Bringing together spatial studies, political theory and economics, City Making: The Politics of Urban Form provides a critical understanding of major urban development projects and practices in international city contexts. It introduces students to the following skills:
- knowledge of key evaluation approaches and information bases used in the analysis of urban developments
- ability to situate major urban development projects within development cultures and economic policies
- understanding of the practice of urban development, formal and informal implementation mechanisms and design decisions
- ability to relate urban policy to spatial outcomes, operating at different scales
- critical evaluation of existing city design briefs
- general knowledge for developing city design briefs for international competitions and global tenders.
The course content is based on contemporary projects and urban trends examined in the context of cities throughout the world. These range from policies such as congestion charging (London) and Progressive City Development (urban Colombia) to urban development trends such as gated communities (Johannesburg) and privatist planning (Canary Wharf, Santa Fe, Sandton, Potsdamer Platz). Such projects will be examined through critical frameworks that include utility, inequality, economic development, governance, capabilities and sustainability. The course will focus on negotiation, politics, financing, appraisals and decision-making for cities by inviting practitioners, experts and policy makers to join individual sessions for presentations and debate. Seminars and assessed project work for the course will be based on the analysis of Development Strategies and City Design briefs, leading to brief-writing for one site in one specific city in each year.
Download the 2010 Course Summary & Timetable