Urban Studies

This course analyzes the relationship between urban planning and transportation systems in urban spaces. It studies tools, techniques, and methods for urban transport planning and management, as well as the impacts of transportation on the city. The course also examines sustainable mobility management.

This course examines main concepts and methods used in environmental land-use planning. It discusses the relationship between abiotic, biotic, and anthropogenic elements of the environment, the supply and demand relationship, and its impact on essential resources such as air, water, and soil. This course analyzes planning and management of environmental resources, prevention of territorial imbalances, and maintenance of a population's quality of life.

Pre-requisites: Students must have completed and passed Natural Foundations of the Territory and Social Foundations of the Territory 

This course expands upon Urban Planning I and II. Students learn how to design sustainable urban environments with an emphasis on urban sustainability indicator systems, efficient mobility models, collective transport, and pedestrian environments over road spaces. 

Crime has been readily associated with London's metropolis, from loveable rogues, spivs, and celebrity criminals such as Jack Sheppard to panics caused by the "London Monster" and "Jack the Ripper." Criminals have been the focus of both fascination and horror in the city's past. In tandem, the city developed efforts to control crime, from Beadles and Bobbies to slum clearances and the ultimate sanctions of Tyburn Tree and Newgate Prison. This course analyzes thematic aspects of crime and punishment in London, with particular attention to race, gender, and queer history. By recovering marginalized voices, students chart transitions in societal reactions, policing, legislation, and culture across the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Through analyzing primary materials and site visits linked to key cases from London's past, this course provides glimpses into the shifting criminal and judicial landscape of London.

This course examines Sydney’s fascinating people and places, from the city’s Indigenous people and cultures, to its iconic natural landscapes and buildings, its diverse and dynamic neighborhoods, its hidden surprises, and its contested futures. As well as attending seminars, students will participate in field trips to different locations in Sydney conducted by leading experts from a range of disciplines and communities. 

The year 2008 marked a turning point in global historical settlement patterns; for the first time in human history the majority of people now live in urban areas. By 2030, two-thirds of the world’s population will be urban. This course explores three interrelated policy and business trends associated with urbanism: Smart Cities, Liveable or Healthy Cities, and efforts to retrofit suburbia. Each of these trends has importance for enhancing our quality of life and addressing climate change. Each also creates unique business opportunities and policy challenges. The course critically examines these trends and their unique relevance internationally and for Ireland. Among other pressing contemporary topics, the course examines housing affordability and the effects spurred by the Covid pandemic, most notably the shifts towards working at home and shopping online, and how these concerns may impact for the future of cities.

This course introduces students to the foundational role land plays in urban development in Australia, including studying land management and city development over time. It examines the evolution of the built environment professions in Australia in relation to Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal land knowledge, law, and practice. 

This course explores the different perspectives and concepts of urban and rural development including the process of urbanization, diverse population and demographic trends, urban planning, urban growth and decline, governance, natural environment concerns, sustainability, and the impact of globalisation. It examines theories and practices of community development both in rural and urban areas as well as their context and changes. The course also includes analysis of key issues such as rural-urban poverty, agriculture, education, social services, equal opportunity, migration and community dynamics, especially among marginalized and vulnerable families and communities in both urban and rural contexts.

This course explores spatial planning and environmental management within the context of civil engineering. It discusses the conceptual, methodological, and technical tools to integrate sustainability, spatial analysis, and infrastructure development into effective civil engineering practices. This course also examines the influence of environmental systems and urban services (transport, sanitation, waste, energy, and communication) on territorial planning, with a focus on sustainable development, regulatory compliance, and ethical responsibility.

This course introduces the fundamentals of urban design and planning through the analysis of contemporary urban structures and morphologies. Emphasis is placed on understanding the elements of urban form, historical growth processes, and the tools and terminology used in the field.