Critical Conversations: bridging pathways forward to greater understanding and creative solutions.

UD-901 Urban Design 1: Mediums & Methods

5 Credits

This is the first of three encapsulated studios. The course introduces students to contemporary methods for designing and visualizing the city. Through the lenses of New York City and understanding its 21th century metropolitan complexities students will engage in subjects that range from emerging ecological problems and/or accelerating capital market flows and examine how these influences have begun to pressure its urban fabric in unprecedented ways. Working through a series of materially and visually based exercises students will be introduced to contemporary mediums and methods of designing a large scale, urban site. Through site visits, individual assignments, and in-depth studio critiques, the students develop speculative visions that are rooted in the realities of the city. Among other learning outcomes, students will begin to understand the paradigmatic character of NYC and develop designs that reflect the complexity of our contemporary world.