Subjects

Introduces Indigenous approaches to water and energy planning, with emphasis on climate resilience, community-led research, and Indigenous sovereignty. Prepares students for field-based collaboration with Māori researchers and communities in Aotearoa New Zealand. Covers Indigenous water governance, energy planning, reflexive practice, community partnership, kaupapa Māori research methodologies, mātauranga Māori, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and ethical responsibilities in cross-cultural planning work. Includes case-based learning, discussion of integrated land-water-resource planning frameworks, and engagement with project partners associated with Wai Ora, Kāinga Ora, a Māori-led research program addressing climate impacts on waterways, ecosystems, and kāinga wellbeing. Students develop a pre-departure project brief and positionality statement to support respectful, reciprocal participation in the related Global Classroom field subject.

Course Overview
This practicum brings together MIT CoLab, GROUND3D, Brooklyn Level Up (BKLVLUP), and the Central Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation (CBEDC) to advance community- led infrastructure planning in Central Brooklyn. Students will work at the intersection of climate resilience, community development, and transit-oriented development (TOD), using the proposed Interborough Express (IBX) as a catalyst for equitable neighborhood investment.

Students will support community partners in answering a central question: How can IBX investment be leveraged to strengthen—rather than destabilize—existing communities through resident-led planning, resilience infrastructure, and equitable development strategies?

Context + Opportunity
The IBX corridor will connect historically underserved neighborhoods, serving over 900,000 residents and 260,000 workers. Without coordinated planning, similar investments have resulted in displacement, rising property values, and extractive development disconnected from community needs.

This practicum focuses on Brownsville and East Flatbush—neighborhoods shaped by strong community networks alongside long-standing disinvestment and climate vulnerability. Students will work with local partners to stabilize communities, suppo

Introduces Indigenous approaches to water and energy planning, with emphasis on climate resilience, community-led research, and Indigenous sovereignty. Prepares students for field-based collaboration with Māori researchers and communities in Aotearoa New Zealand. Covers Indigenous water governance, energy planning, reflexive practice, community partnership, kaupapa Māori research methodologies, mātauranga Māori, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and ethical responsibilities in cross-cultural planning work. Includes case-based learning, discussion of integrated land-water-resource planning frameworks, and engagement with project partners associated with Wai Ora, Kāinga Ora, a Māori-led research program addressing climate impacts on waterways, ecosystems, and kāinga wellbeing. Students develop a pre-departure project brief and positionality statement to support respectful, reciprocal participation in the related Global Classroom field subject.

Impact Ventures: Venture Building in Global Growth Markets is a year-long course for MIT Kuo Sharper Center Student Fellows who are building innovation-driven ventures in Global Growth Markets (GGMs) across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Arab World. The course is open to graduate and undergraduate students from MIT who are selected for the fellowship. The course covers three modules: Module 1 — Leadership: adaptive leadership and values-based leadership for founders operating under uncertainty, resource constraint, and ethical complexity. Module 2 — Externalities: the macroeconomic, political, regulatory, and technological forces that shape ventures in Global Growth Markets. Module 3 — Venture Building: the disciplined, evidence-based process of moving a venture from an idea to an investment-ready business. The course involves weekly seminars in addition to workshops and a required international ecosystem tour experience. Course continues into the spring semester.