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Housing Issues and Challenges in the Global South: Contributions of Architecture
Last Updated: 2026-02-05 16:00:52
Abstract
Can architecture, urban design and planning contribute to make housing and cities more equitable and inclusive? Answers to this question will be provided by socially engaged architects from Europe, Asia and Latin America through the presentation of concrete actions and projects.
Objective
The course aims at raising awareness about the multi-faceted manifestations and consequences of neo-liberal housing and urban policies. After a general introduction to the causes and consequences of the current global housing and urbanisation challenges, the students will learn through concrete examples that architects, planners and urban designers can make a difference. Socially engaged architects, designers and planners from Europe, Asia and Latin America will present actions and projects that contributed to make human settlements more inclusive, liveable and sustainable.
Content
The course will focus on the following topics: • Global housing and urban challenges: an introduction • From planning to actions against the commodification of public spaces in Vienna • Countering the financialization of the city of Berlin • Un-gating the city: the case of Bogota, Colombia • Creating public space for popular culture in Barranquilla, Colombia • Designing lights and sites of publicness in Mali • Architects' role in ensuring informal settlers' right to the city in Bolivia • Architectural activism and the re-emergence of housing cooperatives in Spain • Enhancing social inclusion through participatory urban design in Milano, Italy • Urban environmental activism, architecture and housing cooperatives in Switzerland • Learning from vernacular building practices in India and Latin America • Rebuilding housing and communities after conflicts and disasters • Architecture for reconciliation and peace building in post-conflict settings
Resources
Lecture Notes
A course overview including lecture summaries is made available to inscribed students prior the start of the semester.
Literature
A bibliography will be made available to inscribed students prior the start of the semester.
Learning Materials (Links)
- Main link
- Information
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- BSC , MSC
- Frequency
- Yearly recurring
Examination
- Type
- end-of-semester examination
- Mode
- written 60 minutes
- Aids
- None
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| lecture |
Housing Issues and Challenges in the Global South: Contributions of Architecture
No course 24.10. (seminar week) and in the last two weeks of the semester.
Am 10.10.22 findet die Vorlsung im HCI J 6 statt.
|
|
2 h weekly |