Architecture, town and territory: theories and methods of urbanism

lbarc2142  2019-2020  Bruxelles Saint-Gilles

Architecture, town and territory: theories and methods of urbanism
Note from June 29, 2020
Although we do not yet know how long the social distancing related to the Covid-19 pandemic will last, and regardless of the changes that had to be made in the evaluation of the June 2020 session in relation to what is provided for in this learning unit description, new learnig unit evaluation methods may still be adopted by the teachers; details of these methods have been - or will be - communicated to the students by the teachers, as soon as possible.
3 credits
30.0 h
Q1
Teacher(s)
Vanderstraeten Pierre;
Language
French
Main themes


This course builds on knowledge already covered in the Bachelor's degree.
  • the relationships between town planning (imagined and applied) and urbanisation (produced)
  • the relationships between geography, networks and urban forms
  • the relationships between regions and social cohesion
  • the relationships between town planning and natural and  landscape resources
  • the forms of interaction : economic arguments, stakeholder systems, political decision making
Aims

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

1 Specific learning outcomes:
By the end of this course, students are able to
  • recognise and understand the models and theories which inform the way in which we look at urbanised regions.
     
  • analyse a complex construction situation
   - by referring to its structural elements (topic 2), the underlying theoretical and political models (topics 1 and 4)
  - by making hypotheses on the technical, social and economic interactions which have produced it (topics 3 and 5).
  • contribute to the collective formulation of  planning projects, understanding the issues for each of the players and being familiar with the general processes of development planning.
Contribution to the learning outcomes reference network:
Build knowledge of architecture
  • Be familiar with and analyse the discipline's basic references
  • Develop knowledge and become an active participant in the learning process
Place the action
  • Recognise, observe and produce critical assessments of the targeted environments and contexts
  • Identify and analyse the paradigms on which the study is based according to various given methods and starting from various points of view
  • Formulate questions relating to the development of the context being studied to make working hypotheses
Make use of other subjects
  • Seek out other approaches, exchanges of views and ways of enhancing thinking about architecture
  • Make strategic use of other subjects to put into question the design and implementation of an architectural project
Express an architectural procedure
  • Express ideas clearly in oral, graphic and written form
Adopt a professional attitude
  • Act as an independent player able to understand the framework of his/her mission, and the responsibilities towards third parties as well as his/her legal obligations
Make committed choices
  • Activate and develop an ethical sense through approaches to architecture
  • Develop awareness of the political meaning of the work of an architect and his/her responsibility towards society
 

The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.
Content
The course of 'Architecture, city and territory: theories and methods of urbanism' constitutes the last course of this area of knowledge.
It is organized in thematic work sessions aiming at the production of an analysis of a territory faced to contemporary development challenges. Each session includes a theoretical and a methodological framework and also an applied exercise. They lead the students working in teams to the achievement of a booklet A3 which synthesizes all approaches and reflections and which is delivered during the January exam session. The presentations and the exercises successively approach the 6 following topics :
  • Political ambition and planning.
  • Activities of the city and logics of location.
  • Living together at different scales.
  • Mobility of goods, people and informations.
  • Natural environment and landscape.
  • Future-oriented scenarios based on the 'Twin tracks' model.
Insofar as learning to read a practice site will be developed in the course of architecture, links can be usefully drawn between the two courses.
Bibliography
  • BARTON H., GRANT M., GUISE R., 2003, Shaping neighbourhoods, a guide for health, sustainability and vitality, ed. Spon Press.
  • CARMONA M., HEATH T., OC T., TIESDELL S., 2003, Public places – Urban spaces: the dimensions of urban design, ed. Architectural Press.
  • CULLEN G., 1961, The concise townscape, ed. Architectural Press.
  • DONZELOT J., MONGIN O., 2004, La ville à trois vitesses: gentrification, relégation, périurbanisation, revue Esprit, n°303.
  • FREY H., 1999, Designing the city ; towards a more sustainable urban form, ed. E & FN Spon.
  • GEHL J., SVARRE B., 2013, How to study public life, ed. Island press.
  • HILLIER B., HANSON J., 1984, The social logic of space, Cambridge University Press.
  • JACOBS J., 1991, Déclin et survie des grandes villes américaines, éd. Mardaga.
  • LACONTE P., 2003, La gare et la ville ; grands axes et réseau express régional : enjeux et perspectives, Fondation pour l’environnement urbain, éd. du Perron.
  • REMY J., 1974, Scénarios de vie urbaine, in revue A+.
  • ROGERS of RIVERSIDE R., 1999, Towards an urban renaissance, final report of the urban task force, ed. Spon Press.
  • WIEL M., 1999, La transition urbaine ou le passage de la ville pédestre à la ville motorisée, éd. Mardaga.
Faculty or entity
LOCI


Programmes / formations proposant cette unité d'enseignement (UE)

Title of the programme
Sigle
Credits
Prerequisites
Aims
Master [120] in Architecture (Bruxelles)
ARCB2M
3