IAP 2017 Activities by Sponsor - Urban Studies and Planning

David Wang, Founder of Bamboo Bicycles Beijing

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/09
Limited to 12 participants
Attendance: Participants must attend all sessions
Prereq: None!

Workshop Overview

In the workshop everyone will make four bamboo bicycle frames and participate in a discusison about how the experience of building a bicycle and the bamboo bicycle itself might be used in different contexts. 

The workshop is broken down into three super fun stages: 1) Prepare and design your frame, 2) build the frame, 3) install bike components and go for a ride!

Please note that we have a maximum of 12 people in the workshop, but will build only 4 frames in each workshop. So, it might be best to do this with a friend so you can share the frame!

Photos from the 2016 Class!

What is a bamboo bicycle?

A bamboo bicycle is just another bicycle. However, we believe it’s special because making a bamboo frame is an accessible and fun experience regardless of ones skill level. In addition to this bamboo frames are: 1) light (~1.7kg); 2) vibration dampening; and 3) simply beautiful. The first bamboo bicycles was made in the 1890s, and in the past 10 years more and more people have been exploring how to use this material to make unique and personalized bicycles.

About the instructor

The course instructor, David Wang, has taught over 400 people to make their own bamboo bicycles in 2-day workshops in Beijing (Bamboo Bicycles Beijing). After arriving at MIT as a student in Urban Studies and MIT Sloan, David is excited to work across the MIT community to explore the potential of bamboo bicycles as method for building community and empowering young people.

SIGN UP

Sponsor(s): MIT-SUTD International Design Center, Urban Studies and Planning
Contact: David Wang, 617 895-8280, DWANG8@MIT.EDU

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Bamboo Bike Workshop!

Jan/17	Tue	09:00AM-05:00PM	MIT IDC, wear clothes that can get dirty; bring music!
Jan/18	Wed	09:00AM-05:00PM	MIT IDC, wear clothes that can get dirty; bring music!
Jan/19	Thu	09:00AM-01:00PM	MIT IDC, wear clothes that can get dirty; bring music!
Jan/20	Fri	09:00AM-01:00PM	MIT IDC, bring a helmet!

We will make 4 bamboo bike frames. It will consist of a two intensive build days, a detailing/personalization half day, and a half day to install components and RIDE!!!

 

David Wang - Founder of Bamboo Bicycles Beijing, Candy Yang - Assistant, Prima Li - Community Leader from Beijing

Xin Zhang, PhD candidate

Enrollment: Limited: First come, first served (no advance sign-up)
Limited to 50 participants
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions

The lecture focuses on real estate market discussion from three perspectives: “Uncertainty” (Quantifying Future Value Uncertainty in Development Projects), “Flexibility” (Flexibility in Design in Large Scale Real Estate Projects), and “Methodology” (System Dynamics Analysis on Chinese Urban Housing Market). Each section will take 1.5 Hours. Lunch will be provided at noon time and coffee will be provided in the afternoon.

Sponsor(s): Urban Studies and Planning, Center for Real Estate Development, MIT China Program
Contact: Xin Zhang, (202) 281-4718, xinzhang@mit.edu

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Quantifying Future Value Uncertainty

Jan/17

Tue

10:30AM-12:00PM

9-354

Introduce the concept of real estate system, identify the sources of asset value uncertainty and its variation over time, discuss empirically the evidence about such uncertainty, and modeling in Excel.

Prof David Geltner

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Flexibility in Design

Jan/17

Tue

01:00PM-02:30PM

9-354

Introduce the typology of large scale real estate development flexibility options with case studies, including delay option, phasing option, expansion option, etc. 

Prof Richard de Neufville, Xin Zhang - PhD candidate

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Potential Housing Bubble in China

Jan/17

Tue

03:00PM-04:30PM

9-354

This session analyzes the potential housing bubble in Chinese urban housing market through the lens of a System Dynamics model. The goal is to demonstrate in casuality structure how non-economic features under certain conditions can become bubble self-feeding mechanisms and lead to escalating price behavior. 

Xin Zhang - PhD candidate

Mike Foster, Cartographer

Jan/31

Tue

02:00PM-03:00PM

9-554

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/27
Limited to 15 participants

The web has become a prominent way readers interact with maps and spatial data, with rich, informative visualizations and interactive maps becoming a common way to display data and showcase information. This short session is designed to introduce web mapping with Leaflet, a popular open source Javascript mapping library. It will take beginners through converting and uploading a dataset, accessing the Leaflet library, mapping the dataset, and adding basic interaction, such as popups. 

 

Sign up here: https://goo.gl/forms/1Lygk4PuWsqEnEQS2

Sponsor(s): Urban Studies and Planning
Contact: Michael Foster, 9-522, 617 324-8234, MJFOSTER@MIT.EDU

Mike Foster, Cartographer/GIS Specialist

Jan/17

Tue

02:00PM-03:30PM

9-554

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/13
Limited to 15 participants
Prereq: None

Many designers and mapmakers prefer to work in graphics software, such as Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, when completing rich graphics such as illustrative maps, plans, and charts. This session will introduce how you can use Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop for mapping. Working in conjunction with GIS software, we will go work with some simple data, then outline the workflow to properly get your data into Adobe so you can edit it and add graphic flair, then show some Adobe cartography tricks. Brought to you by DUSPviz.

 

Sign up here: https://goo.gl/forms/moz9tuIsBZauxor33

Sponsor(s): Urban Studies and Planning
Contact: Michael Foster, 9-522, 617 324-8234, MJFOSTER@MIT.EDU

Daniel Sheehan, Senior GIS Specialist, Mike Foster, GIS/Data Visualization Specialist

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Prereq: None

This is a two-session workshop that will introduce the requirements and protocols in utilizing Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS… aka Drones) for research and projects to collect data and create detailed models and maps. 

Day 1: Intro to Drone Flight

We will cover the rules and regulations of UAS flight, go over requirements and protocols for flight planning and piloting, introduce flight maps, planning, and the associated language, discuss the data you can collect, and talk about what you need to do to get off the ground.

Day 2: Mapping and Postprocessing

This session will discuss data collection and introduce methods for postprocessing. Attendees will be introduced to processing software like ArcGIS Drone2Map and Agisoft Photoscan. Students will get a chance to process some collected data using Photoscan, which mosaics images to create orthophotos, and, using photogrammetric methods, create point clouds that can be turned into 3D elevation models.

Register here: https://goo.gl/forms/7QnVuNe7ggyeNdlM2

Location: Room 2-105

Sponsor(s): Urban Studies and Planning, Libraries, Geographic Information Systems Lab
Contact: Michael Foster, 9-522, 617 324-8234, MJFOSTER@MIT.EDU

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Jan/19	Thu	09:00AM-12:00PM	2-105
Jan/20	Fri	09:00AM-12:00PM	2-105

Joe Wright - Specialist, Daniel Sheehan - Senior GIS Specialist, Mike Foster - GIS/Data Visualization Specialist

Allegra Williams, Director of Campus and Community Learning, Lawrence Barriner, CoLab Radio, Interim Director

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/04
Attendance: Participants must attend all sessions
Prereq: Preference for audio recording experience, but open to all

Over the course of 2 weeks, students will engage in a hands-on audio production workshop exploring urban planning issues in East Boston through multiple lenses. East Boston is a fascinating neighborhood for those interested in urban planning because of its unique geography, history, and shifting demographics. Long a neighborhood of immigrants trying to find their footing in America, the neighborhood’s seafront has recently attracted significant real estate investment that is leading to gentrification and displacement. Students will have an opportunity to explore and learn about the neighborhood firsthand as they journey to listen to the stories of interviewees, embark on walking tours, and engage in sound collection as a method of place-based inquiry. Workshop sessions will be focused on a range of topics relevant for producing a long-form interview for podcast, including understanding story structure, creating audio narratives, and editing. The course will be co-facilitated by the MIT Community Innovators Lab (CoLab) and Radio Producer, Marie Choi, of Making Contact, a social justice radio program based in the Bay Area. In advance of registering for the class, please email course instructors, Marie Choi (mchoi@radioproject.org) and Lawrence Barriner II (lqb@mit.edu) with a brief statement (200 words max) including why you're interested in the course, any past media/audio production experience, and a hyperlink or reference to your favorite (preferably audio) interview. 

Sponsor(s): MIT-SUTD Collaboration, Urban Studies and Planning, Community Innovators Lab
Contact: Lawrence Barriner, 9-238, lqb@mit.edu

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Media for Movement Building

Jan/09	Mon	03:00PM-08:00PM	9-217, Students will need to bring their own laptops
Jan/10	Tue	03:00PM-08:00PM	9-217, Students will need to bring their own laptops
Jan/11	Wed	03:00PM-08:00PM	9-217, Students will need to bring their own laptops
Jan/12	Thu	03:00PM-08:00PM	9-217, Students will need to bring their own laptops
Jan/13	Fri	03:00PM-08:00PM	9-217, Students will need to bring their own laptops
Jan/17	Tue	03:00PM-08:00PM	9-217, Students will need to bring their own laptops
Jan/18	Wed	03:00PM-08:00PM	9-217, Students will need to bring their own laptops
Jan/19	Thu	03:00PM-08:00PM	9-217, Students will need to bring their own laptops

Allegra Williams - Director of Campus and Community Learning, Marie Choi - Radio Producer, Lawrence Barriner - CoLab Radio, Interim Director

Ezra Glenn

Jan/10

Tue

10:00AM-01:00PM

9-217, books provided

Enrollment: Unlimited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/05

What is the role of oratory and power in a democratic society? Is it worse to do wrong or to be wronged? What is the difference between knowledge and true belief? Why is it important for both the accused and their judges to meet naked in court? (And what do all of these questions have to do with becoming an urban planner?) Come explore these themes with us in a participatory -- possibly dramatic -- reading of Plato's "Gorgias," a Socratic dialog written in 380 BC that is as relevant today as when it was written. Books provided; Greek food included; togas optional. 

Note: this is mostly an opportunity to actually read this wonderful and thought-provoking book with others, not a lecture; come prepared to read and take part, and we'll see how far we get.

Sponsor(s): Urban Studies and Planning
Contact: Ezra Glenn, 7-337, x3-2024, eglenn@mit.edu

Eric Plosky, Kate Fichter

Jan/25

Wed

01:00PM-04:00PM

9-255

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up

As a vital and complex element of any urban or regional environment, transportation infrastructure both affects and is affected by land use patterns, economic development policies, political power-brokering and environmental resources, and so offers a lens through which to study many of the choices and constraints available to today's planners. This seminar will offer a practice-oriented overview of the issues, players and trends most relevant to contemporary transportation planning, as taught by two MIT/DUSP alumni currently working in the field.

Sponsor(s): Urban Studies and Planning
Contact: Ezra Glenn, 7-337, x3-2024, eglenn@mit.edu

Carlos de la Torre, MIT SPURS '15

Jan/31

Tue

12:30PM-02:00PM

9-255, TBD

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Prereq: None

The objective is to support new ventures and their teams integrate the financial (or private); economic (or social) and distributive (or externality) dimensions of such initiatives. We will use simple examples and group exercises to (1) assess impact of the venture/project and (2) address the informational needs of different audiences/stakeholders in the public and private sectors.  The tools and skills shown could be relevant for roles such as planners, economists, managers, designers, negotiators, entrepreneurs and philanthropists. 

This activity is sponsored by the Department for Urban Studies and Planning and the Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship.

 

Sponsor(s): Urban Studies and Planning
Contact: Carlos De La Torre Salcedo, 9-338, 617 253-4510, CDLT@MIT.EDU

Wenfei Xu, Research Associate, Michael Foster, GIS Specialist

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Limited to 12 participants
Attendance: Participants must attend all sessions
Prereq: none

This is a workshop on the fundamental techniques and skills necessary for intelligent map-making and is intended to be a fast-paced, pragmatic approach to geography.  We will learn about the fundamental skills needed to create a static map from scratch in QGIS.  Building from an understanding of the GIS platform, spatial data and data formats, and cartographic standards and practices, we will then go through spatial analytic techniques that allow us to express meaningful ideas, find spatial connections, and create decision-making tools through data.    

 

The course will concentrate on the question of building vacancy and underutilization as it relates to the availability of institutional and private amenities in cities across China.  No prior knowledge of GIS is necessary.

 

Please sign up for the workshop here: https://goo.gl/forms/wjsRg1avZ5uiEE1s2

 

Instructors: Wenfei Xu and Michael Foster

Dates: January 23 - 27 daily, 2-5pm

Location: 9-554

 

 

Sponsor(s): Urban Studies and Planning
Contact: Wenfei Xu, 10-463, 312 307-3656, WENFEIXU@MIT.EDU

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Day 1

Jan/23	Mon	02:00PM-04:30PM	9-554
Jan/24	Tue	02:00PM-04:30PM	9-554
Jan/25	Wed	02:00PM-04:30PM	9-554
Jan/26	Thu	02:00PM-04:30PM	9-554
Jan/27	Fri	02:00PM-04:30PM	9-554

Wenfei Xu - Research Associate