Geography

This course introduces the range of historical, political, and cultural frameworks that define the region of the Balkans. Guided by critical geopolitics and critical heritage studies, it maps the turning points and minor stories that make this region. The mapping exercise provides an opportunity to use multi-scalar and multi-temporal approaches and explore territories, practices, events, and communities from the mid-19th century to contemporary initiatives such as the Open Balkans. The course investigates the discrepancies between dynamics around the making of a region, and the spatial entanglements in the culturally and historically charged urban heritage sites. Through these places, it examines spatial categories, borders as part of everyday life, notions of politics of the past, heritage as a tool of geopolitics, and the democratic potential of heritage.

This course explores the impact of urban development on the natural environment and vice versa. It offers a study of the ecology and metabolism of cities and green urban design, using global and local case studies.

This course explores the processes shaping urban development in contemporary London and the challenges facing its role as a global city is the face of economic, social, and environmental challenges. Drawing on ideas, perspectives and approaches from social science and urban design, the course critically examines how London is responding to these urban development challenges through a sequence of related topics.