What can the preponderance of heatwaves and water scarcity around the world teach us about designing a well-built environment in economies that will need to become ever more self-sufficient? How do we understand the challenges for design and living in historically arid regions like the Arabian peninsula as well as other regions rapidly becoming hotter and dryer? At what point is a region no longer livable? Using both the UAE and the island state of Malta as case studies, students will explore traditional and contemporary solutions to designing for high temperatures and water scarcity while debating the economic, political, social, and ethical issues those approaches present for dwelling in the future. Students will read texts by Al Gore, Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Rachel Carson, Bill Mckibben, Greta Thunberg, Henry David Thoreau, as well as architects and urban planners. They will practice design and develop an ecologically driven, conceptual, final design Project. NOTE: Pending feasible international travel conditions, this course will include a seminar in Malta.