How can you determine if a proposed real estate development project is socially responsible?

This online course from the MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning introduces the concept of socially-responsible real estate development and key methods for effectively evaluating the social and environmental impacts of a development project. You’ll learn how to use social impact assessment (SIA), environmental impact assessment (EIA), and public consultation methods so you can start applying socially-responsible real estate principles to your practice. The course is also designed to help you build your own personal theory of what constitutes socially-responsible real estate development.

Taught by a professor with more than fifty years of teaching experience at MIT using an applied case study method, this course will open new opportunities for real estate developers and urban planners to see how SIA, EIA, and stakeholder engagement are the keys to creating socially-responsible real estate development throughout the world.

Syllabus

Identify the key features of socially responsible real estate development
Articulate the key elements of both the theory and practice of EIA and SIA
Apply basic SIA and EIA to analyze large-scale real estate development projects
Define a personal theory of socially responsible real estate development and a strategy for implementing it
Understand how SIA and EIA can create value for all stakeholders in a real estate development project

Syllabus

Week 1: What is socially-responsible real estate development?
Introduction to the concept of socially-responsible real estate development and overview of estimating the social and environmental impacts of real estate development.

Week 2: Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA)
Focus on the EIA process and its role in socially-responsible real estate development.

Week 3: Social Impact Assessments (SIA)
Focus on the SIA process and its role in socially-responsible real estate development.

Week 4: Forest City Case Study and Dealing with an Angry Public
Overview and analysis of the ongoing Forest City case study in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Discussion of when to use EIA and SIA, dealing with an angry public, negotiating compensatory agreements, and the role of continuous adaptive management.

Week 5: Conclusion: Creating Shared Benefits
How to create shared benefits, meet stakeholder interests, and integrate the tools and processes you have learned in practice.