Program Overview

Urban Design for Sustainability: Theory and Practice

Course Description

This is a graduate theory and practice course focused on the body of knowledge and history that informs historical and modern theories in urban design. The course materials will address the major urban design debates, positions, theories, paradigmatic shifts, and unanswered questions. One important agenda will be stressing a series of major debates and models of urban form, its significance and impacts, and proposals to establish healthy and sustainable new communities.

Course Objectives

The course is ultimately structured to assess and synthesize the classical and contemporary urban design theories related to the intersection of urban form and sustainability. We will accomplish the aforementioned agenda through an extensive set of lectures, readings, assignments, and workshops that synthesize the transformation and debates in urban design theory and practice.

Course Content

• Case studies reflecting a wide range of "cities and life style" are introduced to provide a constructed ground for understanding the strategic initiatives and spatial orders being implemented in classical and contemporary urbanism.
  • The course also explores the broader application of specific urban design strategies and interventions within the UAE's geographic setting and socio-political context.
• The seminar should be of benefit to all students interested in the design and morphological aspects of cities.
• The course also prepares students with no prior design background like engineers and scientists for learning core urban design theories, skills, and applications.

Course Period

The course period is from 20/08/17 onwards.

Department

• Civil & Environmental Engineering