This seminar aims to create an understanding of the social conditions of urban design by looking at the structures of the built environment in the context of changing structures and challenges of society. Berlin and international examples will be juxtaposed so that students gain an insight of which urban structures are being developed under which circumstances. The seminar will look at current social, economic and cultural phenomena and their impact on urban development such as globalisation, international competition, the growing importance of the creative industries and the knowledge society, deindustrialisation in western cities, shrinking influence of the public sector, climate change, mobility, flexibility, widening gaps between rich and poor. It will analyse and discuss projects and key literature that can be seen as good and bad examples for new approaches in urban design for fields such as new functions of urban centres, suburbia and more sustainable ways of building new or adapting existing communities to climate change, sustainable urban development, segregation, cities as places of tourism and entertainment, temporary uses, strategies to regenerate deprived neighbourhoods etc. Excursions within Berlin, Potsdam or (possibly) Leipzig will be included in the seminar schedule. The seminar aims to create an in-depths understanding of the social and economic pre-conditions and consequences of today’s approaches to urban design. Students will be encouraged to reflect on the social ideas and consequences of their own design projects.

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