Along with colleague Chris Elkey, John Lewis developed and delivered a new course for the University of Alberta’s Applied Land Use Program.   The focus of Urban Environments is captured in the course description:

While many in the city-building professions often focus on the physical form of urban areas, the built environment can be seen as a physical manifestation of a variety of interconnected systems. This course will look at a range of systems that influence how cities develop, including the natural, political, economic and social. Over time, these sysems have had varying levels of influence on the built form of the city. These interconnections and ebbs and flows of influence will be investigated using a combination of theory, history and case study analysis. This course will include a site visit in Edmonton to analyze how these interrelated systems have influenced, and were influenced by the physical form of that urban area. Participants will walk away with a more comprehensive understanding of city development and a new understanding of the interconnections of systems in Canadian cities today.