Tales of 3 cities
Project 1: Theorizing the connectivity
Journal on sketches and photographs (on-line) (20%)
Through online virtual studies on the case study city, students are expected to capture interesting and meaningful sketches and photographs related to social (urban life) and spatial (nodes etc.) contexts of these towns. It is imperative that the sketches should contribute to the understanding of urban patterns and spaces. This task relates to the one above, in the way that the students are expected to document the city spaces. This is a location based study to establish the relationships and roles of the three urban design elements, especially focusing on the urban structuring principles. Urban patterns and sense of place should be given key focus. Students work on this task individually. Data collection to be done through online and /or experiential research.
Theorizing the City (30%)
Theory is a vision and theorizing is a representation of clear point of view. In a group of 7-8, the students are required to choose a case study city (Amsterdam and Singapore) and to explore the city in both historical and contemporary phases. The grouping has to be so strategic that entire class covers the historical and contemporary phases of both cities. Each group is to prepare digital presentations on salient and insightful ideas/theories/social situations that contributed the spatial form of the city of their study.
Assignment 2: Mapping the towns cape
The findings from this Assignment 1 on will be taken forward to analyze the third city, Kuala Lumpur, in the Assignment 2. The students are required to document the spatial form of the city to note the key spatial experience that is driven by the urban form and content. The objectives are: a) to characterize the urban forms through Serial Vision; b) to establish the relationships and roles of the three urban design elements and c) to identify DISTINCTIVE aspects or patterns in their layout offering to the characteristics of ‘inbetween spaces in a city’. The students will be given with basic urban study techniques such as figure/ground, serial vision, collage city, space syntax, Jan Gehl’s technics of studing public life, etc. Therefore the students are required to analyze and apply those techniques in order to evaluate the spatial (tangible) and/or social (intangible) patterns in the city. You are required to a) illustrate the urban distinctive character by formulating your own theory of understanding, b) present the tales of your wishes and c) evaluate through the comparison of three cities. The submission format will be online and digital reports.