VVZ API is not affiliated with ETH Zurich. Data might be outdated or incorrect. Please view the official ETHZ Vorlesungsverzeichnis for binding information.
Interdisciplinary Project
Last Updated: 2026-02-05 16:30:01
Abstract
The Interdisciplinary Project Activity (IPA) forms the key feature of the MSc RE&IS. Students work on an interdisciplinary task from the field of spatial development and infrastructure systems in a real-life application . The interdisciplinary cooperation and strong communication skills are crucial skills required in practice to communicate with and between relevant actors and other stakeholders.
Objective
Upon completion of the Interdisciplinary Project Activity, students will have gained experience in: 1) Investigating and understanding the project area as well as identifying, evaluating and formulating the current challenges and relevant topics within that area. 2) Creating, designing, developing and evaluating an overall integrated strategy for an urban area with relevant interventions as well as an in-depth study of either a focus area or focus topic within the given urban area. 3) Organising, structuring and fostering teamwork within an interdisciplinary group of 4-5 students in self-responsibility. 4) Applying previously learnt interdisciplinary methodological and theoretical skills from different fields to create solutions to real-world challenges as well as arguing for the solutions’ suitability. 5) Evaluating and choosing effective ways of presenting and communicating information (e.g., text, statistics, images, etc.), ideas, and recommendations throughout the whole semester. 6) Understanding, developing, strengthening, and critically self-evaluating their disciplinary position and role in planning urban development.
Content
Students apply the full range of their previously learned theoretical and methodological skills to solve the task together in their project team. Working closely with representatives of the case study area (e.g. officials, the wider public, different experts and decision-makers), as well as other experts, through site visits, and through individual mentoring by the six RE&IS chairs, students work in a stimulating and motivating environment to solve real-world spatial challenges. The case study area changes every year. - The semester is structured through an intermediate and final presentation, bilateral discussions with the chairs involved as well as individual group mentoring. During these meetings, the work status has to be communicated and presented with appropriate means. The status of the work is discussed with the professors, assistants and possibly external experts. - The project begins with a site visit of the project area at the beginning of the semester and the identification as well as precise formulation of the challenges and opportunities observed within the project area. - The students work on a complex, rather rough task and define their exact objective independently on the basis of the as-is analysis. In the overall strategy, the future development direction for the project area is then determined and interventions are formulated to steer the development in this direction. Within a focus area or focus topic, students further develop their project and deepen their overall strategy. The students test and evaluate the impact of selected interventions and finally reflect on their project, summarize the most important findings and make a recommendation formulated to decision-makers. - The project gets developed in an interdisciplinary group of students. The internal structuring of the group and distribution of work is to be organised by the students themselves. - The choice of software for the project development is up to the students. The software used could be applicable to data analysis, information processing, image production and word processing, e.g., the Adobe programs such as InDesign, Illustrator or Photoshop, GIS software, the Microsoft programs such as Word, PowerPoint or Excel as well as CAD, R, Python etc.
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- MSC
- Frequency
- Yearly recurring
Examination
- Type
- graded semester performance
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| independent project |
Interdisciplinary Project
1. Location [DATUM] external according to separate information by lecturer.
2. The room and lecture times listed are for organizational purposes only. Students are not required to work at this specific location and time.
The official contact hours between students and lecturers are normally scheduled for this time slot (i.e. Wednesday afternoon), but deviations are possible and will be announced in the project description.
|
|
480 h semesterly |