11248 Architectural History and Theory: Urbanism and the City

Description

This subject introduces:

• the realities of cities; their regional context; and urban development across time and in different geographical locations and cultural settings
• ideas about cities, especially within the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning and design
• how new technologies of vision reflect, influence and enable new modes of urban emergence and inhabitation
• the challenges and responses for urban development and inhabitation posed by climate change.

The objectives of the subject include providing students with the skills to research, discuss, debate and design cities and urban environments, drawing on the specific strengths of their architectural or landscape architectural background.

In keeping with this cross-disciplinary approach, the subject explores the interdependency of cities, regions and territories, and the biophysical, infrastructural and logistical systems that bind them. It also introduces key issues facing cities and regions into the future.

The particular disciplinary perspectives that architecture and landscape architecture bring to the understanding of cities are emphasised. The culture of urbanism that these two disciplines have evolved is explored through built and unbuilt projects, writings, visual representations, exhibitions and other forms of research, analysis, speculation and debate.

The subject builds on knowledge gained from previous history and theory subjects, and extends and develops an understanding of the forces and processes that have shaped cities and their urbanisms. Students should be able to contextualise their studio work within different debates about what a city is and how architecture and landscape architecture contribute to it.

Typical availability

Autumn session, City campus