The course is an introduction to the basic theoretical thinking and skills related to the analysis and study of urban planning. Focusing on European cities, the course seeks to build a broad understanding of space in the scale of the city, the relationship between the urban fabric and the urban process, and to lay the foundations through which students will act as urban planners / planners / urban designers and will present their own interventions in an urban area.
Firstly, students will get familiarized with a number of issues related to: (a) the internal structure of cities, their structural components and the link between their organization and the social practices; b) the general economic and political dynamics as modifiers of the city shape, and (c) the role of technology in the evolution of future / intelligent cities, through the redesigning of the various components of the built space.
Subsequently, the course will introduce case studies and planning practices so as to enable students to analyze and understand urban planning and urban design strategies. Through a series of presentations / lectures, the basic skills for writing, training, urban analysis, planning and working on scales related to urban and urban planning will be developed. Students will form groups of 4/6 people and focus on an urban-scale case study. The exercise regards a two-phase urban planning analysis (land use, neighborhood sustainability) as well as a proposal for city regeneration.
A key prerequisite for successful completion of the course is the presentation and delivery on the eclass platform of the exercise and the active participation in lectures / feedback at a weekly base.