The Incomplete City

The subject is a critical introduction to the contemporary tools and urban models that are required in the practice of urban design. The theoretical focus is on contemporary techniques and models that have been generated by architects, landscape architects, urban designers, planners and other built environment professionals. It emphasises links between eras (continuities and change), between ideas and practice, and between urban design and the wider landscape of ideas: special attention is paid to the influence of culture, the role and techniques of urban morphology, and the graphic representation/interpretation of concepts, models and places. In this subject, students will learn to develop connections between understanding the city as it is and imagining what it could be. This is structured through exercises which connect existing urban theories with our experiences of the city: linking ideas drawn from class readings to what students observe on site visits. This is followed by a collaborative drawing exercise that supports students in exploring how the city may be shaped by design. Through these exercises, the subject is structured to explore theoretical and creative positions for engaging the city.