Course Description
Architecture is amplified and embodied in cities. Since most architecture is set in cities, and since the city is itself an architecture, it becomes necessary for us to evaluate the relationships that affect the making of buildings for cities and the organization of buildings into a meaningful whole. This course will explore the two meanings of the term “the architecture of cities.” It will propose questions leading to an analytical de-composition of the situation of cities in general and Rome in particular.
The course is loosely divided into three sections: the first, Historical Overview, presents the evolution of early settlements focusing on the significance of built form. The second, Revolutions and Modernity, demonstrates the qualitative shift in emphasis that settlements undergo from the Enlightenment, through the Industrial Revolution and to the Information Revolution. The third section, the Current Debate, will present some contemporary issues and techniques proposed for the resolution of apparent problems of city architecture. Since this course is being given in a most unique setting, we will take full advantage of Rome, its history and its problems, to highlight the universal design elements that are part of an analytical understanding, but also of a synthetic, design understanding of cities. This course is theory based and as such will provoke you to think, to take apart mentally, more than to make, architecture. Your studio design problem, also set in this city, will be the operative dimension of your thoughts. In this class, I will expect articulated thought and some clear graphic analysis concerning architecture. These thoughts, if molded with discipline and commitment, will become a source of illumination for your design activity.
Course Method
The course is a lecture/discussion course. It will involve readings, lectures, many on–site field trips, and seminar discussion. Guest lectures with interesting perspectives on urban issues will also be part of the course. Your task is to keep pace with the required readings, attend all lectures, and participate in discussion in a prepared and helpful manner. The course material will, whenever possible, be coordinated to your studio and cartography classes. Our intent is to present architectural issues in as comprehensive a manner as possible, taking full advantage of our unique location.
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