Abstract
The paper describes the scope, purpose, and effectiveness of a required class on the subject of urban form. The course condenses material from urban design, planning history, and urban and historical geography. In order to practice urban design and planning, students must be prepared to intervene in an ongoing urbanization process which is not altogether in their or anyone's control. The goal of the course is for students to acquire 1) substantive knowledge of processes of city building—an understanding of the evolution of city form, of the historical basis of the contemporary city, and of the cultural differences between cities—and 2) analytical skills to measure and interpret urban form as it affects access to services, life style, and, eventually, quality of life. The morphogenetic approach serves as the theoretical basis of the course. Its strength lies in its explanation of the characteristics of urban form as the product of city-building processes. Students gain fluency in the vocabulary of forms. They are trained to visualize and measure actual elements of form and to compare their performance.
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