AN URBAN DESIGN ELECTIVE COURSE FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

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AN URBAN DESIGN ELECTIVE COURSE FOR
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

• Offerred within the Undergraduate Curriculum of
  Department of Architecture at
• Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU),
  Gazimagusa, North Cyprus, by
• Sebnem Hoskara Naciye Doratli

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• Urban Design is not simply the
• PHYSICAL VISUAL APPEARANCE of the developement.
• It is a PROCESS of making BETTER PLACES
• PEOPLE
• PLACE (its value significance)
• REAL WORLD PRACTICES (opportunities,
  constraints, economic political forces)
• PROCESS

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The Urban Interface

• Urban design is located at the interface of
  between architecture, landscape architecture and
  town planning, drawing on the design tradition of
  architecture and landscape architecture, and the
  environmental management and social science
  tradition of contemporary planning (Social
  Science Research Council)

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• Urban design is (mainly) a bridge between
  ARCHITECTURE URBAN PLANNING.
• URBAN DESIGN
• (an attempt to built briges)

URBAN
PLANNING

• ARCHITECTURE

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Definitions of Urban Design

• Urban design is the art of making places for
  people (Cowan, 2000).
• ...urban design should be taken to mean the
  complex relationship between all elements of the
  built and unbuilt space (DoE, 1996)
• the relationship between different buildings
• the relationship between buildings and the
  streets, squares, parks and spaces which make the
  public domain
• the relationship between the nature and quality
  of the public domain itself
• the relationship of one part of a villagei town
  or city with othe parts
• the patterns of movement and activity which are
  thereby established
• ... urban design is about the design, creation
  and management of good urban space and places
  (Rowley, 1994, p. 195).
• Urban design ...expresses a concern with the
  ensemble of buildings and the spaces between
  them, the public and private realms created, and
  their visual and functional qualities, as well as
  the settings for behaviour and activities they
  provide (Punter, Carmona, Platts, 1996)

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Dimensions of Urban Design

• Through analyzing broader definitions, a number
  of reoccurring dimensions of urban design become
  obvious
• the time dimension
• the scale dimension
• the visual dimension (townscape, urban space,
  fitting in, etc.)
• the perceptual dimension
• the social dimension
• the functional dimension
• the sustainable dimension

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Objectives of Urban Design

• CHARACTER
• A place with its own identity. To promote
  character in townscape and landscape by
  responding to and reinforcing locally distinctive
  patterns of development, landscape and culture.
• CONTINUITY AND ENCLOSURE
• A place where public and private spaces are
  clearly distinguished. To Promote the continuity
  of street frontages and the enclosure of space by
  development which clearly defines private and
  public areas.
• QUALITY OF THE PUBLIC REALM
• A place with attractive and successful outdoor
  areas. To promote public spaces and routes that
  are attractive, safe, uncluttered and work
  effectively for all in society, including
  disabled and elderly people.
• EASE OF MOVEMENT
• a place that is easy to get to and move through.
  To promote accessibility and local permeability
  by making places that connect with each other and
  are easy to move through, putting people before
  traffic and integrating land uses and transport.
• LEGIBILITY
• A place that has a clear image and is easy to
  understand. To promote through development that
  provides recognisable routes, intersections and
  landmarks to help people find their way around.
• ADAPTABILITY
• A place that can change easily. To promote
  adaptability through development that can respond
  to changing social, technological and economic
  conditions.
• DIVERSITY
• A place with variety and choice. To promote
  diversity and choice through a mix of compatible
  developments and uses that work together to
  create viable places that respond to local needs.

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THE COURSE

• ARCH 455URBAN DESIGN MAJOR ELECTIVE
• bySebnem Hoskara Naciye DoratliEMU
  Faculty of ArchitectureDepartment of
  Architecture
• 3 credits / 4 ECTS / 4 course hours

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CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION

• This course is designed as a major elective
  course for the students who would like to gain a
  comprehensive knowledge on urban design. The main
  subject of this course includes the changing
  roles and meanings assigned to urban design
  discipline, within the context of globalizing
  urban conditions.

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AIMS OBJECTIVES

• Based on the subject matter, the main objective
  of this course is
• to give an overview of conceptualisation of urban
  design thought
• to introduce urban design process
• to provide knowledge on three dimensions of
  places physical setting, activity and meaning.

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GENERAL LEARNING OUTCOMES (COMPETENCES)

• On successful completion of this course, all
  students will have developed knowledge and
  understanding of
• urban design, planning and the skills involved in
  the planning and urban design process
• functional, contextual, morphological, spatial,
  perceptual, sustainable and social concepts of
  urban design
• different dimensions of places being physical
  setting, activity and meaning
• process of urban design.

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GENERAL LEARNING OUTCOMES (COMPETENCES)

• On successful completion of this course, all
  students will have developed their skills in
• application of urban design process (core
  academic discipline skill)
• having a critical perception on urban spaces
  (subject specific skill)
• design of urban spaces (personal and key skill).
• On successful completion of this course, all
  students will have developed their appreciation
  of and respect for values and attitudes regarding
  the issues of
• perception of urban environment
• elements of urban form
• making successful spaces
• use of urban spaces.

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CONTENT SCHEDULE

• Lectures are held on Thursdays (12.30 - 16.20
  am) in Studio E08. The lecture topics within the
  semester are as in the following
• Introduction to the Course
• Urban Design Making Places
• Spatial approaches to urban design
• Morphological approaches to urban design
• Contextual approaches to urban design
• Visual approaches to urban design
• Perceptual approaches to urban design
• Social approaches to urban design
• Functional approaches to urban design
• Sustainable approaches to urban design

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FRAMEWORK FOR THE CONTENTS (based on Carmona,
1996)
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FRAMEWORK FOR THE CONTENTS (based on Carmona,
1996)
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RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER COURSES

• Together with the skills and knowledge gained in
  Arch 252 Theory of Urban Design compulsory
  course, this course would have positive
  contribution to the design of urban spaces of
  their projects in the following semesters. In
  addition to this, discussions on Analysis stage
  of urban design process would contribute to the
  preparation of research files for graduation
  projects. The course has also connections to the
  following Urban Design Major Elective II giving
  an opportunity of application of the urban design
  criteria thought this course.

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LEARNING / TEACHING METHOD

• The topics will be lectured with the support of
  LCD projector. The students are encouraged to
  participate in the discussions on the course
  topics through getting prepared for the
  keywords of the topics of the course every week
  prior to the lectures. In addition to this,
  theoretical lectures are supported by studio
  exercise to which students are obliged to
  participate as a part of their learning process.

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ASSIGNMENTS

• Assignment 1 Find an example urban design
  project and discuss it with its type, contents,
  etc.
• Assignment 2 An exercise on the spatial
  conceptualization of urban design thought
• Assignment 2.1 Design a neighbourhood unit in
  sketch format
• Assignment 3 An exercise on the morphological
  conceptualization of urban design thought
• Assignment 4 An exercise on the contextual
  conceptualization of urban design thought
• Assignment 5 An exercise on the visual
  conceptualization of urban design thought
• Assignment 6 An exercise on the perceptual
  conceptualization of urban design thought
• Assignment 7 An exercise on the social
  conceptualization of urban design thought
• Assignment 8 An exercise on the functional
  conceptualization of urban design thought
• Assignment 9 An exercise on the sustainable
  conceptualization of urban design thought
• Studio exercises on each submission

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ATTENDANCE METHOD OF ASSESSMENT PLAGIARISM

• Students are expected to attend the lectures as
  regularly as possible. Those who fail in more
  than 20 of the term would be graded NG and will
  not be allowed to submit the final term project.
• Attendance participation to studio exercises
  10
• Midterm exam 30
• Assignments 60
• Plagiarism is intentionally failing to give
  credit to sources used in writing regardless of
  whether they are published or unpublished.
  Plagiarism (which also includes any kind of
  cheating in exams) is a disciplinary offence and
  will be dealt with accordingly.)

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READING LIST

• Bentley, (et. Al.), 1985, Responsive Environment,
  A Manual for Designer, Butterworth Architecture,
  Oxford.
• Carmona, M. Et.al. (2003), Public Places, Urban
  Spaces The Dimensions of Urban Design,
  Architectural Press, Oxford.
• Carmona, Matthew (1996), Controlling Urban Design
  - Part 1 A Possible Renaissance?, Journal of
  Urban Design, Volume 1, Number 1, February 1996,
  Carfax, pp 47-74
• Gehl, Jan (1987), Life Between BuildingsUsing
  Public Space, trans. Jo Koch, Van Nostrand
  Reinhold, New York
• Gibberd, Frederic (1955), Town Design, London
  Architectural Press, 2nd Edition
• Hayward, Richard, McGlynn, Sue (1993), Making
  Better Places Urban Design Now, Joint Centre for
  Urban Design, Butterworth Architecture, Oxford
• Lynch, K. (1960), The Image of the City, MIT
  Press, Cambridge, Mass. Moughtin, Cliff, 1992,
  Urban Design Street and Square, Oxford
  Butterworth Architecture
• Moughtin, Cliff, Oc, Taner, Tiesdell, Steven
  (1995), Urban Design Ornament and Decoration,
  Oxford Butterworth Architecture Trancik, Robert,
  1986, Finding Lost Space, New York van Nostrand
  Reinhold
• Sitte, Camillo (1965), City Planning According to
  Arctistic Principles, trans. Collins Collins
• Zucker, Paul (1970), Town and Square From the
  Agore to the Village Green, Cambridge, London,
  The MIT Press