GEOG252

Description

At present, over half the world's population live in cities. Yet we have no stable idea of what makes a good city. As society changes, so does what it is we demand of our cities. We therefore must understand the city as constantly in a state of becoming. As a consequence we require a critical understanding of what types of processes cause the city to change over time. This course seeks to unite this realization with the concerns of urban practice. Throughout the 20th century, urban geographers examined the ways in which urban planners, architects and urban designers shaped the city. Conversely, early urban planners such as Ebenezer Howard and Patrick Geddes were deeply concerned with geographical problems. In this course we bring an understanding of contemporary urban problems to the study of urban design and practice. The course requires students to select a topical concern and research what geographers and urbanists have concluded about it. With this understanding, students must collectively draw upon social and urban theory to develop an urban design scheme to respond to the topical issue. Throughout the course students will work in groups to develop a design scheme.