Overview
Architecture 400: Urbanism introduces the study of urban character—built form, social realm, and natural systems—through a historical overview that contextualizes contemporary issues related to urban form and development. Students will be introduced to the theories, language, and vocabulary of urbanism through readings, web-based lectures, directed observation, and critical thought. The course highlights key individuals (practitioners, scholars, and patrons) whose interventions and intentions shaped cities. Issues currently facing society, such as conservation and sustainability, will be addressed and debated.
Outline
The Study Guide for Architecture 400: Urbanism consists of an overview and six units.
Overview: The Morphology of the City
Unit 1: Cities of Antiquity
- 1.1 The Origins of Cities
- 1.2 Greek City States
- 1.3 Rome and Empire
Unit 2: The City as an Economic Stage
- 2.1 The Medieval City
- 2.2 The Renaissance City
- 2.3 The Spread of Classicism
Unit 3: Transformations of the 19th Century
- 3.1 The Industrial City
- 3.2 Haussmann's Paris
- 3.3 The City Beautiful Movement
Unit 4: Reformist Roots of the Modern Movement
- 4.1 The Reformers
- 4.2 Garden and Park
- 4.3 The Modern Movement
Unit 5: The Post-WWII North American City
- 5.1 The 20th Century Suburb
- 5.2 New World Capitals
Unit 6: Contemporary Issues of the City
- 6.1 The Contemporary City
- Conclusion
Learning outcomes
After completing this course, you should be able to:
- Define urban morphology and its component elements through the evolution of the city with an emphasis on the emergence and creation of archetypal urban space.
- Describe the characteristics of the typology of urban space based on a familiarity with historic examples.
- Distinguish among traditionalist, modernist, and postmodernist approaches to (or theories of) urbanism, with a particular emphasis on the late-19th to late-20th century changes to the North American city.
- Analyze existing urban conditions and urban issues through the application of conceptual and graphic tools typically used by the contemporary urbanist/architect.
Evaluation
To receive credit for Architecture 400 you must achieve an overall grade of C+ (67%) for the entire course. The passing grade for each quiz is 60%.
The weightings for the course assessments are as follows:
- Five quizzes = 30% of the overall grade. Each quiz contains five multiple‑choice questions.
- Six Collections = 70% of the overall grade. You are assigned six collections. Once you have completed them, you will have researched nine topics, thereby compiling your own resource on urbanism.
There are no exams in this course
Materials
Physical course materials
The following course materials are included in a course package that will be shipped to your home prior to your course’s start date:
LeGates, R. T., & Stout, F. (2016). The city reader (6th ed.). New York: Routledge.
Bacon, Edmund N. (1976). Design of Cities. New York: Viking Penguin
Morris, A.E.J. (1994). History of Urban Form: Before the Industrial Revolutions (3rd ed.) Harlow, Eng.: Longman.
Note: As of August 11, 2023, The City Reader (6th ed.) is no longer available. The City Reader (7th ed.) is now being used.