“Within urban space, elsewhere is everywhere and nowhere.”
—HENRI LEFEBVRE
In the early 1970s, urban sociologist Henri Lefebvre anticipated a situation of “generalized urbanization” in which an “urban fabric” would spread to encompass the whole planet, artificializing the entire ‘natural’ surface of the world. While the changing, fast-growing morphology and scale of urbanized regions have attracted considerable attention among urban scholars, the sociospatial, political-economic and technological dimensions of the global “urban fabric” originally postulated by Lefebvre still awaits further systematization and theoretical development — even more so in an age defined and systemically traversed by the ubiquity of climate crisis, with fast technological development and socioenvironmental catastrophe operating as two sides of the same coin. Building on the conceptual framework developed by radical geographers Neil Brenner and Ananya Roy, this research seminar will mobilize the theory of planetary urbanization as a basis upon which to construct a critical agenda for the design disciplines (architecture, landscape, urbanism, planning) in the age of the Anthropocene.
Learning Objectives
At course completion the student will:
> Have an understanding of the relationship between cities, nature, and design as seen through the lens of recent discourses within the field of urban and environmental studies.
> Have the ability to develop original and substantiated positions on the issues/problematiques discussed in the course.
> Have the capacity to deploy ‘close-reading’ techniques through which to decode the multiplicity of (spatial, political-economic, technological) dimensions that define the complex and multi-scalar character of the urban process.
Introduction Commencing with an aerial perspective of Athens, this imagery captures the coexistence of ancient Greek architecture and a futuristic city beneath a mountainous backdrop. This blog post delves into the amalgamation of historical continuity and futuristic aspirations, urging an exploration of the nuanced interplay between time, governance, and urban evolution. Within this composite visual … Read more
“The women argued it was not a bad thing to be able to know instantly by scanning who one is dealing with. Someone remembered a proposal that democracy might best be served by opening up the data banks to everyone rather than trying to do without them or, even worse, pretending they did not exist. … Read more
The image was created to depict an exaggeration of a Lagos market scene. In Lagos Nigeria, there is an obsession by the state to build “ultra-modern“ shopping facilities to house commercial activities. However, due to the high cost of rent of these facilities as well as the culture of traditional markets in Nigeria, traders and … Read more
Critical urbanists are empowered by theory, constrained by history, and valued by their ability and will to negotiate opportunities. The powers of theory are defined by Brenner and Roy as that of critical imagination and rejection of definition; contexualized as historically urban and increasingly planetary by Harvey, Brenner, and Schmid; and actualized by Kaika and … Read more
Embarking on the intersection of artificial intelligence and theoretical discussions, imagine a digital voyage where sophisticated tools act as investigative aides. Think of it as the analytical companion dissecting context, sentiments, and core concepts—a literary detective in the digital world. It takes a visual turn with topic modeling weaving a tapestry of themes, and network … Read more
Community is mostly depicted as a unifying tool that brings a sense of belonging, but does it also act as the root of urban conflict by defining who is an outsider? Through the use of AI, the text Cites or Urbanization? by David Harvey was reimagined as a part of a political discourse and represented … Read more
Introduction Embarking on the odyssey of urban studies, this blog post endeavors to unravel the intricate tapestry of urban theory. At its core, urban theory seeks to comprehend the dynamic relationship between cities, nature, and design, viewed through the lens of recent discussions within the realms of urban and environmental studies. The journey is marked … Read more
‘ The blurring and rearticulation of urban territories. Urbanisation processes are being regionalised and reterritorialised. Increasingly, former “central functions,” such as shopping facilities, company headquarters, research institutions, prestigious cultural venues, as well as spectacular architectural forms, dense settlement patterns, and infrastructural arrangements, are being dispersed outwards from historic central city cores, into erstwhile suburbanised spaces, … Read more
Harnessing AI to deconstruct text to visuals Introduction Welcome to our exploration of urban theory, where we decipher the complexity of urban theory through the lens of imagery and aphorisms. We—three students with diverse perspectives—have delved into the intricate narratives and critical readings to let us translate them to critical urban thinking. This blog post … Read more
