AP/SOSC 3718 3.00

Introduction To Urban Design

The course explores Urban Design as the intentional shaping of urban space. It questions the assumption that Urban Design is a purely aesthetic exercise and considers it instead to be a realm of city-building that is always political, social, cultural, economic and environmental. Urban Design is explored as a process that intentionally represents cultural values and social organization and that bridges architecture, urban planning and landscape architecture. The politics of Urban Design are explored by posing the question who designs for whom?

Topics may include a historical review of key periods of urban design in the 20th century, urban design and post-suburbia, urban design and sustainability, socialist and post-socialist cities, and the challenges of living in the 21st century with the legacies of 20th century urban design. Case studies from urban regions around the world are critically examined.