Urbanism III - Theory

The course introduces the student to the most important urban theories and ways of thinking about the city from the 19th century to the present. In lectures and seminars, the student is led to think critically in order to be able to analyze, evaluate, compare and recognize the practical effects of these theories on the development of European cities. The seminars combine the theoretical lectures with analysis and interpretation of theoretical texts, with an emphasis on linking individual and team work. 

The course is taught in the form of lectures and seminars. Part of the course and student assessment is self-study of literature, active preparation for seminars, involvement in discussed topics and preparation of a seminar paper.

Lecture Themes:

1. Introduction, basic terms, researching cities, urban design traditions
2. The City Beautiful, the cosmic urban model, case study
3. The Industrial city, the mechanical urban model, case study
4. The Garden city, the organic urban model, case study
5. The Automobile city, development of the urban transportation network
6. The Functional city, critique of modernism, case study
7. The birth of modern suburbia, business centers as cities
8. Utopia of the 60s and 70s, city of the future, drop city, case study
9. Postmodern urbanism, case study
10. The Generic city, vertical, horizontal
11. The Urban web theory, collective form, urban morphology
12. Placemaking theory, New Urbanism, case study
13. Sustainable urbanism, Tactical urbanism, Landscape urbanism, case studies