Rethink the City: New Approaches to Global and Local Urban Challenges

Course details

Learn about today’s urban challenges focusing on developing countries, referred to as the Global South. We will debate the benefits associated with three different themes, going beyond traditional urban strategies and policies: Spatial justice: Spatial justice is undoubtedly one of the greatest challenges of urban contexts in emerging economies. Housing Provision and Management: Increasing demand in the Global South calls for alternative approaches in housing provision and management. Urban Resilience: Understanding resilience not as a mere struggle for survival, but as an opportunity to build better urban environments. In the course, we will address questions such as: Is the ‘just city’ framework applicable to cities with extreme socio-economic inequality? Can community-led housing initiatives provide effective solutions for households in need? How can resilience support development instead of perpetuating a disadvantaged condition? In this architecture and urban planning course, academic urban planning expertise from TU Delft is used to formulate possible answers to these questions, and is applied in a range of challenging case studies from Ghana, Brazil, Malaysia, Chile, and China, among others. This course offers you a new perspective to understand and analyze the urban challenges of the Global South.Through a combination of short theoretical lessons, presentation of case studies, testimonies from practitioners and practical assignments you will also learn how to develop a critical perspective about your own urban environment and how to translate this knowledge into analytical tools and innovative urban solutions.Urban Challenges in AfricaIn addition, the course offers you a module focused on the specific urban challenges of the African continent. We will apply the three themes to different cases in this region and explore these with professionals working on the ground.RETHINK THE CITY PRIZETwo learners will be selected to come to Delft to participate in the Summer School 2018 “Planning and Design with Water”. This Rethink the City prize will cover the costs of the tuition fee for the summer school, the costs of board and lodging in Delft during the period of the summer school, and the travel costs to/from the Netherlands. The selection criteria for this prize will be communicated once the course starts. Updated on 17 September, 2019