California’s central coast is a microcosm of many of the world’s wickedest problems. In this small region we can observe, document and interrogate the local nuances and implications of the challenges implicit in each of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, from poverty and food insecurity to water scarcity and climate change. These challenges are characterized by complex webs of cause and effect relationships and feedback loops that defy technical solutions and foster conflicts among stakeholders. These characteristics place them in a special class of problems, termed “wicked problems” by Rittell and Weber (1973). In this course we will seek to understand the complexity of wicked problems, playfully attempt to unwind the tangle of variables that contribute to their intractability, and evaluate the policy and management approaches underway to address them. Along the way we will take walks… and more walks. We will also do some drawing and mapping, take photos and videos, collect artifacts, create metaphors, and do even more walking.