educational programme
The four
universities of the consortium have adopted a common structure for their
syllabi and courses.
design
studios
Design
studios form the core of each semester’s programme. They account for half
of the content in the three core semesters (15 ECTS/semester) and integrate the
knowledge obtained within other lecture courses and seminars (optional and
compulsory components) – thus integrating theory, methods/approaches,
tools/techniques and the design studio in a comprehensive and cohesive manner.
In design studios, students develop analytical exercises, strategies and
scenarios at different scales in which they discuss and apply the challenges of
current urban and territorial design, while also regarding implementation and
management issues.
key
issues
The joint
programme is strengthened by focusing on a set of key issues (to be
periodically reviewed and updated) which reflect contemporary challenges within
cities and territories. The key issues frame the design studios and courses,
together with the design operations through which research/design can be
configured as knowledge producer.
Key issues
and design operations across the scales provide the students with a structure
to orient their individual education tracks and establish close relations with
existing and future researches developed by the four universities. The
integration of research and education capacities will give a contribution to
widen the actual debate in a broader academic and international context.
The key issues
include Emerging Cities, Territories of Dispersion, Mobility and Network Cities,
Post-industrial Sites, Cultural Landscapes:
– Emerging Cities primarily
concerns the rapid transformation of cities and territories. The issues of
global pressures versus local resistance and identity are a main concern
– Territories of Dispersion deals
with an extended use of the territory, including new ways of working and
living. If considered as a new form of settlement, these territories need to
rethink the types and techniques of their infrastructure
– Mobility and Network Cities
focuses on innovations and developments in technology and infrastructural
systems which allow a re-conceptualization of cities – such as urban
polycentric regions, new centralities, urban agglomerations, city clusters,
airport cities, etc
– Post-industrial Sites
investigates obsolete and marginal urban areas that provide new opportunities
for urban restructuring. At a territorial scale, the notion of ‘shrinking
cities’ requires re-thinking of the notion of development
– Cultural Landscapes deals with a
number of issues, including conservation through transformation, planning based
on revaluation of heritage resources and identity in relation to globalization.
research
by design
The core of
the programme relies upon a series of design operations across the scales,
through which research/design can be configured as knowledge producer.
– Research/design
through Description: the descriptive dimension of design; an instrument to read
and interpret complexity
–
Research/design through Conceptualization: the conceptual and analytical
dimension of design
– Research/design
through Scenarios: the hypothetical dimension of design; an instrument to
construct discussions on possible futures
– Research/design
through Strategies: the process-oriented dimension of design
previous
publications
The
publications related to the design workshops (L. Fabian, P. Viganò,
Extreme City, Iuav Press, 2010; E. Giannotti, P.
Viganò, Our common risk, 2012; L.
Fabian, E. Giannotti, P. Viganò, Recycling City,
2012) show the interesting relationship between the didactics, research and
international exchange. Moreover, they are a qualitative description of the
student works, demonstrating the capability to develop articulate proposals and
to communicate them in an effective way.
http://issuu.com/extremecities/docs/extremecity
http://issuu.com/extremecities/docs/recycling_city
