Urban Design Theory

Course guarantor:

Lecturer:

Tutor:

Supervisor:

Department of Urban Design

Synopsis:

The course introduces students to the concept of the city, beginning with its physical structure and the fundamental urban elements addressed within the framework of urban morphology. It explores spatial topology and the organisation of street networks, enabling students to develop an understanding of how built form and spatial arrangements shape the functioning and character of urban environments.

Subsequent parts of the course address the concept of public space, including its definition, typologies and its social, cultural and functional significance for urban life. Attention is also devoted to the structure of human settlements, patterns of density and the spatial logics that underpin different urban forms. The course further introduces selected themes from urban economics, urban resilience and processes of social and spatial segregation, illustrating how these dynamics influence contemporary urban development.

The accompanying practical component is based on fieldwork in selected areas of Prague. Through direct observation and on-site analysis, students examine and describe a variety of urban structures that emerged in different historical periods and under distinct planning principles, thereby linking theoretical knowledge with the material reality of the city.

Requirements:

Syllabus of lectures:

List of Lectures

1. Urban Morphology I

2. Urban Morphology II

3. Public Space I, Public Space II

4. Urban Structure, Urban Resilience

5. Urban Rhythms

6. Urban Economy

7. Urban Segregation

8. Housing in the City

9. Urban Density

Syllabus of tutorials:

Study Objective:

Study materials:

Lynch, Kevin: A Theory of Good City Form

Lynch, Kevin: Image of the City

Norberg - Schulz, Christian: Genius loci

Rossi, Aldo: The architecture of the City

Krier, Leon: Architecture: Choice or Fate

Alexander, Ch., Ishikawa, S., Silverstein, M.: A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction

Koolhaas, Rem: Delirious New York

Howard, Ebenezer: Garden Cities of To-morrow (1905)

Gehl, Jan: Life between buildings, Copenhagen (2001)

Base, Miroslav: Settlements and Buildings in Countryside (scriptum, CVUT 2006)

Sykora, Jaroslav: Countryside Planning-Villages and Landscape (scriptum,2002).

Note:

Further information:

No time-table has been prepared for this course

The course is a part of the following study plans: