Cities are manmade artifacts, created for a purpose. In this course we will examine the history of the design and redesign of cities and the reasons for those interventions. The scale of urban interventions varies greatly, from the macro-scale of designing totally new cities to the micro-scale of experimenting with new forms of urban housing. We will explore the relationship between form and culture by considering the theoretical, social, political, economic, and aesthetic forces that have shaped urban spaces through history. By examining major episodes and movements in the design of cities in Europe and America ranging from the bastides of Medieval Europe to the New Urbanism of contemporary America students should learn the key examples of urban plans, the principles they represent, and the complex weave of factors that influenced their creation. This is a seminar course with an emphasis on reading, writing, and discussion. In addition to active participation in class, students are expected to do regular writings about the readings as well as a major research paper.
