The University of Pennsylvania
Designing Cities
Sometimes people talk about cities as if they are outside people’s control, but everything that happens to shape cities is actually the result of decisions made by governments, business investors, and citizens.| Length | 3 to 4 weeks |
| Effort | 4-6 hours per week |
| Price | Free |
| Subject | Design, Architecture |
| Level | Any |
| Languages | English |
| Video Transcripts | English |
About this course
Each module in Designing Cities will focus on a different aspect of city design including: How Today’s City Evolved; The Ideas That Shape Cities; Tools for Designing Cities; Making Cities Sustainable; Cities in the Information Age; Preserving Older Cities; Designing New Cities, Districts and Neighborhoods; The Challenges of Informal Cities and Disadvantaged Neighborhoods; and Visionary Cities. Materials will be presented by the instructors and guest faculty from PennDesign through a series of five or more lessons per module, each typically 10-12 minutes long.
The first lesson in each module will be a roundtable discussion among professors Stefan Al, Jonathan Barnett, and Gary Hack introducing the big issues associated with the subject. Each succeeding module will be a self-contained illustrated presentation of a set of ideas and images. There will be a list of suggested readings for those who wish to follow up on the ideas in each module.
Everyone enrolled in Designing Cities will be expected to complete 3 assignments. These will be posted on the course site and they will be in the form of peer assessments. There will be a great deal to be learned from the ideas participants submit, reflecting cities of all sizes and circumstances across the globe so once you submit your assignment, you'll be able to see what your peers have done.
What you'll learn
Landscape Design
Sustainable Architecture
Historic Preservation
Landscape Architecture
Course syllabus
WEEK 1
How Today’s City Evolved
WEEK 2
Ideas That Shape Cities
WEEK 3
Tools for Designing Cities
WEEK 4
Making Cities Sustainable
WEEK 5
Cities in the Information Age
WEEK 6
Preserving Older Cities
WEEK 7
Designing New Cities, Districts and Neighborhoods
WEEK 8
The Challenges of Informal Cities and Disadvantaged Neighborhoods
WEEK 9
Visionary Cities
WEEK 10
Concluding Comments
Meet the instructors
Gary Hack
Professor Emeritus of City & Regional Planning
City and Regional Planning, PennDesign
Jonathan Barnett
Emeritus Professor of Practice in City and Regional Planning
City Planning
Stefan Al
Visiting Professor
Tongji University and Pratt Institute