| CODE | SPI1102 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Underlying Principles of Urban Design | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Spatial Planning and Infrastructure | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit introduces the basic principles of urban design and space, in order to be able to build on these fundamental principles in the future years with more in-depth urban design theory and practice. The underlying principle is the production of spatial quality, understood as the formation of meaningful places that may enrich the liveability of our settlements and contribute to an elevated quality of life. Urban design is therefore central to planning that seeks to balance out different interests as it manages development (including design control) and in doing so, has a profound effect on the physical outcome of our built environment. Before entering into more in-depth discussions about the design dimension of planning and the role of planning in achieving spatial quality, students must be able to form a holistic understanding of urban space and acknowledge the benefits of quality spaces. The scope of this study-unit is therefore to first and foremost expose students to those qualities that make successful places, starting with the fundamental relationship to the human scale and progressing into why some spaces work and others do not, further developing into basic exercises in urban design that seek to provide a practical dimension to the subject matter. The basic underlying principles that the study-unit will seek to investigate, and discuss, include: - what makes good places and the contribution of urban design to broader quality of life objectives - fundamental requirements and application in practice (3 sessions); - the relationship of the human scale to urban space and understanding of basic ergonomics (2 sessions); - basic exercises in urban design (addressing scale, enclosure, sight lines, connectivity) in practice and on the ground (taking physical urban spaces as a test base) (4 sessions); - understanding fundamental principles of context and contextuality (2 sessions); - understanding why analysis is critical in urban design, and what to look out for in basic analysis of urban space (2 sessions); - connect the above knowledge to planning practice as a conclusion to this study-unit, identifying some pointers for planning practice that will be developed further in future study-units (1 session). Study-unit Aims: The aims of this study-unit are to: 1. expose students to the need for an urban design approach in order to ensure spatial quality and broader quality of life objectives; 2. provide students with an opportunity to understand the need to consider the human scale in development, and how this fundamentally relates to urban space; 3. explore basic urban design principles on the ground, through an investigation of urban spaces and identify what works and what does not; 4. identify the need for a context-driven approach in urban design and a qualitative understanding of urban space through site analysis. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: 1. clearly articulate basic fundamental principles of urban design and their implications in practice; 2. become conversant with basic urban design terminology and urban design concepts; 3. know how urban design contributes to wider quality of life objectives; 4. engage with basic site analysis and apply contextual cues in such analysis. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: 1. undertake processes to assess why some urban spaces work and others do not; 2. apply basic ergonomics in relating the human scale with urban space; 3. critically undertake analysis related to the design of urban spaces; 4. articulate appropriate research questions with regard to the relationship between urban design and planning. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - MOUGHTIN, C., 2003, Urban design: method and techniques, 2 edn. Architectural Press. - MOUGHTIN, C., 2003, Urban design: street and square, 3 edn. Architectural Press. - ROBERTS, M. (ed.), 2001, Approaching urban design, Longman. - TIBBALDS, F., 2001, Making people-friendly towns, E. & F. N. Spon. Supplementary Texts: - CARMONA, M., TIESDELL, S., HEATH, T. and OC, T., 2010, Public places 鈥� urban spaces, 2 edn. Architectural Press. - GEHL, J., 2010, Cities for People, Island Press. - JACOBS, A.B., 1995, Great Streets, MIT Press. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Fieldwork | ||||||||||||
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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