2025 (Current Year) Faculty Courses Liberal arts and basic science courses Humanities and social science courses
Special Lecture: Urban Space for the Future
- Academic unit or major
- Humanities and social science courses
- Instructor(s)
- Kumiko Kiuchi
- Class Format
- Lecture
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - Class
- -
- Course Code
- LAH.H313
- Number of credits
- 100
- Course offered
- 2025
- Offered quarter
- 4Q
- Syllabus updated
- Mar 19, 2025
- Language
- English
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
There has been an unprecedented urbanisation around the globe. This course aims to provide students knowledge and a set of tools to approach issues pertaining to urban space. By studying some of the issues in world cities as well as theoretical approaches to them, the course trains students' ability in observing and analysing urban space and in envisioning the city in the future.
Course description and aims
(1) To experience the pleasure of noticing elements surrounding your everyday life in urban space and to reflect on ways these elements condition your activities and that your activities reshape your relationship to them.
(2) To understand the functions and meaning of these architectural elements in the city
(3) Based on (1) and (2), students will be able to notice social issues of the city and to begin to think about ways to tackle them applying concrete strategies.
Keywords
Design of urban space, smart city, compact city, human scale, diversity, activities, biophilic city, sustainability, human rights, technology,
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
The course consists of two parts. In the first part, students discuss their weekly assignment to grasp the basic concepts explained in the reading. In the second part, the tutor gives a mini-lecture on the topic of the week and students discuss key ideas about the lecture.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Introduction to the course; Constellations of urban space | Students overviews the course and understands the background of the course content |
| Class 2 | Creating Great Places - 6 Approaches | Students understand key issues, approaches, and problems involving urban space in different parts of the world |
| Class 3 | Compact city, smart city and the sense of place | Students learn key issues, approaches, and problems about compact city, smart city and community-building. |
| Class 4 | Human scale and the study of activities in the city | Students learn a genealogy of the concept "human scale" and how it is applied to place-making around the world. |
| Class 5 | Biophilic city and sustainability | Students learn the concept of biophilic design and its applications around the world. |
| Class 6 | Review of the course: discussion for the group presentation in week 7 | Students prepare their group presentation. |
| Class 7 | Presentation session | Students give a group presentation and have an overall review of the course |
Study advice (preparation and review)
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.
Textbook(s)
Handouts are distributed via T2Shola.
Reference books, course materials, etc.
More details are provided in class.
Evaluation methods and criteria
Contributions to group discussions: 35%
Assignment: 30%
Presentation or film making: 35%
Related courses
- LAH.H312 ： Special Lecture: Urban Space in Literature and Cinema
Prerequisites
Intermediate or advanced listening and speaking skills in English
Other
Content of the course and the class style are subject to change depending on the number of students and their interests.