Urban Studies

Faraway and everyday landscape typologies shape human inhabitations, as well as cosmogonies, cosmologies, myths, and folklore of different cultures. These spaces are sometimes the place of conquests, other times the place of retreat; sometimes regarded with fear, other times with fascination. The same landscape typologies can be the archetypical images of inhabitation, and the archetypical images of abandonment. This course unfolds some of the meanings of landscape through the lenses of abandonment and inhabitation, shedding light over the pertinence of some concepts in particular historical periods and the cause of their oblivion in others, for example, concepts of nature and environment; wilderness and sublime; or landscape urbanism, social urbanism, or informal urbanism.

 

This course analyzes the complexity of "wicked" problems - problems that are difficult or impossible to solve because of their complex and interconnected nature. The course epxlores a system of metrics to assess the appropriateness of transition design and social design interventions The second part of the course explores the transition design framework as it was proposed by scholars of at The School of Design at Carnegie Mellon University, one of many useful frameworks for understanding how positive socio-ecological change can be constructed. The course concludes with a discussion of concepts like cosmopolitan localism and inter-localisation that promise a positive way forward towards forming more empowered, resilient communities in an age of intensifying planetary crises.

This course uses London to explore how contemporary cities are being theorized, experienced, and understood. Consideration is given to how cities are conceptualized in and through the context of globalization. The concept of "global cities" is to be contrasted with perspectives that emphasize the "ordinary" quality of cities, to allow students to engage analytically and critically with the complexities and diversities of urban life and experiences. A range of interdisciplinary themes within urban studies are employed to explore the diverse socio-spatial and cultural dynamics and practices both with respect to London and to students' home cities.

This course is a study of countryside planning and the contemporary issues, functions, and conflicts of different landscapes, ranging from traditional rural to peri-urban settings. The course examines cultural landscapes, local, national and international policy, planning processes, governance, actor analysis, EU physical planning approaches, landscape analysis and multifunctional landscapes, nature and water management, recreation, cultural heritage, national parks, rural development programs, agricultural diversification and social farming, peri-urban agriculture, counter-urbanization, and rural-urban relationships.

Cities around the world face rapid changes in their transportation systems with the advances in ICTs. Recent trends include on-demand and shared mobility modes and automation in public and private transportation systems; these new solutions impact the transport industry, infrastructures management, as well as political agenda. Focusing on Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), a new “Smart Mobility” system and real-time network management have been developed as potential solutions to mitigate congestion issues and improve network efficiency.
This course brings a general overview of sustainable and smart transportation in the future smart cities in terms of i) industry trends, business models, technical, and urban design aspects. Based on different European case studies especially in Germany, this program explores innovative methods which Smart cities are currently dealing with as well as future solutions. The course combines theoretical and practical learning materials for transportation modeling and simulation techniques, with a focus on Smart Mobility and ITS solutions and real-world applications. Students review the most well-known traffic simulation models, learn about demand forecasting methods, business, social, and political issues and related analytical techniques. The course examines the concept of smart mobilities and how their business models could grow by analyzing case studies and companies. The course requires students to have basic knowledge of the fundamentals of mathematics and statistics as a prerequisite.

This course introduces students to key theoretical ideas about the growth, development, and change of urban areas. It is divided into two parts. The first part of the course provides an overview of the evolution of planning and development, with a focus on the UK from the 19th century to the 1980s. The second part of the course introduces a range of key concepts that are necessary for understanding contemporary cities, covering issues of modernist urban planning, deindustrialization, urban competitiveness, neoliberalism, urban regeneration, gentrification, creating spatial order in cities, and so on. Through discussing these topics, students develop an understanding of the evolution of urban planning and development approaches and the ability to analyze how economic, social, political, and environmental pressures shape patterns of land use in urban areas.