History 5: Urban Public Space: History, Theory, Design
Course Number: ARC 471i/571i Year: Elec Credit Hours: 3 Semester(s): Fall Spring Prerequisites: ARC 231 and ARC 232 or permission of the instructor
Instructor(s):
Course Description:
This course investigates the history, theory, and design of the modern and contemporary city, along with selected pre-modern examples, in terms of the formal and social construction of space, civic identity, communal memory, political discourse, and socio-economic opportunity.
Objectives 1. To foster understanding of the major theoretical perspectives on the city during the twentieth century, and especially since the 1960s. 2. To explore the problems posed by theoreticians and the diversity of historical solutions to them. 3. To encourage critical thinking about the relationship between architecture and urban public space. 4. To determine bases for the effective design of urban public space today. 5. To establish effective research skills through exposure to a variety of research resources and methodologies. 6. To foster effective written and verbal communication through exercises in critical reading, framing a topic for research, and constructing a persuasive argument.
Course Structure & Topics While the course does examine some critical examples of cities from the pre-modern past and from non-Western cultures, it is not designed as an overview or survey of urban form throughout history. Instead, its focus is on cities from the mid-nineteenth century to the present and its structure is thematic, with coverage of the following topics: Problems and Potential of the Present The Public Sphere and Citizen Ethics Social Generators of Public Space Formal Generators of Public Space Creating a Sense of Place Individuals and Communities, Local and Global Urban Topographies and Holistic Design: Social Control and Social Empowerment Urban Armatures and Streets as Public Space Patterns of Perception: Spectacle and Flânerie Urbanism and New Technologies Asian Cities Contemporary Manifestoes Urban Representation: The City in Word and Image
Course Requirements In addition to mandatory attendance in the seminar and regular participation in discussion, the student is expected to complete all assigned readings, two take-home examinations, and a research paper or project.
