ABSTRACT

Air pollution and its impacts on Beijing’s senior citizens was central to the work of International Urbanization Seminar students who embarked on the Clean Air Campaign in Fall 2015. Working in a multinational, interdisciplinary team, US and Chinese students collaborated with Clean Air Asia, a leading nongovernmental organization on air quality issues, to develop public campaign materials for Beijing’s older adult populations. For four months, the team researched scientific literature on air pollution impacts, identified major barriers facing populations most impacted by air quality issues, translated technical knowledge into public campaign materials, and tested the materials with senior citizens. Through this course, students learned to work across cultures and disciplines to apply human-centered design and advance sustainability approaches rooted in cultural humility and respectful collaboration with local communities.