershed Alliance (EMWA). It aims to assess the possibility of a Management in the Western U.S.” Bruce used the Cooperative multi-stakeholder collaboration on the lower part of the Mystic Sagebrush (CSI) Initiative to illustrate and discuss a new River. The Eastern Mystic River is a heavily urbanized watershed collaborative model of governance for natural resources. CSI is that suffers from a long history of industrial pollution, urban a citizen-driven, private sector-financed stakeholder process to non-point and point source pollution and combined sewer restore the sagebrush ecosystem across eleven western states. outflows. a director of the Sand County Foundation, presented “Examples Tijs van Maasakkers, Siohban Watson, and Marisa Arpels will of Collaborative Conservation Illustrating a Shift Toward conduct research on the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley Community and Cooperation.” Ed presented several cases that project during the summer. Tijs will also continue research illustrated the effectiveness of collaborative approaches to on the eastern Washington State project with the Bureau of conservation and ecosystem management contrasting these Reclamation. with more traditional regulatory approaches. Ed also lectured in Herman Karl’s seminar on the Cooperative Sagebrush Initiative, Students in 11.375 and MUSIC interns made two field trips to which he was instrumental in conceiving and initiating. coastal Maine to conduct background research as part of the Gulf of Maine project. These trips were arranged and guided by Jennifer Atkinson of the Quebec Labrador Foundation. We met with fisherman and other relevant stakeholders to assess International Activity the potential of a collaborative process to begin to develop Adrrian Slob and Gerald Jan Ellen, of the Dutch science an integrated terrestrial and marine ecosystem management organization TNO, visited MIT in January to discuss a partnership approach to coastal and marine resources and environmental between TNO and MUSIC and USGS. This initial discussion set policy issues. The project will expand with the inclusion of Prof. the stage for a meeting with Dick Schmidt, Director General Les Kaufmann of Boston University and other actors active in of the TNO Built Environment and Geosciences, and Mart van Gulf of Maine fisheries issues. Bracht, Director of the Netherlands Geological Survey, in May It is anticipated that we will start a project with the Blue H in the Netherlands. Herman is returning to the Netherlands Group, a private company, to design and implement a process in June to refine the specifics of the partnership, which of joint fact finding as part of their application to site a deep- would include jointly funded comparative projects and the water wind farm off Massachusetts. This will be in cooperation exchange of students and personnel. Herman combined the with CBI. Blue H Group has had preliminary meetings with the May meetings with his participation in the second “Living With State and the U.S. Coast Guard. Sediments” workshop held in Epen, the Netherlands.
Charles Curtin met with representatives of UNESCO at the UN in May. UNESCO wanted to know if MUSIC could host a meeting of Scholars-in-Residence North American biosphere reserves next fall. This would be an In the fall, David Mattson, USGS research scientist, and Marilyn excellent way of building a relationship between UNESCO, the Tenbrink, chief, Water Diagnostic Branch, USEPA, be MUSIC Resilience Institute in Stockholm (another partnership being Scholars-in-Residence. David and Marilyn will spend the fall negotiated), and MIT. The biosphere reserve concept is closely and spring semesters with MUSIC. aligned with the approach to resource management taken by MUSIC at the National level.
Herman Karl is participating in the second “Numerical Modeling and Policy Interface” workshop in Nottingham, UK in June. While in England he will meet with Prof. Sue White of Cranfield University to discuss the training of interdisciplinarians (akin to Science Impact Coordinators) to better facilitate the integration of science and policy. He will also meet with Sara Ulrich, Simulation Director of Simulstart, to discuss development of a role-play simulation with regard to New Orleans and Katrina. David Mattson, USGS Marilyn Tenbrink, chief, Water Research Scientist Diagnostic Branch, USEPA Spring 2007 EPP International Environmental The practicum class will be co-taught by JoAnn Carmin and Zoë Wilson. Professor Carmin is the instructor of record for Practicum: Environmental Justice and the environmental justice course, an expert on the societal Water Resources in South Africa dimensions of environmental governance, environmental Continued from page 1 organizations and activism in transition countries, and field research methods. She also has significant experience the extent to which the environmental justice impacts of this organizing international field trips for students. Dr. Wilson is an choice are aligned with the rights-based approach enshrined in expert on the global diffusion of technology and the politics of the South African Constitution and embedded in the National water and sanitation systems in South Africa. She is an affiliate Water Act of 1998 and National Water Resource Strategy of of the Pollution Research Group/School of Development 2004. Studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She also is the lead Drawing on their analysis, the students will be make specific member for an international research team that is working and realistic recommendations to public officials and other to help local decision-makers around the world be better stakeholders regarding how to minimize unwanted or equipped to address issues related to safe water supply and undesirable risk at their assigned case site, as well as at similar sanitation services. sites in South Africa. The final report will be submitted to the An information session about the class will be held in the fall. primary client, eThekwini Water and Sanitation, which is the Following the session, students will be given the opportunity municipal water and sanitation service provider for the City of to apply for admission. Durban and surrounding areas.
The practicum is based on the principle that sustainable solutions must be socially feasible and context specific. Zoë Wilson, Visiting Lecturer for 2007-08 Therefore, it will be situated within 11.368: Environmental Justice. In contrast to many EJ classes which focus on race, class, and the environment, Professor Carmin has reoriented 11.368 so that it focuses on issues related to resources, rights, and globalization. The readings and discussions during the spring semester will ensure that students have comprehensive knowledge of emerging issues in the field of environmental justice. In June, students will travel to Durban, South Africa (eThekwini Municipality) where they will spend approximately four weeks engaged in field research and analysis.
Zoë Wilson will be joining EPP next spring as co-instructor of the South Africa practicum. She presently is an affiliate of the Pollution Research Group at the University of KwaZulu Natal and is the lead member for the South African ANTINOMOS team, a project funded by the European Union that is dedicated to helping local decision-makers address water and sanitation problems. Dr. Wilson received her PhD in political science from Dalhousie University in 2004. Her first book, The UnitedN ations and Democracy in Africa: Labyrinths of Legitimacy (Routledge, 2006) focuses on the implementation of global norms and standards. Dr. Wilson has over ten years of experience working in diverse African settings. In recent years she has conducted research on philosophical, religious and environmental attitudes towards potable water reuse, completed a World Health Organization project on globalization and water, and led a DFID funded project on the politics of water scarcity in Southern Africa.
environmental policy and Planning Incoming EPP Students
Next year EPP will have 13 new masters students and 2 new doctoral students joining our group. We are excited to have them. They each bring unique pespectives to our group. Join us in welcoming them.
Kathleen Araujo joins the doctoral program . She will Allison Lassiter joins the MCP program after working specialize in energy and natural resource management as a GIS specialist for the Design Workshop. She with an emphasis on economics, governance received her SB in Biology from Cornell University. She and technology dimensions of Latin American will be a MUSIC intern. development. She received her BA in International Politics from Pennsylvania State University and her MA Nathan Lemphers joins the MCP program after in International Relations from Boston University. working at International Director of A Rocha International. He received his BS in Environmental Nishanthi Amerasinghe joins the SM program after Engineering from the University of Alberta. working as a Project Implementation Officer for the Asian Development Bank. She received her MS from Haley Peckett joins the MCP program from the Asian Institute of Technology and her BS in Civil Engelhardt, Hammer and Associates where she Engineering from the University of Peredeniya. worked as a Planner. She received her BA in Geography from Dartmouth College. Anna Bromberg joins the MCP program after working as a project assistant for the Texas Commission on Todd Schenk joins the MCP program from The Environmental Quality. She received her BA in English Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern from Carleton College. Europe where he worked as a Project Manager. He received his BA in Geography from the University of Jennifer Edwards joins the MCP program after Guelph. working as a consultant for the Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Berkeley. She received her Amruta Sudhalkar joins the MCP program from BA in Physics from the University of Berkeley. She will Stanley Bostitch where she worked as an Environmental be a MUSIC intern. Health and Safety Engineer. She received her BS from Rochester Institute of Technology. Carolyn Hayek joins the MCP program after working as a Compliance Inspector for the EPCRA, Kathleen Sylvester joins the MCP program after (Environmental Planning and Community Right to working for Kittelson & Associates as a Transportation Know Act). She received her SB in Chemistry from Analyst. She received her BNG in Civil Engineering Boston College. from Northwestern University.
Rachel Hockfield joins the MCP program from the Tijs van Maasakkers joins the doctoral program US EPA where she worked as a Program Analyst. She from the MCP program. He received his BA in Political received her BA in Political Science from University of Science from the University of Amsterdam and has North Carolina at Chapel Hill. recently been conducting research on the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley and the eastern Washington Michael Hogan joins the MS program. He received State project with the Bureau of Reclamation as part his SB in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the of his work with MUSIC. University of Notre Dame. He received his MBA from Harvard University.
Kristina Katich joins the MCP program from Rink, Reynolds, Diamond, Fisher/Wilson where she worked as a Project Architect. She received her BAR from the University of Florida.
Spring 2007 MIT-wide Energy and Environment Class and Public Policy program in the engineering school, and the Political Science department. Of the approximately 30 students “Developing Energy/Environmental Policies for a Sustainable who took the class for a grade or as active listeners, roughly Future” - 11.941J, 17.951J, and ESD.934J one-third were from DUSP, one-third from TPP, and one-third from Political Science, the Kennedy School at Harvard, and a Dr. Jonathan Raab smattering of other departments. I chose to design and teach this class both to help me crystallize An integral part of the class was a lecture series by leading my thoughts and to begin to pass the torch to the next wave practitioners in the field. We usually opened up these lectures of reflective practitioners. Since completing my own Ph.D. at to the broader MIT Community. MIT exactly 15 years ago (DUSP dissertation: Using Consensus Building to Improve Utility Regulation), I have been working on • Susan Tierney, Managing Principal, Analysis Group, Recent exciting projects at the important intersection of energy and National Efforts to Formulate a Comprehensive US Energy Policy environmental issues, primarily as a mediator and facilitator. • Commissioner David O’Connor, MA Division of Energy Resources, These projects include electric industry restructuring, the Restructuring the Electricity Industry in New England Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, the Cape Wind Project, • Gordon van Welie, CEO for ISO New England, Reliability in New statewide comprehensive greenhouse gas plans, state England renewable portfolio standards and funds for energy efficiency • Janet Besser, VP, National Grid, Transmission and Wind and renewable energy, the New England Demand Response • Bob Grace. President, Sustainable Energy Advantage, Renewable Initiative, and even an ambitious attempt to forge a set of Energy Portfolio Standards (RPS) consensus national energy policies. • Jim Gordon, President, Cape Wind Associates, Cape Wind Project The focus of the course was primarily on U.S. state and regional • Sue Coakley, President, Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnership, policies, since, for better or for worse, this has been where Building Codes and Appliance Standards most of the creative, progressive, and successful energy- • Dr. Felix Matthes, Coordinator, Energy and Climate Division, Oeko related accomplishments have taken place. The class focused Institute, German Renewables in Germany, Carbon Cap and Trade both on the complex policies and the innovative processes in Europe that were used in the following efforts:R ecent National Efforts • Rick Weston, Principal, RAP, Energy Issues in China to Formulate a Comprehensive US Energy Policy; Driving One of the benefits and challenges of teaching a course on Sustainable Energy Development by Capping Carbon Emissions; something as topical as energy/environmental issues is that Restructuring the Electricity Industry in the US; Renewable there are literally two to three breaking news stories per Energy Portfolio Standards (RPS) and Siting Renewable Energy week on issues we are covering that needed to be integrated Facilities; Building Codes and Appliance Standards ; Reducing into an already packed syllabus. For example, over this past Oil Use in the Transportation Sector; and International Policies semester the following relevant news stories broke: and Programs to Promote Sustainable Energy Development • U.S. Supreme Court tells U.S. EPA they can and should regulate Because energy policy is an inter-disciplinary endeavor, we greenhouse gas emissions worked hard to attract students with different backgrounds and • U.S. gas prices reach all time high (over $3 while much of Europe interests. We were successful (with Larry Vale’s able assistance) over $6) • President Bush announces will forge plan by end of 2008 to in getting the class cross-listed with DUSP, the Technology reduce U.S. oil imports by 20%
environmental policy and Planning • Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says at least 90% chance humans are responsible for climate change and need to Exploring the Expanded Use of act quickly to avoid potentially catastrophic impacts Peacemaking in Natural Resource Conflicts • Cape Wind Project approved by Massachusetts while federal By Marisa Arpels government extends review for additional year. • Massachusetts’ new administration begins serious look at dynamic EPP and Harvard students will be working this summer with pricing, decoupling, and feed-in tariffs for renewable energy Navajo peacemakers. The project involves the Dinè (Navajo) Peacemakers Inc., the MIT-Harvard Public Dispute Program, Throughout the course, students were engaged in a wide and the Consensus Building Institute. The Dinè peacemakers range of activities - from journal writing and spirited in-class focus on empowering grassroots communities in the discussions to negotiation simulations. The culminating event southwest portion of the Navajo Nation by building indigenous was the final project in which students picked a relevant competence in traditional Navajo peacemaking. topic, thoroughly researched it, presented their analyses and recommendations to the class, and consolidated their thoughts in a final paper. The titles of these papers serve as a useful overview of the breadth and depth of knowledge that the students took away from this course. Embracing a Sustainable Energy Future: Developing Policies and Programs for Universities A Comparison of Five Climate Change Action Plans in the United States From left to right: Larry Susskind, Kyril Calsoyas, Robert Redsteer, Phil Plug-in Hybrids: Strategies for Exploiting Synergies Between the Bluehouse, and Robert Yazzie. Transport & Power Sector Carbon Cap and Trade and Renewable Energy Markets: A Peaceful In March of 2007, three senior members of the Navajo team Coexistence? came to DUSP to talk to students about tradition dispute Beyond Building Codes and Energy Efficiency Programs: A resolution. Robert Yazzie, former Supreme Court justice of Mandatory Building Energy Pass in the Northeast the Navajo court system led students through a scenario of The 100th Restructuring Roundtable: Successes, Shortcomings, & traditional methods of dispute handling. He highlighted the Recommendations importance of K’e (or respect for clanship) in achieving a higher Policy Options to Support Renewable Electricity: Comparing RPS level of Honzhu (happiness and satisfaction). Phil Bluehouse and FIT explored the spiritual side of peacemaking by interpreting the Renewable Portfolio Standards vs. Feed-in Tariffs – A Policy meaning imbedded in a sacred painting. Analysis Dinè peacemaking is a healing system of justice based on Dynamic Pricing: A Strategy for Massachusetts shared learning and communication. It builds on the principles Making Community Wind a Reality in the United States: Making of respect, transparency, participation, consensus, reciprocity, the Production Tax Credit Accessible to Community Wind Projects accountability, responsibility, fairness, and public trust. The Strategies for Promoting Fuel Efficiency for U.S. Commercial Western top-down, punitive judicial system has eroded the Aircraft decision-making authority of many local communities and Recycling Policies: How Recycling Can Save Energy, the Current generated feelings of isolation. Extending Dine peacemaking Challenges of Recycling, and Overview of Proposed Policy to multi-party environment disputes might help heal past Solutions, and a Recommended Solution wounds, empower local communities and restore the cultural Effectiveness of two Deliberative Processes in the Energy Sector and spiritual connection to the land. and Proposed Alternative Comparing Energy Efficiency Delivery Models: National Grid, In mid-July, four students, including Marisa Arpels (MCP-2) and Efficiency Vermont and the Cambridge Energy Alliance Alexis Schulman (MCP - 2), will head to Northeastern Arizona to Developing a Comprehensive “Smart Growth” Strategy for a State talk to local peacemakers about the Navajo dispute resolution system. They will participate in traditional ceremonies Evolving Towards a Climate Change Solution: Early Lessons from the Kyoto Era and examine the expanded use of peacemaking in natural resource conflicts. In addition, they will evaluate traditional Gas Tax as Key Energy Efficiency Strategy: United States vs. Germany and United Kingdom peacemaking and compare it to western dispute resolution models like consensus building in a paper that will be prepared for the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School.
Spring 2007 Negotiated Water Management during the colonial era in 1929, between Egypt and Britain on Institutions: Field research in the Nile behalf of most of the upper riparians- notably not Ethiopia, River basin and its successor in 1958 between Egypt and Sudan apportion all of the Nile water between Egypt and Sudan. The status of By Cat Ashcraft these treaties and obligations for prior notification of intended development are two of the major obstacles to reaching a cooperative framework agreement.
Through interviews over 3 years with participants of cooperative efforts in the Danube and the Nile River basins I have been learning about the areas of cooperation these different negotiated water management institutions address. I have been interested in what kinds of issues they have had more success addressing and which they have a harder time with and why. In both basins there has been notable progress made with regards to building confidence, sharing information and data, building capacity for monitoring and data analysis, Cat Ashcraft in the outskirts of Luxor in Upper Egypt. and developing rules and norms for interaction with one another. Given the significant number of countries in both The significance of the water management negotiations for basins, histories of conflict, differences among interests and the Nile River basin populations can be read in the sign at the high scientific uncertainty, these are remarkable. However, in Ministry of Water Resources in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, “Water both basins there are also issues that still demand attention. is Life”. I have spent most of this past academic year in the Nile These include reconciling old and new water management River basin conducting field research, which complements institutions, highlighting tradeoffs between competing issues prior research toward my PhD in the Danube basin. and negotiating how to create value by trading across those Since 1999, 9 of the 10 Nile riparian states (Burundi, DR Congo, issues. Given the desire for cooperation and weariness of Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda) have conflict in both regions, it is not surprising that these water been negotiating a framework agreement at the ministerial institutions have so far focused almost exclusively on areas on level for cooperative management of the Nile (Eritrea is an which all parties can agree. Given this spirit of cooperation, observer to the negotiations). With assistance from the World significant opportunities will be lost if these institutions do Bank and other donors, the countries have also created a not also address areas on which the parties differ. This research transitional institution, the Nile Basin Initiative, to facilitate intends to contribute to research and practice in this area by technical exchanges and initiate collaborative projects in the suggesting procedural steps participants can use to create basin. value from their differences.
The challenges to and opportunities for cooperation are My dissertation research has been generously funded by the great. The region is characterized by huge differences in water MIT Martin Family Society of Fellows for Sustainability, the availability, with tremendous spatial and temporal variability, Joseph L. Fisher Dissertation Fellowship program at Resources and water usage. Egypt, the most downstream country for the Future, and the Program on Negotiation at the Harvard and regional economic powerhouse, is almost completely Law School. dependent on the upstream riparians for its supply of surface water. Upstream countries depend on the Nile’s water to varying degrees for drinking, irrigating crops, generating hydropower and maintaining the ecosystem to support fish and other natural resources. Their potential also varies to further develop these within the basin and outside of the basin through Nile water transfers. In addition, the region has histories of colonialism, civil and interstate war and poor and changing governance structures. Such features combine to create a myriad of interests and opportunities for negotiation and development. However, cooperative management has been impeded by a history of mistrust, lack of data about the Above: This is Tis Abay which means “The Smoke of the Nile”. It is ecosystem and the absence of institutions that detail rights part of the Blue Nile. During the rainy season it contributes more and obligations of all negotiating parties. A treaty negotiated than 2/3rds of the water supply.
10 environmental policy and Planning Student Awards There’s No Justice In Transit!--Transit Equity, Land Use, and Air Quality in Boston Isabelle Anguelovski has been awarded an Emerson Travel by Laura Machala Grants, a Rodwin Travel Grants and a Program on Human Barriers and Bridges to the Use of Local Ecological Rights and Justice 2007 Summer Knowledge in U.S. Resource Management Internship. by Alexis Schulman Catherine Ashcraft was awarded the Martin Family Society Fellowship for Sustainability. Energy Consumption and Smart Growth in Massachusetts: Does Smart Growth Make a Difference? Ronilda Co has won a Program on Human Rights and Justice 2007 Summer Internship. by Katherine Van Tassel
Abigail Emison won an American Institute of CertifiedP lanners Student Project Award. Trading Pollution for Water Quality: Assessing the Effects of Market-Based Instruments in Three Basins Sharlene Leurig won a Silberberg Travel Awards for Social Justice and Design. by Katherine Wallace
Gregg Macey has won the Outstanding PhD Dissertation Award for his Dissertation entitled, “Sheltering in Place: The Limits of Integrative Bargaining Following Industrial Accidents”. EPP 2007 Dissertation Sophie Martin has won a Design Workshop Summer Internship. Winner of the Department of Urban Studies and Planning Erik Nielsen and Nancy Odeh have each won an MIT-Japan Outstanding PhD Dissertation Award International Studies Fund Award. Sheltering in Place: The Limits of Integrative Bargaining Tegin Teich has been awarded an MIT DUSP-Public Service Following Industrial Accidents Center Summer Career Development Summer Internship in by Gregg P. Macey International Public Service; a Charles Abrams Scholarship.; and an Eisenhower Graduate Transportation Fellowship. This study grew out of an interest in environmental justice and the unique problems faced by neighborhoods located near Abby Spinak has won a U.S. Department of Education Jacob K. petrochemical facilities. I show how in a highly institutionalized Javits Fellowship. setting, which for my dissertation included the causes and Katherine Van Tassel was a member of the Second Place team immediate consequences of an accidental toxic emission by a to win an Affordable Housing Development Competition. She chemical processing facility, much of the integrative potential was also a Presidential Management Fellowship Finalists. of the negotiations that follow is removed from potential discussion or even discovery before mediators and the parties Katherine Wallace has been awarded the AICP Outstanding involved begin to address root causes. New roles for mediators, Student Award. She was also a Presidential Management and why it is as important to focus on limiting the narrowing Fellowship Finalists. effects of structuration as it is to try and expand the initial offer space, are discussed. Data for my dissertation include EPP 2007 MCP Thesis Titles semi-structured interviews with over 90 agency and industry representatives, residents and community organizers, and the Incentive Zoning and Environmental Quality in Boston’s lawyers and mediators who were also a part of the conflicts Fenway Neighborhood. that followed accidents such as the Unocal Catacarb spill. I also collected primary documents, including environmental data, by Josh Deflorio deposition transcripts analyzed to determine the organizational roots of the accidents, plant management and government Mapping the Void: Brownfield Inventories by Local agency records, media accounts, and drafts of community- Governments corporate agreements. by Sharlene Leurig
Spring 2007 11 Larry Susskind receives Global Environment Award To contact our faculty: by Teresa Hill, Laboratory for Energy and the Environment Lawrence Susskind Judith Layzer Larry Susskind, the Ford Professor of Urban Studies and Ford Professor of Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies in the Department of Urban Studies Urban Studies and Environmental Policy and Planning (DUSP) and head of EPP, has received this year’s Environmental Planning [email protected] International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA) Global EPP Head Environment Award. The award will be conferred in Seoul, [email protected] Anne Whiston Spirn South Korea at the IAIA’s annual meeting in June 2007. Professor of Landscape IAIA is an organization of environmental and social decision- JoAnn Carmin Architecture and Planning makers with 2,500 members from more than 120 nations. Associate Professor of [email protected] The meeting in Seoul is expected to attract more than 700 Environmental Policy delegates from 80 nations to address this year’s conference [email protected] Terry Szold theme of “Power, Poverty and Sustainability.” Adjunct Associate Nicholas Ashford Professor of Land Use This year marks the seventh time that the Global Environment Professor of Technology Planning Award has been given. Previous winners have been some of and Policy, School of [email protected] the world’s most significant figures in the environmental field. Engineering Award recipients have included Maurice Strong, Jan Pronk, [email protected] Jonathan Raab Mostafa Tolba, Margot Wallstrom, Gus Speth and Wangari Visiting Lecturer Maathai. Eran Ben- Joseph [email protected] Thanking the organization for the award, Susskind said, “IAIA Associate Professor of has been an important force for change. I’m honored by their Landscape Architecture David Fairman recognition. Impact assessment is used around the world and Planning Visiting Lecturer to promote better environmental decision-making. And, [email protected] [email protected] assessments are an important means of achieving greater transparency and increased public engagement.” Micheal Flaxman Herman Karl Assistant Professor MIT-USGS Science Impact Susskind was selected for the honor because of his “outstanding, of Urban Information Collaborative Co-Director sustained and unique contributions to the field,” according to Systems [email protected] IAIA materials. Award committee chair Jean-Roger Mercier [email protected] notes in particular Susskind’s founding of the Consensus Building Institute (CBI), which has assisted in the resolution of hundreds of seemingly intractable environmental disputes. CBI is currently involved with a wide range of resource management disputes including the mediation of Bedouin land claims in Israel, air quality management in Mexico City and strategies for resolving facility-siting disputes in Korea. Mercier also cited For general inquiries contact: Susskind’s role in training more than 60 Ph.D.s who are now leaders in the field. In recent years, nine of these students [email protected] have been members of the Martin Family Society of Fellows in Environmental Sustainability administered by the Laboratory or visit our website at for Energy and the Environment.
Susskind has been at MIT for 35 years and currently serves http://web.mit.edu/dusp/epp as director of the Environmental Policy and Planning Group in DUSP; he has also been chairman of the department. He was extensively involved with the Mexico City project led by Professor Mario Molina and coordinated by LFEE and the Alliance for Global Sustainability. Susskind is also one of the founders of the interuniversity Program on Negotiation at Designed and assembled by Xenia Kumph. Harvard Law School, where he co-directs the MIT-Harvard Public Disputes Program.
12 environmental policy and Planning