The Urban Geography course was set up in 2017-18 as a joint project of OTB and SP&S. It is motivated by the desire to introduce a transdisciplinary approach to urban complexity to the Faculty’s education portfolio. All students of the built environment and related disciplines share an in-terest in cities, and their future outputs, either as researchers or practitioners, will contribute to shape and influence urban spaces. But the major questions facing cities today are far from settled, be it from the conceptual, environmental, social, or economic perspectives. This multiple and integrative approach to the urban is best captured by the broad lens of Urban Geography.
The course provides an introduction to the massive problems and promises of contemporary urban conditions, allowing students to better frame their work into larger discussions. They will gain valuable insights about key current debates in urban studies and learn to analyse, criticize, and contribute to processes of urban transformation in order to become more relevant agents of change. The course includes lectures, roundtable discussions, short assignments, and a final piece of empirical research about a contemporary European metropolis supported by a field trip. In the first two installments of the course, we have worked on the cities of The Hague and Lille.
Text written by Rodrigo Cardoso