150
Urban Studies
REGGIO DI CALABRIA
Overview
Date/time interval
Syllabus
Course Objectives
The learning objectives of the course are fully consistent with the learning objectives of the degree programme, which assign urban planning disciplines the task of contributing to the formation of a design culture that, through theories, creativity, methodologies and procedures at different scales, enables the optimal construction of physical space. The educational objectives for training in the performance of those activities ‘habitually carried out under the professional title of architect’ (Directives 85/384/EEC, 85/14/EEC, 86/17/EEC) are aimed at ensuring the achievement of:
1. adequate knowledge of urban planning, design, procedures and techniques applied in the process of city governance;
2. the ability to understand the relationships between people, architecture, cities and the environment, as well as the ability to adapt architectural creations, urban spaces and natural elements to each other for the sake of well-being;
3. the ability to understand the importance of the profession and functions of the architect in society, in particular by developing plans and urban projects that take social and anthropological factors into account.
The qualifying educational objectives concern the ability to understand, discern, critically evaluate, exercise independent judgement and be sensitive to the social and ethical responsibilities inherent in all design activities.
The qualifying learning objectives of the course are the development of skills useful for the conceptualization of a design approach capable of anticipating those transformations of the city and the territory based on a proactive vision of innovative and equitable urban and territorial policies aimed at creating authentic development and inspired by the achievement of forms of socio-economic, distributive and cultural cohesion.
The specific objectives, the degree of achievement of which can be assessed during the learning assessment and at the end of the workshop during the exam, can be summarised as follows:
1. a deep understanding of the theoretical-scientific, methodological and operational aspects of urban planning in order to design urban space, including by innovatively solving complex and interrelated problems that require an interdisciplinary and multi-scale approach;
2. the ability to understand the authentic concepts related to urban and territorial sustainability, social cohesion and the sense of identity of place in the design of cities and territories, in order to promote ecologically balanced and long-term development of the built and natural environment, including the rational use of available resources.
Course Prerequisites
In order to ensure the consistency of the educational programme, the Teaching Regulations stipulate that in order to attend the 4th-year Urban Planning Laboratory, students must have passed the 2nd-year Urban Planning Laboratory exam.
In order to be able to tackle the topics and activities planned for the Urban Design Workshop in an informed manner, it is useful to have the basic knowledge that is considered to have been acquired in previous years, also in order to avoid repetition in the training process:
- the main concepts and theoretical topics relating to the role of urban and territorial planning and the tools available;
- the evolution of modern urban planning and the main stages in the acquisition of the disciplinary corpus;
- the essential aspects of urban planning legislation at national and regional level.
Teaching Methods
1_TYPE OF TRAINING ACTIVITIES
In developing the course content, which will take place in a workshop format, in addition to lessons on specific topics, students will be engaged in a series of experiments based on independent considerations, observations and descriptions. Through the interpretation of urban phenomena, they will develop original ideas for reflection and design proposals, including in the form of design visions presented with graphics, drawings and videos.
The course is structured in lessons, exercises, design activities, and workshop discussions of progress. Students will independently develop a collection of best practices related to design work. The result of this collection will be made available to all participants in the module during targeted seminars in order to share it and identify useful processes for the construction of scenarios and models for urban space design.
The types of training activities are divided into
Lessons: 30 hours (hours/semester in the classroom)
Exercises: Study and presentation at the Best Practices Laboratory 8 hours (hours/semester in the classroom)
Practical activities: Design workshop activities 16 hours (hours/semester in the classroom)
Seminars: 2 seminars on specialist topics lasting 3 hours, 6 hours (hours/semester in the classroom)
Lessons (30 hours/semester in the classroom)
Topics (summary):
- Redefining resilient, inclusive and digital cities in light of the experience gained in the first semester
- Urban design innovations geared towards resilient, inclusive and digital cities - potential and limitations
- Design criteria for the urban quality of neighbourhoods and public spaces in cities
- Urban design for a new urban welfare system
- Guidelines for the design of urban space for social relations in 'city life'
- Designing the urban ecological network for the design of public and private cities with natural elements
- Enhancing cultural heritage through physical and virtual connections
- Artificial intelligence for the management of design variables
- Designing a safe city, risk assessment and definition of mitigation measures
Practical exercises (8 hours/semester in the classroom)
The exercises will focus on the study and presentation to the Best Practices Laboratory of innovative experiences related to the theme of urban design for resilient, inclusive and digital cities. The collection of examples will constitute the common and implementable knowledge base of the Urban Design Laboratory during the semester.
Design workshop activities (18 hours/semester in the classroom)
The design experiment will focus on the contents of a project to revitalise a territory (municipality, metropolitan city, bioregion) with specific measures for designing resilient, inclusive and digital cities in order to optimise territorial cohesion for new integrated forms of self-sustainable local development.
Specialist seminar (4 hours/semester in the classroom)
Seminar on urban design issues to mitigate the effects of climate change on cities
TOTAL 60 hours/semester in the classroom
Attendance is compulsory for at least 70% of the lessons and will be certified by the teacher, who will submit to the Department's Academic Office, together with the lesson register, a list of students who have fulfilled the attendance requirement. The certificate of attendance exempts the student from having to repeat the workshop if the exam has not been taken within the academic year.
2_INDEPENDENT STUDY
Students will have 90 hours at their disposal, which they can manage independently for study, revision for tests, and in-depth study of topics covered in lectures and seminars. It is recommended that these hours be divided into three categories:
- Study and in-depth analysis of topics covered in lectures and seminars, including bibliographic and web sources - 45 hours
- Research into best practices to be shared in laboratory activities for tests - 25 hours
- Exam preparation with individual or group planning and communication of the experience - 20 hours
Students will explore the topics covered in lectures and seminars in detail, including through the study of bibliographic and web sources, and will independently develop a repertoire of best practices relating to the urban design of resilient, inclusive and digital cities, which they will present to the workshop in order to share the knowledge of those processes useful for the optimal design of urban space.
Assessment Methods
Learning assessment takes place on a weekly basis during presentations of the repertoire of significant experiences and allows for more informal interim assessments of the programme and topics covered in lectures, seminars and the body of shared knowledge that will constitute the common heritage of the Laboratory.
Examination method: Theory/Practice
The course involves assessment of the content covered during the lectures and explored in depth in the texts and websites indicated in the bibliography and sitography. This assessment consists of periodic presentations related to the presentation of the progress of the project application.
In order to be admitted to the exam, students must actively participate in at least 70% of the scheduled lectures and seminars and must successfully complete the periodic assignments/presentations.
The exam will focus on the course content, topics of educational interest and the project experience to be presented in a final seminar at the end of the Laboratory activities.
Texts
Reference bibliography
1. Camargo Hernández D. F, Pianificazione urbana con l’aiuto dell’intelligenza artificiale (AI): Tipologie di indagine, Edizioni Sapienza, 2023
2. Carta M., Sette lezioni di rigenerazione urbana, LetteraVentidue, 2025
3. Moreno C., La città dei 15 minuti. Per una cultura urbana democratica, ADD Editore 2024
4. Musco F., Zanchini E. (a cura di) Il clima cambia le città. Strategie di adattamento e mitigazione nella pianificazione urbanistica, Franco Angeli 2015
5. NACTO, National Association of City Transportation Officials, Urban Street Design Guide, 2013, Available online: https://nacto.org/publication/urban-street-design-guide/
Reference sitography
https://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/superilles/en/
https://www.casadellacultura.it/viaborgogna3riccat.php?cat=Urbanistica
Contents
1_DESCRIPTION
The course Urban Design for Resilient, Inclusive and Digital Cities is part of the Urban Design Laboratory and aims to provide students attending the fourth year of the Master's Degree in Architecture (LM-4) with a cultural advancement on the topic of the effectiveness of urban design for an innovative approach to urban transformation in line with the new acquisitions underlying the principles for ecological, social and digital transition. Firstly, the necessary theoretical foundations and methodological processes will be shared in order to understand, interpret and govern the major issues related to innovation in the field of public city design focused on more satisfactory urban welfare.
It contributes to the learning of advanced critical knowledge in the field of urban planning, promoting the refinement of creative skills for a critical and multidisciplinary vision of knowledge, also with a view to shaping a solid profile of design skills for entry into the working environment that defines public and private bodies.
2_COURSE PROGRAMME
The theme for this year aims to demonstrate that it is possible to chart a new course of development towards experimentation and monitoring of designs, actions and implementations capable of reverberating “sustainable”, equitable, sober and long-term well-being for the optimal organisation of the city, its neighbourhoods and high-quality urban public spaces.
The topics of study, research and experimentation concern the opportunities offered by urban planning methods for a resilient, inclusive and digital city and are outlined as follows:
- Design criteria for the urban quality of neighbourhoods and public spaces
- Urban planning for a new urban welfare
- Guidelines for the design of urban space for social relations in 'city life'
- Designing the urban ecological network for the design of public and private cities with natural elements
- Enhancing cultural heritage through physical and virtual connections
- Artificial intelligence for the management of design variables
- Designing a safe city, risk assessment and definition of mitigation measures
The preliminary theoretical lessons will focus on the following defining aspects and sharing of key concepts:
Definition of a resilient, inclusive and digital city in the view of the experience gained in the first semester
Examples of resilient, inclusive and digital city designs - potential and limitations
Urban design innovations directed towards resilient cities
Examples of innovative urban design for public spaces in cities
Focus on examples of effective urban design to control and mitigate the effects of climate change on cities
In developing the course content, which will take place in a workshop format, in addition to lectures on specific topics, students will be engaged in a series of experiments based on independent considerations, observations and descriptions. Through the interpretation of urban phenomena, they will develop original ideas for reflection and design proposals, including in the form of design visions shown with graphics, drawings, images and videos. This design process aims to propose innovative urban development through the construction of scenarios, models and design procedures that will affect complex urban spaces and specific areas chosen collectively. The activities and outcomes of the workshops will be reported in seminar form, also in collaboration with speakers from the professional world.
The training, theoretical and design activities will be modulated during the year, seeking to monitor the adequacy of the teaching load in relation to the number of credits for the course, 6 credits per semester and 12 credits per year, and the overall commitment required in the fourth year, also with regard to participation in common cultural activities.
3_EXPECTED RESULTS
The course taught in the 4th year is part of the second cycle of comprehensive learning that educates students for the career of architect. Recognising that at the end of this cycle, students must demonstrate, through assessments, that they have acquired the knowledge that characterises the figure of the architect, relating to urban design, and that the disciplines CEAR-12/B (formerly ICAR/21) - Urban Planning, are among those that the course of study plans to reinforce due to the specific contribution that the sector can make to innovation in the field of public city design focused on a new urban welfare system, the main results expected through the European system of five interrelated descriptors, “Dublin Descriptors”, are indicated below
Knowledge and understanding / Knowledge and understanding
Students are expected to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of spatial phenomena and their causes, and to have acquired knowledge and skills such that, through the development of original ideas and in a research context, they are able to develop a project-based exercise.
Ability to apply knowledge and understanding / Applying knowledge and understanding.
Students will practice applying their knowledge and understanding skills for a methodologically correct approach in the exercise phase, in a specific territorial context and to possess adequate skills both to devise and support arguments and solve problems in their field of study, and to have the ability to conceive, design and implement a research process on the issues of sustainable development and land habitation.
Autonomy of judgment/Making judgements.
Students will refine the ability to integrate knowledge and manage complexity, as well as to make judgments and discernment skills based on information that may be initially biased, including reflection on the social and ethical responsibilities related to the application of their knowledge, interpretations and judgments.
Communication skills / Communication skills
Students will improve the ability to communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions clearly and relevantly by offering their particular point of view to the course community.
Learning skills / Learning skills.
Students will be expected to demonstrate that they have developed those learning skills that are necessary for them to undertake further studies with a high degree of autonomy, originality, creativity and design ability.
More information
Willingness to provide material in English: SI