Open call for Climate Change Curriculum Prize – e-flux.com

Report on Tulane University’s Climate Change Initiatives and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

H3>Advancing Climate Education and Action (SDG 4, SDG 13)

The Center on Climate Change and Urbanism (CCU) at Tulane University School of Architecture and Built Environment is actively promoting global climate literacy in higher education, directly contributing to Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 13 (Climate Action). Key initiatives include:

• The 2025-2026 Tulane Prize for Climate Change Curriculum: An international award recognizing innovative course development by faculty. With 10,000 USD in awards, this prize incentivizes the creation and sharing of educational content focused on climate solutions in the built environment.
• The Climate Syllabus Repository: A comprehensive, searchable database at climatesyllabus.org that hosts qualified entries. This open-access resource supports educators worldwide in integrating climate change into curricula for urban planning, architecture, and related fields, thereby building capacity to address climate challenges.

By bridging teaching and research, the CCU equips students with the skills needed to address pressing social and environmental challenges, fostering a new generation of professionals dedicated to climate action.

H3>Fostering Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11)

The CCU’s core mission is to advance a holistic understanding of the built environment’s role in climate change, with a direct focus on achieving SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities). The Center’s approach is to utilize climate change as an opportunity to redesign urban environments in a manner that is both sustainable and inclusive.

Objectives aligned with SDG 11 targets include:

1. Enhancing Affordability and Accessibility: Developing new models for sustainable real estate and urban planning that prioritize access for all.
2. Promoting Environmental Sustainability: Integrating climate mitigation and adaptation strategies into the core of urban design, from measuring the carbon footprint of individual buildings to evaluating physical risks in large-scale projects.
3. Building Inclusive Communities: Working to break down systemic barriers of segregation and isolation that are often reinforced by carbon-intensive infrastructure and planning.

H3>Applied Research for Innovation and Clean Energy (SDG 7, SDG 9)

Through supported research and studios, the CCU drives practical solutions that contribute to SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure). The “Carbon Budget Zero” studio, led by Assistant Professor Sonsoles Vela Navarro, exemplifies this commitment.

• The studio focuses on designing low-carbon housing and infrastructure in diverse regions, including Florida, New York, and California.
• Project goals include exploring innovative methods for retrofitting existing buildings to improve energy efficiency, advancing SDG 7.
• The work also investigates the integration of renewable technologies, such as solar energy, and promotes resilient infrastructure, directly supporting the innovation targets of SDG 9.

H3>Strengthening Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17)

The CCU actively builds interdisciplinary and inter-institutional collaborations to accelerate progress on climate goals, embodying the principles of SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). The Center’s leadership emphasizes that a critical mass of scholars engaged in novel approaches is essential for tackling complex climate challenges.

Key partnerships include:

• International Academic Collaboration: The previous Tulane Prize cycle recognized ten projects from 11 international institutions, fostering a global network of educators.
• Conference Hosting: In January 2026, Tulane will host the “Multiplied Displacements: The Climate-Housing Nexus” conference. This event is a joint initiative with the University of Toronto School of Cities and the Boston University Initiative on Cities, demonstrating a commitment to cross-institutional knowledge-sharing and problem-solving.

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 4: Quality Education

  The article focuses on the “Tulane Prize for Climate Change Curriculum in the Built Environment” and the creation of a “comprehensive searchable repository for course, studio, and seminar syllabi.” This initiative directly supports quality education by promoting innovative course development and knowledge sharing among faculty worldwide to prepare students with “cutting-edge skills” to address climate challenges.

• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

  The work of the Center on Climate Change and Urbanism (CCU) involves research and projects aimed at creating sustainable infrastructure. The article mentions the “Carbon Budget Zero” studio, which focuses on “designing low-carbon housing and infrastructure” and retrofitting existing buildings to “improve energy efficiency.” This represents innovation in making infrastructure more sustainable and resilient.

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

  The article is centered on the “built environment,” “urban planning,” and “urban design.” It explicitly states the goal is to “redesign our built environment in a manner that advances affordability, accessibility and environmental sustainability.” This directly aligns with making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.

• SDG 13: Climate Action

  The entire article is about taking action on climate change. The CCU was established to advance understanding of the built environment’s role in “causing, mitigating, and adapting to climate change.” The initiatives mentioned, from curriculum development to research on low-carbon housing, are direct actions to combat climate change and its impacts.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

SDG 4: Quality Education

• Target 4.7: “By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development…” The article’s focus on developing and disseminating climate change curricula for architecture, urban planning, and related fields directly contributes to this target by equipping future professionals with the necessary knowledge for sustainable development.

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

• Target 9.4: “By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies…” The “Carbon Budget Zero” studio project, which explores “retrofitting existing buildings in New York to improve energy efficiency” and the “use of solar energy in Florida,” is a direct application of this target.

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

• Target 11.3: “By 2030, enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for… sustainable human settlement planning…” The article mentions redesigning the built environment to advance “affordability, accessibility” and break down “barriers to segregation, isolation,” which aligns with inclusive and sustainable urban planning.
• Target 11.b: “By 2030, substantially increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards… mitigation and adaptation to climate change, resilience to disasters…” The CCU’s mission to drive public programming and research on how climate change shapes regions and to include “climate adaptations and mitigations” in all work supports the implementation of integrated plans for climate resilience.

SDG 13: Climate Action

• Target 13.3: “Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction…” The Tulane Prize, the syllabus bank (climatesyllabus.org), and the CCU’s overall mission to bridge “teaching and research in climate change” are prime examples of building institutional and human capacity to address climate change.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

SDG 4: Quality Education

• Implied Indicator for Target 4.7: The number of innovative curricula developed and shared. The article provides a concrete number from the previous year: “ten projects from 11 international institutions,” which serves as a measurable output for the prize initiative.

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

• Implied Indicators for Target 9.4: The article points to specific metrics for sustainable infrastructure projects, including “measuring the carbon footprint of each building,” improvements in “energy efficiency,” and the level of adoption of “solar energy.”

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

• Implied Indicators for Target 11.3 & 11.b: The article suggests progress can be measured by advancements in “affordability” and “accessibility” in the built environment. Additionally, metrics related to resource efficiency, such as “water conservation solutions,” are mentioned as a focus area.

SDG 13: Climate Action

• Implied Indicator for Target 13.3: The number of syllabi available in the repository (climatesyllabus.org) and the number of students and faculty engaged in the CCU’s research projects and programming can serve as indicators of increased educational capacity on climate change.

4. Create a table with three columns titled ‘SDGs, Targets and Indicators” to present the findings from analyzing the article.

Source: e-flux.com