Politics of Urban Design

That politics influences urban design is clear. Political ideologies have an impact on the production of the city, while the entanglement of politics and urban design affects people’s experience of living in the city. In this seminar, the students explore concrete examples of ‘the politics of urban design’ in a diverse set of contexts: colonial urban landscapes, the post-conflict reconstruction of the Balkan region, the development of new housing estates in neoliberal France, and beyond. Inspired by these explorations, the students analyse urban design, placing particular emphasis on how urban design decisions have been informed by political ideology/ideological beliefs. On the basis of this analysis, students are asked to ‘launch’ their own political campaign to become mayor of that city. The main focus of this political campaign (evidently) has to be on urban planning and design and needs to address identified urban ideological challenges, such as the need to build ‘greener’ cities, healthier cities, more sustainable cities, more equitable/social cities, smart cities, and so on.

This course took place during the Fall 2019 semester.

Hover Image: Poster for the Socialists in Belgium: ‘New times, renewed Belgium. Vote socialist’, 1960s