Topics in Community and Urban Design

Catalog description

Community and urban design as an area of design inquiry and interdisciplinary practice. ARCH 542 ARCH 542 . Topics in Community and Urban Design (3)The intention of this course is to introduce students to the fundamental elements of community and urban design practice within the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, and planning. An investigation into the diverse traditions of design practice- -technical, esthetic, and theoretical -- will highlight the role that design plays in the urban and community context and also serve as a powerful medium for analyzing the confluence of the social, economic, political, and ecological dimensions that give form to cities and communities. An objective of the course will be to develop a critical perspective in architectural design vis-a-vis the restructuring of urban and community space.Topics to be covered in the course include: history of the discipline, contemporary urban and community issues, methodologies and techniques in community action research and participatory design, and introduction to the case study method of analysis. It is expected that students will actively participate in class discussions, present a case study of a project related to the topics covered in the class, and submit a research paper on the selected case study. ARCH 542 will be offered as a 3-credit course on an annual basis during the spring semester. Students with graduate standing in architecture and landscape architecture will be given priority for enrollment. However, a limited number of other students may enroll pending consent of the instructor.