Transforming Urban Knowledge

Urban transformation begins with transforming how we learn. To address the complexity of adapting cities to future challenges, we must design based on evidence which considers social and ecological perspectives. This course equips students with hands-on tools to investigate new evidence for planning resilient, inclusive, and sustainable urban change. We will explore critical knowledge gaps in planning and designing future-proof cities, draw on insights from disciplines beyond traditional urbanism, and test how these perspectives can be translated into urban design practice. The aim is to foster evidence-based planning and design approaches that are capable of navigating the multiple dimensions of urban transformation.

Course Details: Sustainable Urbanism 1 – AR30200 - 3 ECTS

Kick-off: 20.10.25 - 13:15 – Room 2237

Sessions: Mondays - 13:15

Exam: Exercises in semester / Poster upload on 16.01.26 / Reflexion upload on 23.02.26     

Language: English

Target Group: Master’s or advanced bachelor’s students of architecture, urban design, landscape architecture, political sciences and engineering                                                           

Exam: The students will identify knowledge gaps in one of their past projects and dive deep into one of these gaps by exploring new sources of evidence to support it. They will then propose an improvement of their project in light of this new knowledge.                                              

Learning Outcomes:

1. Understand the role of evidence-based approaches in planning social-ecological urban transformations
2. Evaluate an urban design project to identify knowledge gaps in terms of social-ecological aspects
3. Propose improvements to a projectbased on an evidence-based design approach                                        

OPTIONAL EXTENSION

Course Details: Sustainable Urbanism 1 Vertiefung – AR30223 - 3 ECTS 

Kick-off: 20.10.25 – 15:00 – Room 2255

Sessions: 10.11 / 01.12 / 22.12 / 12.01

Exam: Upload on 23.01.26

Task: Based on your current (urban) design project, select one component where an evidence-based approach could significantly enhance decision-making. Conduct an in-depth analysis of this topic and present your findings in an article, integrating relevant data and literature. In addition, create a complex visual representation that illustrates how the evidence is implemented in the project. 

Learning outcomes:

1. Improve scientific research and writing skills
2. Practice giving constructive feedback in a peer-review round
3. Evaluate relevant complementary knowledge and create a strategy to integrate evidence-based knowledge in the design process.